Growin’ up poor
we didn’t have much
but the love of tunes
was our crutch.
We clapped and swayed
from jazz to rock,
singing along
around the clock.
From Benny Goodman
“the King of Swing”,
to the Beatles
and all between.
That hi-fi blasted
morn and night
with LPs spinning
we were alright.
We shimmied, stomped,
jigged and jived,
and pounded the
beat on our thighs.
Yeah, growin’ up poor
we didn’t have much
but the love of tunes
was our crutch.
Gay Reiser Cannon introduces us to writing lyrics today at dVerse Poets: http://dversepoets.com/2014/02/06/meeting-the-bar-songwriting-and-its-relationship-to-poetry/
Bodhirose's Blog 
J.lynn Sheridan
/ February 6, 2014I hope you set this to music. How fun. I love the rhythm of it.
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014No…no music…but maybe my musician brother could do something with it. 🙂 I loved yours, Lynn…just beautiful.
LikeLike
billgncs
/ February 6, 2014I remember the pre-ipod, pre-dvd, pre-cd, pre-cassette days – worth singing about!
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Well then you probably come from my generation, Bill…we were pretty much pre-everything. 🙂
LikeLike
billgncs
/ February 7, 2014but we were not “pre cool” 🙂
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014No… 🙂
LikeLike
brian miller
/ February 6, 2014oh yeah, i can feel the dance a bit…music has always been a huge part of my life…whole decades have soundtracks that bring me right back to playing pool in the basement & first forays with girls & dancing….yeah…
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014I feel the same way about music. It’s amazing how some of it became so embedded in my memory…can take me right back too…yeah.
LikeLike
silentlyheardonce
/ February 6, 2014Your words are the sound of the rhythm of your music. I dance with you.
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014What a lovely thing to say…thank you. Yeah, let’s dance! 🙂
LikeLike
vandana
/ February 7, 2014Love can do wonders.
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Yes it can.
LikeLike
claudia
/ February 7, 2014ah i feel the groove in this…and even if poor..if there’s music we’re richer than most of the real rich ones
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Yeah, we were lucky to have that music around. Thanks, Claudia.
LikeLike
Grace
/ February 7, 2014I love this part Gayle ~
We shimmied, stomped,
jigged and jived,
and pounded the
beat on our thighs.
Nice beat, I am singing along ~
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Thanks, Grace. We were pretty “active” listeners.
LikeLike
wolfsrosebud
/ February 7, 2014your opening and closing lines spoke volumes
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Thank you, Patricia…it’s the truth too.
LikeLike
hanna
/ February 7, 2014Are you still bopping along these days?
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Oh yeah!
LikeLike
Mary
/ February 7, 2014I really enjoyed reading your song. It had a captivating beat and a great message. I think music is connector of people (and a giver of pleasure), and we are all drawn to it – rich or poor or in between. I could picture the movement in this poem/ song.
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014Thank you, Mary…and you’re so right. Even tiny babies get into the groove…as witness to my young granddaughter swaying to the beat of music played.
LikeLike
Björn Rudberg (brudberg)
/ February 7, 2014What a wonderful life before youtube, itunes and spotify… lovely beat in your lyrics
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014We were a music loving family…45s and LPs were played a lot in our house. Thank you, Bjorn.
LikeLike
Gay Reiser Cannon
/ February 7, 2014I can certainly identify with this. I didn’t think of myself as poor (but we were), because we were rich compared to my mother and her family growing up in the depression/dust bowl. But as a family we sang all the time and still loved those Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, and Hank Snow songs – oh and the Sons of the Pioneers – Ghost Riders, Water. So I’m tapping along with this song. Immensely singable. Find a melody. It’s GOOD.
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 7, 2014I didn’t think we were poor either…at the time. My father was a music aficionado though and even loved some of the current rock music performers that we kids liked. Music really did help the “situation.” Thanks, Gay.
LikeLike
Sherry Blue Sky
/ February 8, 2014YES! My little box record player and LP’s got me thru my teens. I wailed and sang by the hour – and how I loved to dance back then!
LikeLike
Bodhirose
/ February 8, 2014Me too, Sherry! Got me through my teens…
LikeLike