I was thinking in the shower this morning about a recent realization I had. Not like today or yesterday recent, but in the last few weeks.
You know the song Winter Wonderland?
It has the lines:
In the meadow we can build a snowman,Well, I'd never thought much about these lines--in fact, probably haven't given them a thought at all since I was a child. When I was little, I simply assumed that the story was about young girlfriends (these days I should probably call them friend-girls) playing on a snow day when there's no school (because who plays with boys?) and pretending to be married to the pastor.
and pretend that he is Parson Brown.
He'll say are you married? We'll say "no,man,
but you can do the job while you're in town."
Upon some actual adult reflection, particularly now that I AM a pastor, I don't think that's what the song is about.
Of course, those are the plans that they are conspiring to face unafraid while they sit by the fire.
ReplyDeleteMy mother tells the story of how, in the winter of 1954, my father, just before he went home to spend Christmas with his family, proposed to her but asked her not to tell anyone they were engaged until he got back. For the couple of weeks that he was gone, she would sing "Winter Wonderland" all the time, as her way of keeping the secret and expressing her excitement at what had happened.
oh, that's so sweet!
ReplyDeleteClearly, she got it much earlier than I did.
I don't know what I thought those conspiring plans were about, but let's just say that now I get it. ;-)
Funny how we "get" things at different times...I didn't think the same about the lyrics at 8 or 12 as I did beyond my later teens....:-)
ReplyDeleteSarah
You are not alone. Do you know the song "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee? There is a part where she says, "Later we'll have some pumpkin pie and do some caroling." Well, ever since I was little I thought she was saying, "Later we'll have some f*ckin pie..." Seriously. Listen to it. She TOTALLY says that. It's only on her version, though. Not on any of the remakes.
ReplyDeleteMy divinity school women's a capella group changed the lyrics,
ReplyDeletethen pretend that SHE is Parson Brown,
She'll say "are you married?"
We'll so, "No Ma'am"....
We thought we were so original....
PPB
Yeah, well for YEARS I thought Cat Steven's "Ride on the Peace Train" was "I wanna be strange".
ReplyDeleteYup.
Ah...lyrical confusion. I love it. I want to change the verse there for the 21st Century but I can never get it to scan.
ReplyDeleteHe'll say "Are you married?"
We'll say "No. Whatever for?!"
Yeah. It sorta lacks something.