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Lyr Req: Mr. Moon
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Jezmondo Date: 16 Jun 09 - 01:20 PM I know the version referred to by 'guest' on 17 Sep 07 - 08:28 AM. I learned it in the 1940s and have been searching for the copyright owner for some time. Good night Mr. Moon. We shall have to go and leave you. Good night Mr. Moon. Come again to see us soon, And when we are asleep, through the window pane you'll peep. We'll wake up and call out, "Good night to Mr. Moon." I have more words for verses / bridge section. Does anyone know recording/ composer / publisher ? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Ginny Date: 09 Apr 09 - 09:50 AM I'm eighty years old, and I remember my Mom and Dad singing these words as we were driving at night on Illinois roads in the early 1930s. "Oh Mr. Moon, Moon, pretty silvery moon, won't you please shine down on me? Oh Mr. Moon, Moon pretty silvery moon, won't you come from behind that tree ? Look out, Mr Moon, you'd better run for yonder comes a man with a big shot gun. Oh Mr. Moon, Moon, pretty silvery moon, won't you please shine down on me." I remember being amazed at how the moon kept following our car, and you never knew which window you'd see it through. I'm a lot smarter now.... |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,miranda Date: 12 Mar 09 - 04:14 PM my teacher taught it to me this way today |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,miranda Date: 12 Mar 09 - 04:11 PM oh mister moon, moon, bright and shiny moon won't you please shine down on me oh mister moon moon bright and shiny moon hiding behind that tree over there there's an owl in that tree here he comes swooping down on me oh mister moon moon bright and shiny moon wont you please shine down on, talk about your shine on please shine down on me. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Memories Date: 09 Mar 09 - 03:03 PM From my memory and old age of almost 58... I remember the song going something like this... Oh Mister Moon, Moon, Bright and silvery moon, Hiding behind that tree... I'm goanna shoot that possum with my big shoot gun, Shoot that possum before he starts to run. On Mr.. Moon, Moon, Bright and silvery moon, Hiding behind that tree, shine down for me. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Michael Jones Date: 03 Feb 09 - 09:09 AM Oh Mister Moon, moon, bright & shining moon, come from behind that tree. My life's in danger, I've got to run, here comes the man with the big Gatlin' gun Oh Mister Moon, moon bright & shining moon, won't you please shine down on, (please shine down on), please shine down on me! That's a childhood memory of how my dad sang it 40 years ago when we travelled around Canada. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 30 Jan 09 - 09:13 AM Thanks for this! My mother used to sing a version which she said was "a minstrel song" that she'd learned at camp in the 1940's; it went: Oh, Mr. Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon, Won't you please shine down on me? Oh, my life's in danger and I'm scared to run. There's a man behind me with a big shotgun. Oh, Mr. Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon, won't you please shine down on -- Talk about your shine-on -- Please shine down on me. My web-search was prompted by encountering the "round and golden sun" version; I'd wondered which came first. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,natalie Date: 18 Jan 09 - 04:22 AM is anyone else bothered by the fact that this song is sung to children to put them to sleep??? i mean my mom sang it to me too but singing about a man being behind you with big shotgun or gatling gun or whatever type of gun.. how is that comforting to children?? lol |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,jhribal Date: 03 Dec 08 - 11:06 AM Yeah, I was sung this song as a child and could only remember bits and pieces... the posts by Bob Coltman and Caver are the closest to what I remember since they are the only ones that mentions the possum "I gonna shoot, shoot, shoot that possum" Great thread though |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Caver Date: 08 Nov 08 - 08:27 PM Place me firmly in the "possum" variant camp. I sang this song in Junior High School in Indianapolis during the mid 1960's. It was included in a standard issue student song book. *************************************************** Oh Mister Moon, moon, bright and silvery moon, won't you please shine down on me! Oh Mister Moon, moon bright and silvery moon, hiding behind that tree. I'm gonna shoot that possum with my big shotgun, I'm gonna shoot that possum 'fore he starts to run. Oh Mister Moon, moon, bright and silvery moon Oh won't you please shine down on, please shine down on, won't you please shine down on me? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,JC Date: 27 Oct 08 - 09:02 PM O Mr. Moon, Mr. Moon, bright and shiny moon, please shine down upon me. There's a man over there, with a knife and a gun. He'll shoot you if stand still, or knife if you run. O Mr. Moon, Mr. Moon, bright and shiny moon, please shine down upon me. There are some more verses but I don't remember them.... |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Amos Date: 20 Oct 08 - 07:34 AM Chris: Read the previous entries to this thread and all will be revealed. A |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Chris Jenkins Date: 20 Oct 08 - 07:22 AM My aunt used to sing this to me when we'd go walking at night. I was very young, so I only remember a rudimentary set of lyrics, but her version seemed to differ even more than the above offerings: Oh Mister Moon, Moon Bright and Silv'ry Moon, Won't you please shine down on me? [repeat] Oh when your life's in danger, and you're 'fraid to run, and there's a man behind you with a big shotgun... Oh Mister Moon, Moon Bright and Silv'ry Moon, Won't you please shine down on me? Doo-do-doo-do-doo-doo, Please...shine...down on........ME! Like I said, incomplete at best, but that's why I'm out looking now! |
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Subject: It's not just a song... From: GUEST,jkemeny Date: 27 Apr 08 - 09:12 AM If you thought this subject was pretty much tied up, here's a new twist. We sang this in camp in Griffith Park, CA when I was growing up. We sang this version: Over there there's a man with a gun He'll shoot you if you try to run So Mr moon, moon bright and shiny moon Won't you please shine down on' Please shine down on. Please shine down on me. But, see, the real genius is what happens next. Now remember this was the 70s and streaking was big. And it was the 70s. So at the end of the song you were supposed to "moon" the audience. Yup, pull your pants down. Our bunk went up in front of the whole camp at assembly and performed the song in its entirety, stage direction and all --jk. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 17 Feb 08 - 12:15 AM My mom sang: Oh Mister Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon, oh won't you please shine down on me. Oh Mister Moon, moon bright and shiny moon, hiding behind that tree. I'm gonna shoot that possum with my old shotgun, I'm gonna shoot that possum 'fore he starts to run. Oh Mister Moon, moon bright and shiny moooon... Oh won't you please shine down on, talk about your shining, won't you please shine down on me? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Michelle Date: 09 Nov 07 - 10:40 PM My dad used to sing it to us (I'm 48 and my brother is 46) as: Oh Mr Moon, Moon, lovely Mr Moon won't you please shine down on me Oh Mr Moon, Moon, lovely Mr Moon, hiding behind that tree Well when your life's in danger and you're on the run There's a man behind you with a great big gun Oh Mr Moon, Moon, lovely Mr Moon Won't you please shine down on, never cease to shine on, Moon shine down on mee--e--ee! Don't know where he heard it--he died 5 years ago, but both my brother and I recall the lyrics the same. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Madison McKoy Date: 29 Sep 07 - 12:47 AM I have a recollection of my older brothers and sisters singing this to me. I remember it actually frightened me for some reason... They always sang it as we walked up and down the road. (lived in the country) Still, the memories of it make me feel quite good. :-) ha ha ha Unfortunately, I don't know any more lyrics. See ya Madison www.madisonmckoy.com |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Bob Coltman Date: 28 Sep 07 - 08:10 AM Interesting to see what a century of folk variation can do to a pop song. Starting with a refrain of Oh, Mister Moon, Moon, silvery moon, kindly come out and shine, Do Mister Moon, Moon, come out soon, my home I want to find, I'm brave, 'tis true, was never known to run, But the boys behind me with a gatling gun, Oh Mister Moon, Moon, silvery moon, kindly come out and shine, We get variants like: Line 1: bright and shiny moon, [won't you] please shine down on me OR Mr. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden Sun ... Line 2: ... hiding behind that tree OR come from behind that tree OR I'm lonesome / lonely as I can be Lines 3-4: Your life is in danger, you better run Here comes a man with a gatling gun, OR Well, if your life is in danger and you're starting to run / When your knees are shaking and you start to run / Well my life is in danger but I'm scared [or OR I've got] to run There's a man behind you [me] with a gatling gun OR Here comes the farmer with his big shotgun, He's gonna get you if you start to run, OR I want to shoot that possum with my big shotgun Shoot that possum 'fore he starts to run OR Can't you see that man with the big shotgun Here comes a Johnny with a kettle and a gun Line 5 (reprise of line 1) -- and that's just the major variations. Folk process! More recently camp counselors have obviously had their way with lines 3 and 4, as a quick web search indicates: Way over there there's an owl in a tree, Here she comes swoopin' down on me, I want to see you shinin' down on earth below, See you shine way up above us so, We're all here just waiting for you, So come out and do the things that you do, These little children are asking you, To please come out so we can play with you, Kingsley Camp, I'm a-telling you, To Miss Higham we'll be true, and so on ... The "hoofing" finish, "Talk about shine on, Won't you please shine down on me" may have stemmed from Smith and Bowman, or may have been added later. It was a wildly popular way for vaudevillians to end a song right up through the 1930s if not later, and could still be seen on TV variety shows in the 50s. -- Bob |
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Subject: Lyr Add: MISTER MOON (KINDLY COME OUT AND SHINE) From: Bob Coltman Date: 28 Sep 07 - 07:29 AM Here it is!!! Finding this was no snap, as the original song was not in any of the usual historical music archives. But I got the idea of looking in Maine Music Box, a consortium of three archives, one of which is the Bagaduce Music Lending Library, itself a terrific resource, and -- Wo Ho -- there it was. "Mister Moon" is a 1903 popular song published in Boston. Details below, then come the lyrics. They may disappoint or offend some who will wish they weren't full of the racial denigration of the past. But this is, as I suspected, its origin: the height of the "coon shout" fad that ended decisively before WWI. Still I feel pretty good about turning up this nugget at all. It is extremely rare, almost unheard-of, beyond the bare refrain known to numerous campers. Made my day to see it -- could hardly believe my luck. All honor to Maine Music Box. MISTER MOON (Kindly Come Out and Shine) From http://mainemusicbox.library.umaine.edu/musicbox/pages/imagesequence2.asp?id=VP_003635A&seq=1&full=1 Mister Moon (Kindly Come Out and Shine) Copyright 1903 by Walter Jacobs Being sung nightly in vaudeville by the composers Words and music by Smith & Bowman, composers of "Good Morning Carrie." Published by Walter Jacobs, 167 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 1903. MISTER MOON: KINDLY COME OUT AND SHINE Smith & Bowman Boston: Walter Jacobs, 1903. VERSE 1. Ole Parson Jones was coming home this morn twixt one and two, When lots of boys that hangs around has nothing else to do But interfere with people ev'ry evening when it's dark. Last night they saw the parson coming. One made this remark: Says, “Yonder comes the parson. Now, let's try to make him run. He thinks he's brave. We’ll test his nerve. I'll fiah off this gun.” And when the parson heard the shot, 'twas then he got right scared And started running up the road and this the way he prayed: CHORUS 1: Oh, Mister Moon, Moon, silvery moon, kindly come out and shine. Do Mister Moon, Moon, come out soon. My home I wants to find. I'm brave, 'tis true, was never known to run, But the boys behind me with a Gatling gun. Oh, Mister Moon, Moon, silvery moon, kindly come out and shine. VERSE 2. Now, all the darkies followed close behind him just for fun, As they was told the parson's feet was bad and couldn't run. 'Twas just four minutes when the parson made a mile or more. He must have been a-running when he ran clear by his door. One coon says, “We're just joking, parson. Won’t you stop right here?” The parson said, “excuse me, boys. I have no time to spare.” 'Twas very dark and lonely, not a single star in sight. The parson 'sturbed the neighbors when he yelled with all his might: CHORUS 2: Oh, Mister Moon, Moon, silvery moon, kindly come out and shine. Do Mister Moon, Moon, come out soon. My home I cannot find. 'Deed all my life I never had no fear, But now's the time I want my pathway clear. Oh, Mister Moon, Moon, silvery moon, kindly come out and shine. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,bounty Date: 28 Sep 07 - 01:01 AM Oh, Mr. moon, bright and shining moon hiding behind that tree I'd like to love you but I gotta run cuz There's a guy behind me With a Gatlin' gun Oh mister moon, moon, bright and shiny moon Won't you please shine down on me |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,katieb Date: 26 Sep 07 - 10:16 AM It is funny to find this site my husband and I were wondering the origin of Mr. Moon and thought we'd look it up on the net but it seems no one else knows anything either here's is what we grew up hearing in southern Ohio:
Mr. moon, moon bright and shiny moon I guess I thought it had something to do with a slave trying to run away and needing the moonlight so I had guessed it to be an old slave song? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 22 Sep 07 - 12:57 AM I can get out the CD that my grandma, my sister, and I made. :) Actually I was looking to see who sings it because my grandma taught me this song when I was about 6 and this is a song I do not want to forget. I would ask my grandma, but unfortunately she is no longer with us. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 17 Sep 07 - 08:28 AM Our song went ..... Good night to Mr. Moon. We shall have to go and leave you. Good night to Mr. Moon. Come again to see us soon, And when we are asleep, through the window pane you peep. We wake up and shout out, “Good night to Mr. Moon.” Have you got a mother dear like the one we have down here? Do you ever rest in your starry nest? Good night to Mr. Moon. We shall have to go and leave you. Good night to Mr. Moon. Come again to see us soon. Think from 1930 any one know as my gran sang this and my mother to me. Thanks from JO |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 17 Sep 07 - 08:22 AM We sing another good night mr moon think this may be a barber shop song as well |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 12 Sep 07 - 05:51 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Wayne B. Norris Date: 10 Sep 07 - 12:36 AM I'm 60, and my dad sang it when I was a kid. Never thought much about it till after he passed away in 1999. I originally thought it was an Underground Railroad song, but someone suggested the notion of a SHOTGUN WEDDING!!! :-) Could be!!! Duh. Shoulda thought of that before, myself! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Bob Coltman Date: 09 Sep 07 - 07:35 AM I've been searching for the rest of this song for years without success. My wife Amba learned it in camp as a child in the 1950s, but it must go back decades further, as few people were writing songs like this any later than WWI. I've always assumed that, like "Chicken Can't Roost Behind the Moon," "Preacher and the Bear" and others of the kind, it originated as a, excuse the term, "coon song" in the period when these were popular, approximately the 1890s-1910. If so, it was a product of the Tin Pan Alley of the time, and ought to be traceable to a given publisher and composer. But the standard web collections, Levy, American Memory and so on, don't have it. The implied plot is repeated in dozens of similar songs: the narrator is out at night on no good purpose ... stealing chickens or whatnot (the reigning cliche of the time). He is about to be caught and he needs either the shelter of darkness, or else, as in this case, the light of the moon to give him a good getaway. Hope somebody can find the source ... and the rest of the song. Levy and American Memory are constantly adding new sheet music -- just last month I found a much-wanted song of that era on Levy that hadn't been there previously, so it's worth checking their collections repeatedly. Hope somebody turns it up! Bob |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Amy in Texas Date: 07 Sep 07 - 10:43 PM My grandfather used to sing it to me this way... Oh Mr. Moon, Moon, bright and shiny Moon Oh won't you please shine down on me... Oh Mr. Moon, Moon, bright and shiny Moon Oh won't you come from behind that tree... Well there's a man behind me with a big Gatling Gun, I know my life is in danger, but I'm too scared to run Oh Mr. Moon, Moon, bright and shiny Moon Oh won't you please shine down on... Talk about your shine on... Please shine down on me -- Oh Mr. Mooooooon... |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Joe_F Date: 06 Sep 07 - 08:40 PM As sung by a barbershop quartet at Caltech, 1957: By the light of the moon, of the silvery moon, By the bright shining light, by the light of the moon, If you want to go a-barbershopping, come along with me, By the bright, shining light of the moon, of the moon. Oh Mr Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, Won't you please shine down on me? Oh Mr Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, Come from behind that tree. My life's in danger, I've got to run: Here comes a man with a big Gatling gun. Oh Mr Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, Won't you please shine down on me? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Susan A-R Date: 06 Sep 07 - 03:32 PM I always sang it My Life's in danger, I've got to run Here comes that man with the big gatling gun. I just assumed that there weren't more lyrics. It was definitely part of the Reid childhood, with Dad singing a great barbershop harmony on the end. I have nieces and nephews who know it too. Don't know why, but I always thought of it as world war 1 era. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST Date: 06 Sep 07 - 01:39 AM http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=1697 http://www.campfavorite.com/cfsongs.htm#mister_moon |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,MAG at work Date: 14 Mar 02 - 02:20 PM The nature of the Gatling Gun may provide a clue -- went into production 1865; first rapid-fire weapon -- too heavy to move; an artillery weapon; not infantry. Fits with the minstrel show period. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy Date: 14 Mar 02 - 02:04 PM I neglected to add that it appears in Leisy's book with notation & guitar chords, and that I'm fairly certain it was in a section of the old song book I haven't yet found related to 'Minstrel Shows', which is I believe its origin, though written by whom it may not say. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: MR. MOON From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy Date: 14 Mar 02 - 01:55 PM Still haven't found the old song book I remember having it in, but James Leisy's Good Times Songbook (1974) has this: Traditional, American Oh, Mister Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon, Won't you please shine down on me? Oh, Mister Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon, Won't you come from behind that tree? Oh, my life's in danger but I'm scared to run. There's a man behind me with a big shotgun, Oh, Mister moon, moon, bright and shiny moon, Won't you please shine down on, Please shine down on, Please shine down on me. Then Leisy states it's a 'Traditional American barbershop quartet song'. He also states that some material was included in his earlier 'Folk Song Abecedary', doesn't say if this song was one of those. I still have vague memories of a slightly different lyric, (I know we sang 'bright and silv'ry moon') and at least one other verse, will keep looking. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Jim Dixon Date: 03 Mar 02 - 06:30 PM Sorcha: Perhaps I wasn't clear. The George M. Cohan song that Masato posted a link to is a totally different song that just coincidentally has the words "Mister Moon" in it. All the other lyrics that people have posted here are obviously related to one another, but we haven't found their origin yet. (Except I'm not sure if Breezy's verse is part of the same song.) Call it an old song-hunter's intuition. My hunches are (1) the lines about the shotgun or gatling gun were not in the original, but are parody lines added afterwards; and (2) the "song" that we are familiar with is only the chorus, and there are missing verses yet to be found. I think Bill Kennedy might be on the right track, and that the original song might be a "coon song" or minstrel-show song. I would like to know if he remembers anything about a gun. Bill, are you still following this thread? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Sorcha Date: 02 Mar 02 - 09:06 PM Uh, Jim, I don't quite understand "I hope someone out there finds it"--both lyrics and a link were posted above. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: late 'n short 2 Date: 02 Mar 02 - 08:57 PM The "Mister Sun" version has also been recorded by Raffi. Little kids (5 and under) love it. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Jim Dixon Date: 02 Mar 02 - 02:43 PM This song is oddly hard to track down. It seems like an old pop song, yet I have failed to find any web site that credits an author, or gives any specific information like a date of publication. There are a lot of variants out there. Some even change it to "Mister Sun." It is a popular kids' song, and often appears on lists of camp songs. One version appears on a Barney video. The Delta Delta Delta sorority has adapted it for their purposes. It is popular with barbershop quartets, and I have seen many ads for songbooks that include it, but no actual lyrics. I hope someone out there finds it, but I'm giving up for now. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: Mudlark Date: 28 Feb 02 - 03:21 PM Sorcha... My mother sang it exactly like that except she sang line 4-6 as "...Cause there's a (slight pause for syncopation) man behind you so you (syncopation here) better run, cause there's a ....man behind you with a....Gatling gun..." Thanks, Rahfiddle, for reminding me of this song...haven't thought of it in years. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: masato sakurai Date: 28 Feb 02 - 06:07 AM Mister Moon
O Mister Moon, Moon, Mister Silvery Moon
(From HERE
There's another "Mr. Moon" song (from Levy):
Title: Oh! Mr. Moon. Serenade. ~Masato
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: breezy Date: 27 Feb 02 - 04:12 PM mr moon, mr moon you're out too soon the sun is still in the sky Go back to bed and cover up your head and wait till the days gone by |
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Subject: Lyr Add: Mr. Moon From: Sorcha Date: 27 Feb 02 - 04:04 PM I found this: OH MISTER MOON
Oh Mister Moon, moon, bright and silvery moon |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr. Moon From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy Date: 27 Feb 02 - 04:02 PM We sang it in grade school, with slightly different lyrics, from a song book, with great harmony lines, so it should be available somewhere; we sang-
O Mr. Moon, Moon, Bright & silvery moon, ...can't remember, then big finish:
Won't you please shine down on, please shine down on, I think there may have been some non PC lyrics about 'darkies', but I can't be certain, this would have been in the 50's when we should have known better, but it was a song in a book, what did we know? I'll look for it. |
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Subject: Mr. Moon From: rahfiddle Date: 27 Feb 02 - 03:49 PM My mother used to sing us a song to put us to sleep (and I found out as I got older that HER mother sang the song to her - putting the approx. date around 1930). The only lyrics I have are one verse and chorus. Was wondering if anyone knew any more verses...
Chorus: Oh Mr. Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon
Verse: Well if your life is in danger and you're starting to run I've sung this to people in the past and they all think it sounds familiar, but no one has been able to definitively say they knew it - and more importantly knew any more of the lyrics. Please let me know if this is familiar. Thank you. - rahfiddle |
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