Songs our parents used to sing to us

[pawpaw]

Aside from the classics (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, etc...) what are some of the songs that your parents used to sing to you when you were little?

My Dad did most of the singin' to me, and here are some of his greatest hits:

Ricky Nelson - Travelin' Man 1961

George Strait - Amarillo By Morning

Roy Orbison - Blue Bayou

Beatles - Ticket To Ride

Otis Redding-Sitting on the dock of the bay

[ALady]

My Dad was on the road when I was a kid.  So he used to sing me this song when he got home late on Thursday nights.

John Denver - Farm Aid 85 - Back Home Again

[wolof7]

The Wind - Cat Stevens  :)

[kydiddle]

When I was around 4/5 years old I remember spending a lot of time with my mom as my two older brothers were at school and my dad worked. I have faint memories of her playing Paul Simon's "Graceland" all the time in the car and singing along with every song. I don't know why, but I didn't hear that album again until I bought it when I was 15. I put it on and knew every single lyric as though the songs were on pause in my brain. It was one of my first "Wow, music is awesome" moments. I'm still obsessed with that album and cannot listen to this song without getting some happy tears.

Crazy Love, Volume II

[pawpaw]

:) Cool, thanks guys!

Some of the clearest memories I have from when I was a kid, like 5-6 years old, was when I would go to work with my Dad in the summer. He was a rice farmer, and I'd spend time with him out in the middle of the Sutter Basin. There were all these irrigation tributaries (of the Sacramento River) overgrown with cottonwood and oak trees, covered in wild grape vines. Tons of birds, reptiles and crawdads...I'd mostly goof around while he worked, but when we had to go to the next spot, we'd hop in his pickup and he'd sing me songs. That's the way I remember it, anyway. Here are a couple more...

Everly Brothers- Wake Up Little Suzie

Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man

[Jon T.]

Neat thread, I wish I could remember more of the specifics.
I remember driving around in my parents old blue Buick listening to the Eagles.   I also have a lot of memories of Christmas music.  My mom loves her some Christmas music.  I  remember listening to a lot of Beach Boys Christmas music.  And Anne Murray...  :embarassed:

[pawpaw]

I remember driving around in my parents old blue Buick listening to the Eagles.

This reminds me of my Mom driving us around in her old blue Honda hatchback singing along to this:

Culture Club - Karma Chameleon

8)

[Taterbug]

Harry Chapin Cats in the Cradle (Soundstage)
Cats in the cradle.
Harry Chapin

[johnnYYac]

I've had to start the tradition, singing to my 3 girls at bedtime.  My parents never did.   

Imagine (Lennon)- every night for my first daughter's first 2 years
Taxi (Chapin)- my 2 oldest girls know the entire song by heart
Wonderful Tonight (Clapton)- occasionally I'll do the Jim James cross-dressing version
And We Bid You Goodnight (G. Dead)- with customized vocal outro
Bermuda Highway (and I don't edit the lyrics)
Steam Engine (I once intentionally muffed the lyrics the same way Jim did in Portland and my 2 yr. old called me on it!)

I also ended up MC'ing a Karaoke contest for a high school winter carnival assembly when I was assistant principal a few years back and, with time to kill before dismissal, sang the first two songs in front of 600 people, a capella.  Yikes!

[pawpaw]

I've had to start the tradition, singing to my 3 girls at bedtime.  My parents never did.   

Imagine (Lennon)- every night for my first daughter's first 2 years
Taxi (Chapin)- my 2 oldest girls know the entire song by heart
Wonderful Tonight (Clapton)- occasionally I'll do the Jim James cross-dressing version
And We Bid You Goodnight (G. Dead)- with customized vocal outro
Bermuda Highway (and I don't edit the lyrics)
Steam Engine (I once intentionally muffed the lyrics the same way Jim did in Portland and my 2 yr. old called me on it!)

I also ended up MC'ing a Karaoke contest for a high school winter carnival assembly when I was assistant principal a few years back and, with time to kill before dismissal, sang the first two songs in front of 600 people, a capella.  Yikes!

I sing this one to my kids. :)

[sweatboard]

love, love, love this thread.  I know it's "aside" from the classics but my mom used to sing this to me every night, such a great memory. 

Hush Little Baby - From "TwinkleTrax Lullabies: 20 Classic Bedtime Songs and Lullabies"

[touchingmept2]

Oh the memories this thread brings back.
My father always did the chorus of this tune.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=z3-EwMJDQek
My mom was always singing all the old gospel songs. Man i miss those days. What I wouldn't give...

[Ruckus]

Both my mother and grandmother would sing this to my brother and I quite often. 

森山愛子　赤とんぼ　aiko moriyama "akatombo"

[Tracy 2112]

Bobby Russell - 1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero


Roger Miller - King Of The Road

[Tracy 2112]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkmvwCpcZlM#

[pawpaw]

Both my mother and grandmother would sing this to my brother and I quite often. 

森山愛子　赤とんぼ　aiko moriyama "akatombo"

What's that song about?

[pawpaw]

King of the Road just put a huge smile on my face. Thanks T!

That's song's got some serious swing!

[ynwa]

what a great thread  :)

my dad sang to us quite a bit.  in his early-adult/pre-married years, he was in some sort of gilbert & sullivan theater troop; so he sang a lot of those songs to my sisters & me.  there was also a period of time when he was teaching himself how to play guitar & mondolin, so most of the stuff he did then were folk traditionals, i suppose.  and then, there's the whole matter of the muppet movie soundtrack - that thing was the soundtrack to our camping trip out west.  EVERY time we'd pile into the station wagon to head to the next campground "moving right along" would cue up & we'd all sing our hearts out  ;D

of all the songs sung, this is the one that stands out most
Tex Ritter "Froggy Went A-Courtin'"

[Tracy 2112]

Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford

Dean Martin - Houston

[Ruckus]

Both my mother and grandmother would sing this to my brother and I quite often. 

森山愛子　赤とんぼ　aiko moriyama "akatombo"

What's that song about?

Ha!  I just saw this.  I really have no idea.  There was some nice imagery in it but I think what I took from it was much more shallow than the true meaning of it.  The title translates to Red Dragonfly.