Que sera sera

Long long ago when I was in college, ok I am not that old but now a days it does with Mp3s and downloadable versions, since in our dear ol days we were still listening to songs on cassettes. We couldn’t imagine an mp3 though ‘soft songs’ (napster) was known and I used to think a friend of mine lucky with a computer (a luxury at that time…we had one much much later…when I had already graduated and doing my PG) and a fast internet. I used to still rely on ol cassettes and used to collect my whole pocket money (for a 200 rs per month pocket money...money set aside apart from a quarterly railway pass…I was not a foodie and nor were my friends and we didn’t get embarrassed to carry a ‘dabba’…yes life was much humbler then) for a bi annual splurge on cassettes and books. Books though were always yellowed with use (I took second hands wherever and whenever I could find them), the cassettes were new (I had less option otherwise) and I found some real good ones. There was a “Mariah Carey: day dream”, a Richard Clayderman and some more. Now for one of such splurges at rhythm house (planet M didn’t exist then, it came in much later), bag already heavy with yellowed and dog eared books which included a bit or two of “M n Bs”, I saw this cassette labeled “down and by the memory lane”, I picked it up and saw the price. 125 rs (a paltry sum now), and don’t know why but got it, though the songs were unknown to me then. There were some gems in store for me. And some of these songs minus the accent helped me later to teach people English when I was teaching in classes. Some of them were “Que sera sera” by Doris day and “how much is that doggie in the window” by Patty page and “leaving on a jet plane” by John Denver. I still have the cassette somewhere (I hope so) along with its other companions who are almost forgotten due to lack of tape recorder and advent of digital gadgets like mp3s. what is however not faded are some aspects that I learnt, of beautifying my own life even if it is minus a lot of “must haves” of being happy with myself and creating a world where I could lose myself. (Music and books together always made me go in some kind of black hole from where even my better (?) half couldn’t dig me out…my normal chattery self would just be a hmmm…ah-ha…ok) and of course appreciate any kind of music and books

Birmingham Jail aka…down in the valley

Now this was one song which I was always told to sing in our “free period” in the school. Not that I was an ‘Anuradha Paudwal’ in singing, but just maybe timepass, but yes, I did pride myself in knowing by heart this song. This song came hand in hand with “una..” and begged to be searched. I searched for both song and lyrics and was surprised to know that I didn’t know the whole song, just a portion, maybe the lyrics later couldn’t be taught to the crazy gals studying in 1st standard.

Here is the song (the italics are the part taught to us…):

Down in the valley, the valley so low

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow

Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow;

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.

Roses love sunshine, violets love dew,

Angels in Heaven know I love you,

Know I love you, dear, know I love you,

Angels in Heaven know I love you.

Build me a castle, forty feet high;

So I can see her as she rides by,

As she rides by, dear, as she rides by,

So I can see her as she rides by.

"If you don't love me, love whom you please,"

"Throw your arms round me, give my heart ease,"

"Give my heart ease, dear, give my heart ease,"

"Throw your arms round me, give my heart ease,"

Write me a letter, send it by mail;

Send it in care of the Birmingham jail,

Birmingham jail, dear, Birmingham jail,

Send it in care of the Birmingham jail.

Roses love sunshine, violets love dew,

Angels in Heaven know I love you,

Know I love you, dear, know I love you,

Angels in Heaven know I love you.

Again some trivia: ‘"Down in the Valley", also known as "Birmingham Jail", is a traditional American folk song. It has been recorded by many artists, and is included in the Songs of Expanding America recordings in the Burl Ives six-album set Historical America in Song.’

My Monday mind is humming down in the valley.....

Una paloma blanca…

I was on way to my Sunday morning sessions. In the rickshaw, a bit biting sudden cold wave, I remembered this song from the deep recesses of the memory, a song not forgotten but which like an old photograph yellowed and dusty. I flicked the dust off it, humming and trying to put back pieces of the songs together, humming where I couldn’t fill in the gaps but coming back to them and filling them. I was amazed that I could remember it still. “Una paloma balanca” I typed a text to my better (?) half. But I guess till now he has not downloaded the song. Since Monday morning my mind is surfing. I searched on toddler tantrums and a bit on statistics concepts and then I remembered. I put the words in search engine and voila…so many results. I got the lyrics and I hope so song. I remembered when I was a bit long legged boy cut first standard gal, with brown chequered uniform in an all girls convent school, where the only male teachers we had was a music teacher (I now don’t remember his name, except a sir) and a chemistry lab ‘sir’. This music sir used to come once a week, with his acoustic guitar (I wonder if that was a Hobner) and who knew I would learn how to play one fine day…hell I am digressing again. So this ‘sir’ used to come once a week, with a guitar, a tall, thin, beardy fellow with spectacles, who spoke less in a class full of clacking chickens, who didn’t sing, but just shouted…And a few songs he taught us, this was one of them, the music notebook is definitely recycled by now, but the song still stayed…only to come to surface today. I am yet to hear the original; I hope to get a downloadable version soon.

When the sun shines on the mountain

And the night is on the run

It's a new day

It's a new way

And I fly up to the sun



I can feel the morning sunlight

I can smell the new-mown hay

I can hear God's voice is calling

For my golden sky light way



Una paloma blanca

I'm just a bird in the sky

Una paloma blanca

Over the mountains I fly

No one can take my freedom away



Once I had my share of losing

for they locked me on a chain

Yes they tried to break my power

oh I still can feel the pain



Una paloma blanca

I'm just a bird in the sky

Una paloma blanca

Over the mountains I fly

No one can take my freedom away

Now for some trivia (thanks to Wikipedia)’ Paloma Blanca, often called Una Paloma Blanca, is the title of a song written by the Dutch musician George Baker and first recorded by his band The George Baker Selection. The single was a hit throughout Europe, and was taken from the group's fifth album of the same name.”p.s paloma blanca or una paloma blanca is Spanish for a white dove”’