Oh, those priceless moments at 3:00 AM!
As I laid there in my semi-conscious stupor, contemplating the best position for additional sleep, the words to a song came to me from long ago. Strangely, I remembered the lyrics and tune to the song, which I first heard circa 1964 on an album by the singing group, The Lettermen.
The name of the song is "The Whiffenpoof Song"; and, although I loved the tune and the harmony, I never understood the meaning.
So, after all these years, the question again popped into my mind---What does the song mean?
When I arose I immediately Googled this subject. Here are the results of my search (and HEY!----I LEARNED SOMETHING TODAY!)
---A Whiffenpoof is an imaginary or indefinite animal, e.g. "The Great Horned Whiffenpoof"
---The Whiffenpoof Fish that forms the subject of a piece of comic dialogue in Victor Herbert's 1908 operetta, "Little Nemo"
---The Whiffenpoofs, the Yale University singing group founded in 1909 and named after the imaginary beast in Herbert's operetta
The A Capella Whiffenpoofs of Yale sing "The Whiffenpoof Song" as a traditional closing number in their performances. The song was first published in 1909.
"Mory's" refers to Mory's Temple Bar. "Louis" refers to Louis Linder, a former owner of the bar.
The chorus is from the poem "Gentlemen Rankers" by Rudyard Kipling.
The Whiffenpoofs tour all over the world and sing a variety of A Capella songs.
The Whiffenpoof Song
To the tables down at Mory's
To the place where Louis dwells
To the dear old Temple Bar we love so well
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing casts its spell
Yes, the magic of their singing of the songs we love so well
"Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" and the rest
We will serenade our Louis while life and voice shall last
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest
We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa baa baa
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa baa baa
Gentlemen songsters off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
Lord, have mercy on such as we
Baa baa baa......
Call these the music, poetry, fact and fiction of a dreamer....Call this LYRICS of LOVE and LORE.
My parents loved this song. I suspect it was a regional and generational thing. They always played it on New Year's Eve. Rudee Vale, I believe put the song out there for the rest of America to hear. Thanks for the memory. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteYou sang this song beautifully this morning! I love this 3 AM inspiration coming to 'fruition' (that currently overused word :-) as your blog post today. I also loved the fact this song has your mother's unique middle name in it, Mavourneen. It is an Irish term of endearment for a girl or woman. It also means "marvelous beauty". I really enjoyed the singing on the YouTube. I learned something new today, too, thanks to you! ♥
ReplyDeleteNever heard of it. I HAVE heard of "I'm the Slime" by Frank Zappa. Ever read those lyrics? Wooo!
ReplyDeleteThe Yale singing group is a really exciting bunch!
ReplyDeleteAs you so rightly say you learn something new every day, thanks for the song that is new to me.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
I enjoyed learning the history of something that makes me smile just saying the name of it- thanks!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful!! The singers sound Irish? and what a funny name, I learnt something today. Bless you Clint.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about this - I had never heard of it - and I don't know if I know what it is or not! sandie
ReplyDeleteLOL "Clint" I have never heard this song, or even of the Whiffenpoofs...so indeed I learned something today ...thanks for thu'learnin.
ReplyDeleteGo have fun with your beautiful wife today
Ok, when I am awake at 3AM tomorrow with that song in my head, I will hunt you down.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, don't you love Google? Other wise unanswered questions keep us awake.
Arkansas Patti
I've never had that thought at 3:00 but I've sure had others. Thank the Lord for google!
ReplyDeleteI also have learned.
ReplyDeleteI sing with 14 other seniors at Rehab/Nursing and Retirement Homes and the Whiffenpoof song is part of a repertoire we are now learning. Having sung it before with a group I looked up the History to bring to rehearsal this morning. Thanks for an excellent review of this great group !! marje gillies
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marje!
DeleteI woke up about 3:00 this morning thinking of this song. It was a favorite of mine as a young girl and I never knew the history. funny I should think of it all these years later--I'm nearly 86! thanks for the info. The internet is almost as amazing as cruise control!
ReplyDeleteMy parents had the old 78 of this record, sung by Bing Crosby. I was only a little girl but I loved the song and the title just fascinated me. Bing sang this with such wistfulness and feeling. I always wondered if it had something to do with Air Force fighter pilots but obviously I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteBorn in early 50s , my mom used to sing this to me when I was a very little girl before bedtime. I, in turn sang it to my kids in the '80s. Good memories!
ReplyDeleteI've known this song since I was a kid because my family sang together a lot. But the funniest story I ever heard about it came from a woman who taught a Bible study where I played the piano. She told me that one Sunday, while the congregation was readying itself for communion, the pastor's wife went to the organ to play in the background. She said it was quiet and pleasant, but slowly the congregation started looking puzzled, looking around at each other and wondering why this sounded so familiar, yet out of place. She was playing the chorus to this song! We are poor little lambs who have lost our way, baa, baa, baa...... It must have been hard to keep from laughing!!!
ReplyDeleteI first heard it as the background song in the movie "Twelve O'Clock High," which was about the B-17 pilots in England during WWII before the advent of the P-50 Mustang fighter to protect them. My mentor had been one of those pilots who survived.
ReplyDeleteIt haunts me.
Did the Ink Pots have a version of this song?
ReplyDeleteAlways loved Bing Crosby’s singing of this since I heard it as a child. I am now 83 and still love hearing his version of it.!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell here it is once again 3:00 am and I stumbled across this discussion of a near & dear song. I actually have my initials carved in one of the tables down at Morty’s. The Whiffs used to sing there on Monday nights.
ReplyDeleteMy father always sang this song & it brings back wonderful memories of him & his generation I shall always cherish it
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ReplyDelete