in which my children make connections that would never ever have occurred to me

[cahn]

This actually happened in the fall, but I was reminded about it this week, so here you go.

Me: The Halloween song, "Have you seen the ghost of John" -- do you know that song?
A: No! What are the words?
Me: Have you seen the ghost of John
Long white bones with the skin all go-o-o-o-one
Wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on!
A: *thinks about this*
A: ...
A: ...Is this the same John that's in the song "Are you sleeping?"
E: Wait!! maybe he isn't hearing the morning bells ringing because he's DEAD and a GHOST!
All three of us: *laugh uproariously*

Comments

[philomytha]

I had never even thought of that song for maybe forty years, but now I’m going to be singing it all day...

[cahn]

ahahahaha it's a great song! :D

[zdenka]

I like that! :D

[cahn]

I cannot unsee it now :D

[hidden_variable]

That's a fabulous connection!

We recently got a book called In a Dark, Dark, Room and Other Scary Stories which contains that song. I have vivid memories of almost all the stories/poems from childhood, but I don't think I ever knew the actual tune of the song. I just have to fake it when reading aloud.

[cahn]

Oh, that's neat! I am almost sure I learned the song in school. I feel like I learned a lot of random songs in our school music class...

I went to youtube to find a sample (here is one that doesn't have super crazy visuals or super weird background) and learned that it is apparently known as a round, which I didn't remember at all!

[hidden_variable]

I like that version!

Also, this evening S. and I read the book and had the following conversation about the song:

S: It MIGHT be chilly if you weren't a SKELETON!

Me: Skeletons don't get chilly?

S: No! They're not even people anymore!

So there you have it.

[cahn]

S: It MIGHT be chilly if you weren't a SKELETON!

AHAHAHA I can imagine the exact tone of disdain in which this is being said! (I get that tone from A. a lot when he's lecturing me about things that are OBVIOUS, MOMMY.)