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26 Feb 97 - 12:36 PM (#2590) Subject: Mighty Like a Rose From: singsong@ucla.edu I'm looking for the source to a lullaby I remember from the 1940s or 1950s: Sweetest little fellow, everybody knows, Don't know what to call him, but he's mighty like a rose. Looking at his Mammy, with eyes so shining blue, Makes you feel like Heaven is looking down on you. And when he is sleeping, in his little bed... That's all I remember. Anyone know about it? I'd like to use it in something to be published, and need to source it appropriately. Thanks! |
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26 Feb 97 - 03:34 PM (#2592) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: Ralph Butts "Mighty Lak A Rose" is a lot older than that. I have a single-sided Victor 78 #64308, sung by Frances Alda. You can find the issue date from the # in a Victor catalog, which I don't have. It's attributed to Stanton-Levin (I presume Lyric-Music). Think I also have the words in a songbook or two, will check and let you know. Otherwise, I'll transcribe it. ...Tiger |
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26 Feb 97 - 06:33 PM (#2595) Subject: Lyr Add: MIGHTY LAK' A ROSE (Stanton/Nevin) From: Ralph Butts Found a copy (oops)I made from a songbook some time ago. It may have been the "All American Songbook", but I'm not sure. It's done in Am, and the chords are shown. The comment says "This most pleasing and popular song was written by Nevin in 1901, the year of his death. MIGHTY LAK’ A ROSE Words by Frank L. Stanton. Music by Ethelbert Nevin Cincinnati: The John Church Company, 1901. Sweetest l’il' feller, Ev'rybody knows; Dunno what to call him, But he mighty lak’ a rose! Lookin’ at his Mammy Wid eyes so shiny blue, Mek’ you think that heav’n Is comin’ clost ter you! W’en he’s a dar a-sleepin’, In his li’l' place, Think I see de angels Lookin’ thro’ de lace. W'en de dark is fallin’, W'en de shadders creep, Den dey comes on tiptoe Ter kiss ‘im in his sleep. Sweetest l’il' feller, Ev'rybody knows; Dunno what to call 'im, But he mighty lak’ a rose! Lookin’ at his Mammy Wid eyes so shiny blue, Mek’ you think that heav’n Is comin’ clost ter you! |
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31 Aug 01 - 11:57 PM (#539463) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: Joe Offer Hey, I found the sheet music here: MIGHTY LAK’ A ROSE (click) at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music. -Joe Offer- |
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01 Sep 01 - 07:13 AM (#539549) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: Callie As a brief aside: Elvis Costello recorded an album in the early nineties and called it "Mighty Like A Rose", quoting part of the poem on the cover. Callie |
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01 Sep 01 - 09:27 AM (#539592) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: masato sakurai It is here in the DT. The words and MIDI are here. The original sheet, the same one as Levy's posted above, is reproduced also in Favorite Songs of the Nineties (Dover), though it was not written in 1890s. Masato |
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01 Sep 01 - 10:10 AM (#539612) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: SINSULL The line about his blue eyes always disturbed me. Mammy is praising her charge, not her son. Echoes of "All The Pretty Little Horses". I prefer "Mammie's Little Coal Black Rose". But I've said that before. |
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02 Sep 01 - 04:51 PM (#540392) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: GUEST Serendipity! My mother used to sing this, though I've not thought of it for many years. I've just got a new nephew, and wanted to tape a few lullabies; this is perfect. Take your point about the 'eyes of blue', Sinsull, but the song only has happy connotations for me. |
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02 Sep 01 - 05:43 PM (#540419) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: DougR Would this song be considered "politically correct" today? I sang this song in a recital in the late 40's. No one thought anything about the lyrics in those days. But today? DougR |
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02 Sep 01 - 06:55 PM (#540453) Subject: RE: Mighty Like a Rose From: Lanfranc I have a vague memory of the song being sung by Paul Robeson, but you know what memory is! Ethelbert Nevin also wrote "Narcissus", which is the tune to "Newly weds while in the carriage ... etc"! Must research the proper words - Google here I come!
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08 May 11 - 11:51 PM (#3150637) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: MorwenEdhelwen1 It could be that, but she (assuming that the persona of this song is a woman) might have had a mixed-race child with blue eyes. The idea of a blue-eyed child as proof of miscegenation and infidelity appears in African-American and Afro-Caribbean songs. Two examples are "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" ("the eyes was blue, it was a Portugee") and the 1946 version of a song with a traditional (it seems) chorus, "Brown Skin Girl" ('they say she look like de mother, but de blue-eyed baby ain't know she father".) So yes, it could be a song about a mammy and her charge, but it could be also about a mother and her son. |
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08 May 11 - 11:55 PM (#3150639) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: MorwenEdhelwen1 And yes, it was recorded by Paul Robeson. I'm listening to his version now, as a matter of fact. I'm a teenager but like old songs. |
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09 May 11 - 05:20 AM (#3150720) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: JHW Yes Paul Robeson sang it. I had Paul Robeson on tapes which I lent to Tom Wilson that he never gave me back. Any Mudcatter, next time you see the Wilsons, ask Tom to give John W his Paul Robeson tapes back! Don't suppose it will work but thanks! |
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09 May 11 - 10:54 AM (#3150860) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: GUEST,leeneia The song was published in 1901, so it will be on the public domain. If I were going to sing it, I would lose the dialect. It was just a marketing thing, and nothing gets out-dated as fast as old marketing techniques. It's nice to see a song that's not about love gone wrong. It's nice to hear a different tonality, even if it is old-fashioned. And whoever claimed there is no such note as B# should see the song at the Levy site. Thanks for the link, Joe. |
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09 May 11 - 11:02 AM (#3150864) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: GUEST,Alan Whittle I seem to remember the murderer Danny kept singing it in Emlyn William's play and film - Night Must Fall. They left it out of the Albert Finney version. |
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09 May 11 - 11:53 AM (#3150882) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: Bob the Postman See dat ting a-danglin Halfway to his toes; Dunno what to call it, But it's mighty lak' a hose! See dat ting a-danglin Down between his knees; Dunno what to call it, But Ah hope it doesn't sneeze! |
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10 May 11 - 10:20 AM (#3151396) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: GUEST,leeneia I've made a MIDI of the melody from the Levy site. I've also dropped it from A to G. I was surprised to see that the chords are quite easy, despite the many half-steps. Of course, you have to use a delicate touch in places. If anybody's interested in hearing how it goes, please post. |
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10 May 11 - 04:09 PM (#3151614) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: GUEST,Seonaid Long time since I thought of this, but my grandfather had the sheet music to this one, along with many other old pieces. Several years ago I gave the stack away to a friend (sigh). BTW, there are non-black people who have twangy southern country accents.... and blue-eyed kids.... |
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11 May 11 - 04:24 PM (#3152304) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: GUEST,leeneia How right you are. There are also southern people who have deep, warm beautiful accents. And pretty accents and dip and lilt. |
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30 Jan 16 - 12:14 PM (#3769386) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: GUEST On the blue eyes: a) humans are born with blue eyes which later turn their permanent color. I've never seen a newborn baby which did not have blue eyes. It's generally held that a baby's permanent eye color cannot be predicted with certainty until his/her first birthday. b) even during slavery times, there were mixed race marriages in the US. Anti-miscegenation laws were state laws, and not all states prohibited interracial marriage. Additionally, there were immigrants from countries that hadn't invented such laws. c) in some places in the world, especially in the US South, one does see Black adults with blue or green eyes d) in slavery times, Black women were often raped by white men, and it wouldn't be fair to the women to list this under "infidelity" . |
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30 Jan 16 - 04:12 PM (#3769437) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mighty Like a Rose / Mighty Lak' a Rose From: Steve Shaw Well I'm glad to have been reminded of this. I've just sent the YouTube link to Paul Robeson's version to my son so that he can sing it to our beautiful new grandson (our first). For good measure I've also sent him Robeson singing Lullaby and Ma Curly-headed Baby. The latter was what my mum sang to me when I was a tiny nipper over 60 years ago. |