Origins: Great Grandmother

Subject: Origins: My Great Grandmother
From: Simon G
Date: 04 Aug 07 - 08:05 AM

Almost 2 years ago we heard this song on Folk Alley's open mic section, it was one of the first to be added and then was removed within a few days. The dumb thing is we don't even have a note of who the singer was. No idea why it was removed, I emailed and asked, but got no response.

Sandra sings it at singarounds we go to and it is very popular. We'd love to know were it comes from. Hope someone can point us in the right direction; if only to thank the writer for such a great song.

My Great Grandmother was eighty nine
And I was seventeen
And I showed her the ring and I showed her the boy
And she said, "I don't wanna be mean,"
She said," I hope he's a lover cause he's sure not a looker,
And I hope he's brighter than he seems,
So look this mean old lady in the eyes if you can,
Saying, "This is the man of my dreams""


She said, "You'll think I'm talking from a feeble mind
But a weary lifetime will show
If you marry a boy cause he's easy to find
You will find it a hard way to go."


My Great-Grandmother was ninety-five
The day she was laid in the ground
She was buried with a prayer but she'd never seen a life
And my aunts and my cousins all around
And my baby sister showing off a ring and a boy
I was thinking, "Better you than me."
And I repeated the words that the old lady'd said
The day she'd steered me free.

I said, "You'll think I'm talking from a jealous mind
But there's millions of ways you could go
If you marry the very first boy you can find
Baby, you'll just never know."

My Great-Grandmother'd be a hundred and five
If she could see me today
Well I'm long white and lacy and my baby sister's baby
Is eating my bouquet
See the old lady smile in the photograph
And love's not as blind as it seems
And I knew from the first time you ever made me laugh
I was laughing at the man of my dreams

She said, "You'll think that I'm just a noise in your mind
But I told you a long time ago
Love that's hardest to win and hardest to find
Is the finest life you'll know
It's the finest life you'll know

Subject: RE: Origins: Great Grandmother
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 04 Aug 07 - 12:47 PM

Good song, Simon. Thanks for posting.

Subject: RE: Origins: Great Grandmother
From: Simon G
Date: 05 Aug 07 - 01:51 PM

It is a good song to a good tune, but who wrote it?