When sleeping in was a commodity in the early days of summer vacation, my mother used to wake us up early. The garden needed attention.
She’d throw the pink swiss dot curtains wide open, and I’d whine and roll over on my white metal daybed trying to block out the sun. I didn’t get it. Why was she soooo happy to be awake when she didn’t have to be? And singing?
Her two favorites were Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma! and Good Morning, from Singing in the Rain.
Oh what a beautiful morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I’ve got a glorious feeling
Everything’s going my way
And this morning, when the first bit of sunshine was peeking in my windows and I was done sleeping, I totally got it. I didn’t sing, because I don’t know all the words anymore. But I hummed. And then went to the park to watch morning happen on the East River.
I like days like that now, too, and I used to sleep until noon in the summer.
Have a great day!
Watch the opening sequence to Oklahoma!. Then you’ll know all the words
Aw, heck, just watch all of Oklahoma!, if you start it. It’s a good way to spend an afternoon.
I was discussing favorite films with my dad yesterday on the telephone — we agreed that Oklahoma! was a good musical, and that Gone With The Wind was a waste of film. Casablanca still ranks as my all-time favorite movie, but his is The Day The Earth Stood Still. If I didn’t look just like him (except for my waist-lenth hair and the moustache that hangs two inches below my chin, anyway) I’d swear we couldn’t be so closely related!
do you know how hard it is for some people to keep from giving advice? I never thought about how much I do it until I ran across your blog and had to refrain!
I always remembered “Oh what a beautiful morning” from the Disney movie Song of the South – same song as
zippity do dah
zippity aye
my oh my what a wonderful day
plenty of sunshine heading my way
zippity do dah
zippity aye
but it has been a long time since I’ve seen that movie – I think Disney must have buried it due to its racial content.
My mom was Queen of Rude Awakening Land. She’d just throw open the curtains with the smarmiest “Rise and shine!” anyone ever heard. I hated that, and Fish brought it back for me. Yeah… why was she so damn happy at that time of day?
my mom would blare Bob Dylan till I finally got mad and out of bed ; ) Now I think its funny & wow.. my mom’s pretty cool!
My step dad used to wake us up by playing “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man” at 10,000 decibles. Nothing like waking up from a sound sleep too “Rat tat, Rat tat, bbbbbbbbbth, rat tat! And yet, I STILL love that musical.
I like to wake my kids up to part of “The Red Red Robin”
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head
Get up, get up get out of bed
chear up, chear up the sun is red
live, love laugh and be happy.
of course I usually don’t start singing until NOON!