Lyr Req: 'M' is for the etc

Subject: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From:
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 09:08 PM

I'm dreading this assignment, but here goes. A friend of mine (not me, oh never!) want's the words to the poem/song, "M" is for the many things she gave me

Subject: Lyr Add: M-O-T-H-E-R (A WORD THAT MEANS THE ...
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 09:19 PM

I found this using Google:

A poem for MOTHER

M...is for the many things she gave me
O...means only that shes growing old
T...is for the tears she shed to save me
H...is for her heart of purest gold
E...is for her eyes, with love-light shining
R...means right, and right she'll always be

Put them all together, they spell "mother"...
a word that means the world to me

by...Howard Johnson

Jon

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: WyoWoman
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 09:26 PM

I know some bawdy lyrics to this very song ... by a comedian from back in the day named Brother Dave Gardner ...

ww

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: DonMeixner
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 10:03 PM

Used to sing it this way with Cathy Brothers and Randy Frech about 32 years ago.

"M" is for the methedrine she gave me.
"O" is for the opium we knew.
"T" is for terpenhydrate with codeine.
"H" is for her heroin ragout.
"E" is for the ether in her nosegay.
"R" is for the robitusin fine.
Put them all together they spell MOTHER and thats why your a mother of mine.

Don

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:04 PM

Leave it to the Mudcat Cafe to destroy any noble sentiments left in the world. Pathetic.

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: marty D
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:25 PM

Looks like the demon rum is taking it's usual weekend toll on one of the easily disaffected. This is getting predictable.

Wyo Woman, I LOVED brother Dave Gardner. Do you remember his 'David and Goliath' and the Motorcycle Ride?

marty

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:38 PM

Too many years ago than I care to remember, my resident advisor in college, a graduate student in the Religion Dept. named Howard Happ, sang this one. It was part of his magnum opus, a musical about the Salem witch trials, which he called "North Atlantic". Well, actually I don't think he wrote the whole musical, just a few parodies. But I could be wrong...

M is for his long and dull Magnalia
A is 'cause he always thinks he's right
T is for the tall witch tales he'll tell ya
H is for hot witches he helped light
E means he's the enemy of evil
R's for his religiositie (I-T-I-E)
Put them all together, they spell Mather
The biggest blowhard in the Colony

I wonder whatever happened to Mr. Happ.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 05 Jan 02 - 11:52 PM

I just found out! He's on the Religious Studies faculty at Cal State Northridge. (Google is amazing!) I remember he went out west to take a job at San Fernando Valley State College...wonder if that's the same school. Sorry for the thread creep--but to make it musical again, here is one verse of the song Howard wrote when he found out he'd be moving from Princeton to L.A. (This was right around the time the geologists were talking about how with the next big earthquake much of southern California could fall off the edge of the continent.)

In our eating clubs we're drinking
Watching California's fate
We salute a slowly sinking
San Fernando Valley State

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: Lyr Add: M-O-T-H-E-R (A WORD THAT MEANS THE ...
From: Tiger
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 08:17 AM

Here's the whole thing.

M-O-T-H-E-R
(A Word That Means The World To Me)
From the Bobby Breen recording
Lyrics by Howard Johnson, melody by Theodore Morse
Copyright 1915, Leo Feist, Inc. Renewed 1943.

VERSE 1. I've been around the world, you bet, but never went to school.
Hard knocks are all I seem to get. perhaps I've been a fool.
But still, some educated folks, supposed to be so swell,
Would fail if they were called upon a simple word to spell.
Now, if you'd like to put me to a test,
There's one dear name that I can spell the best:

CHORUS 1: "M" is for the million things she gave me.
"O" means only that she's growing old.
"T" is for the tears were shed to save me.
"H" is for her heart of purest gold.
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining.
"R" means right, and right she'll always be.
Put them all together, they spell "Mother,"
A word that means the world to me.

VERSE 2. When I was but a baby, long before I learned to walk,
While lying in my cradle, I would try my best to talk.
It wasn't long, before I spoke, and all the neighbors heard.
My folks were very proud of me, for "Mother" was the word.
Although I'll never lay a claim to fame,
I'm satisfied that I can spell the name:

CHORUS 2: "M" is for the mercy she possesses.
"O" means that I owe her all I own.
"T" is for her tender sweet caresses.
"H" is for her hands that made a home.
"E" means ev'rything she's done to help me.
"R" means real and regular, you see.
Put them all together, they spell "Mother,"
A word that means the world to me.

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 06 Jan 02 - 08:59 PM

Or there's David Allen Coe and "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother":

M is for the Mudflaps she give me for my pickup truck,
O is for the Oil I put on my hair.
T is for T-bird,
H is for Haggard,
E is for Eggs, and
R is for Redneck...

Noble sentiments, indeed.

Lin

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: Tiger
Date: 07 Jan 02 - 07:58 AM

A favorite of Jerry Jeff Walker, who ad-libs the M-O-T-H-E-R designations depending on the venue, current events, etc.

Be sure to credit Ray Wylie Hubbard as the writer.

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: GUEST,Jon Bartlett
Date: 07 Jan 02 - 11:10 PM

Allright, you Northwesters!

S is for Seattle's hydro problem K is for the kilowatts they need A is for those assholes in Victoria G is for their motive - call it greed (we call it greed) I is for the injury we're suff'ring T is for the toughness we must show Put them all together, they spell SKAGIT And when they want to dam it, we'll say NO!

Source? I've known it since the Skagit era (see Vera Johnson's "Skagit Valley) in DT). A bit dated, but a fine use of a pop song.

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 12:11 AM

It is in the DT. This section cut from the rubgy thread.

Dick Greenhouse's Version MOTHER from frat days.

M is for the many times you made me;
O is for the other times you tried.
T is for those tourist cabiin parties,
H is for the hell we raised inside.
E is for the ease with which you had me
R is for the Wreck (sic) you made of me...

put them all together, they spell MOTHER
And a mother, brother, is what you've made of me

Now, for extra credit, does anyone remember the sequel?
It started F is for your foolish little letter, and spelled out FATHER.

Answer to Dick's question –FATHER- four years later

F is for the farts that used to linger
A is for his arse all racked with piles (all racked with piles)
T is for the turds he pried out by finger (finger)
H is for his hole all wreathed with smiles (all wreathed in smiles)
E is for the eggs he used to dine on (dine on)
R is rotten and rotten they'd always be (they'd always be)

Put them all together and they spell FATHER
The one who fouls the air for me
I don't mean maybe
The one who fouls the air for me
(the air for me)

Best Regards,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: Tiger
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 07:23 AM

Here it is, Gargoyle.

"F" is for your Funny correspondence,
"A" is for this Answer to your note,
"T" is for your Tearful salutation,
"H" is for your Hope I'll be the goat,
"E" is for the Ease with which I made you,
"R" is for the Rube you think I'll be,
Put them all together, they spell FATHER,
But you'll never pin that title, dear, on me.

Thanks to Oscar Brand, who'll be appearing nearby in a few weeks with Danny Kalb, Steve Katz, and Christine Lavin at a fund-raiser for Dave Van Ronk.

Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling, NY, Feb 3, 2:00 PM. (That's Super Bowl Sunday).

Subject: RE: Lyrics request: 'M' is for the etc
From: DeanC
Date: 08 Jan 02 - 09:10 AM

Here's a version I've heard sung on Mother's Day by Lisa Neustadt:

M is for the million things she gave me
O is for the other things she gave me
T is for the thousand things she gave me
H is for the hundred things she gave me
E is everything she gave me
R is for the rest of the things she gave me

Put them all together, they spell mother
And that's a word that means the world to me.

Subject: Lyr Add: M-O-T-H-E-R (A WORD THAT MEANS THE...)
From: GUEST,Ken
Date: 02 May 03 - 04:40 PM

M-O-T-H-E-R
(A Word That Means The World To Me)
From the Bobby Breen recording
Lyrics by Howard Johnson, melody by Theodore Morse
Copyright 1915, Leo Feist, Inc. Renewed 1943.


I've been around the world, you bet,
But never went to school,
Hard knocks are all I seem to get,
Perhaps, I've been a fool;

But still, some educated folks,
Supposed to be so swell,
Would fail, if they were called upon,
A simple word to spell.

Now, if you'd like to put me to a test,
There's one dear name that I can spell the best;
       "M" is for the million things she gave me,
       "O" means only that she's growing old,
       "T" is for the tears were shed to save me,
       "H" is for her heart of purest gold,
       "E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
       "R" means right, and right, she'll always be,
       Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
       A word that means the world to me.

When I was but a baby,
Long before I learned to walk,
While lying in my cradle,
I would try my best to talk;

It wasn't long, before I spoke,
And all the neighbors heard,
My folks were very proud of me,
For "MOTHER" was the word.

Although I never lay a claim to fame,
I'm satisfied that I can spell the name;
       "M" is for the mercy she possesses,
       "O" means that I owe her all I own,
       "T" is for her tender sweet caresses,
       "H" is for her hands that made a home:
       "E" means everything she's done to help me,
       "R" means real and regular, you see,
       Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
       A word that means the world to me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'M' is for the etc
From: GUEST,sonya t.
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 07:37 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I've been trying to find these words for years and finally found the correct link. My mom's birthday is Nov. 9, and this will be a wonderful gift to her, the words to that old song!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'M' is for the etc
From: masato sakurai
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 08:02 PM

'M-O-T-H-E-R' sung by Eddy Arnold [audio] is at The Record Lady's All-Time Country Favorites (Mother's Day Special).