"The Grandfather Clock" by Henry Clay Work (1876)

 Aside from "Jack Jumped Over the Candlestick" one of the first songs I remember learning was in Kindergarten was the one about the Grandfather Clock. For some odd reason I woke in the middle of the night with part of the song running through my head. And though I immediately recalled the whole story, I had to look up the full lyrics. I only remember learning part of the song in school.

American songwriter Henry Clay Work, who had written the Civil War song "Marching Through Georgia", wrote the clock song while traveling in England in 1876. He had stopped at The George Hotel in Piercebridge, County Durham, England. He was very taken by the "long case clock" in the lobby of the hotel. 

Asking about the clock, he was told that it had only two owners. After the first owner died, the clock became unreliable, and then, when the second owner died, the clock ceased working altogether. This story was the genisis for the song. 

The sheet music for the song sold over 1 million copies and became very popular in the days before recordings. It was sung in bars and parlors all over the world. The earliest known recording of the song was in 1905 by The Edison Quartet on one of those wax cylinders.

After World War Two the song even became popular in Japan, leading to an animation of the lyrics. It also forever changed the term "long case clock" into what we now commonly call "Grandfather Clocks." Such is the power of a good song.

You can find a few versions on The internet, in case you don't recall the melody. I'm not sure I ever heard a record of it. Rather I remember my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Gerber, at P.S. 197 in Brooklyn, playing the song, which is where I first learned the lyrics. In my mind's eye there is a piano involved, though I'm not really sure there was a piano in the classroom. She used a stick, or pointer, to augment the "tick tock, tick tock" in the song. 

"The Grandfather Clock" by Henry Clay Work (1876)

"My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf,

So it stood ninety years on the floor;

It was taller by half than the old man himself,

Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.

It was bought on the morn of the day that he was born,

And was always his treasure and pride;

But it stopp'd short — never to go again —

When the old man died.

Ninety years without slumbering

(tick, tick, tick, tick), His life seconds numbering,

(tick, tick, tick, tick), It stopp'd short — never to go again —When the old man died.

In watching its pendulum swing to and fro,

Many hours had he spent while a boy.

And in childhood and manhood the clock seemed to know

And to share both his grief and his joy.

For it struck twenty-four when he entered at the door,

With a blooming and beautiful bride;

But it stopp'd short — never to go again —

When the old man died.

Ninety years without slumbering

(tick, tick, tick, tick), His life seconds numbering,

(tick, tick, tick, tick), It stopp'd short — never to go again —When the old man died.

My grandfather said that of those he could hire,

Not a servant so faithful he found;

For it wasted no time, and had but one desire —

At the close of each week to be wound.

And it kept in its place — not a frown upon its face,

And its hands never hung by its side.

But it stopp'd short — never to go again —

When the old man died.

Ninety years without slumbering

(tick, tick, tick, tick), His life seconds numbering,

(tick, tick, tick, tick), It stopp'd short — never to go again —When the old man died.

It rang an alarm in the dead of the night —

An alarm that for years had been dumb;

And we knew that his spirit was pluming for flight —

That his hour of departure had come.

Still the clock kept the time, with a soft and muffled chime,

As we silently stood by his side;

But it stopp'd short — never to go again —

When the old man died.

Ninety years without slumbering

(tick, tick, tick, tick), His life seconds numbering,

(tick, tick, tick, tick), It stopp'd short — never to go again —When the old man died."

Pete Seeger, PS 197 and Kindergarten - "If I Had a Hammer"

This post is for my Kindergarten teacher at PS 197 in Brooklyn,Mrs. Gerber. Read on and you will find out why.

Of all the songs we learned as kids, few have had as many obstacles thrown in its way as was the case with the iconic song “If I Had a Hammer.” Most folks will remember the song as being a smash hit for Peter, Paul and Mary in the late 1950’s. But the songs beginnings were steeped in controversy when the Weavers did their original version of it in 1949 at the Peekskill concert with Paul Robeson, and then when the song was published in the “Sing Out” collection of songs the following year. People actually cancelled their subscriptions over this song.

Pete Seeger had spent the war years working as a Merchant Mariner aboard cargo vessels. After the war; in 1948; he founded the folk group known as the Weavers. They did folk songs along the line of Woody Guthrie, along with some original compositions and other folk ballads from around the world.
 

Their first hit was a 45 RPM with “Tzena, Tzena”as the A side; a song much heralded at the time by Israeli soldiers; backed with “Goodnight Irene”, written by Leadbelly, on the B side. It was a hit on Decca Records, which couldn’t press the record fast enough to keep up with the demand.

By 1957 they were banned from most radio stations and all of TV. Seeger would not be seen on a major network again until 1968 when he appeared on the Smothers Brothers Show. It all began with “If I Had a Hammer.” The House of Un-American Activities; which they clearly were; was in the middle of its decade long sweep of the entertainment industry looking for subversives; or Communists, when they set their sights on The Weavers and Pete Seeger.

HUAC was not only aimed at the Hollywood crowd; they were also involved with policing the meaning of song lyrics such as “The Rock Island Line”; and later on even “Louie, Louie”. For “Louie, Louie” the FBI infamously spent over one year and 100 agents in order to come to the conclusion that they had no idea what the lyrics were; let alone what they meant. With “If I Had a Hammer” their job was much simpler.

The song speaks about a hammer; the Soviet Union used one in its flag. The song spoke about “the danger” and “the love between my brothers” all across this land. (Peter, Paul and Mary added and my sisters to the lyrics for their recording, in addition to some changes in the melody.) Surely these “brothers” were comrades in the sense that they were allied with communism. And, as if that weren’t enough, the HUAC committee was very concerned just what was meant by “freedom” and “justice”.  (You have to laugh when you think that hey actually had to ask that last question!)

Seeger was charged with 10 counts of Contempt of Congress in 1955; a badge which he wore proudly; and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His appeals went on in a court fight which lasted until 1962. And, although his career was interrupted, his fight was celebrated by his many loyal fans. In 1969 he launched the Clearwater Campaign to clean up the Hudson River in New York and was an activist until his death.

Here he is in 1956; already charged and being tried for Contempt; singing the song anyway. This is one of the earliest versions in which he sings “my brothers and my sisters.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl-yszPdRTk

Now, here’s the part which will explain why this is dedicated to Mrs. Gerber;

We were actually singing this is Kindergarten at PS 197 in Brooklyn. It was 1959 and HUAC was still going and the blacklist had just been "broken" with Dalton Trumbo being listed as a screenwriter on "Spartacus". I have to wonder what risk the teacher was taking by using that song in class. New York's Feinberg Law of 1949 placed a security officer in charge of each school district. Their job was to know the politics of every teacher. Reading the wrong book could preclude your being hired. And voting the wrong way could get you fired.  

In 1955; only 4 years before my Kindergarten teacher sang this song with us; New York City teachers were required to inform upon their colleagues political views. Refusal meant dismissal. Of 40 teachers who were ordered to do so; 35 submitted and the remaining 5 were actually fired. In all, 60,000 public school teachers in NYC alone were investigated and 500 were forced to resign or were fired for political views. One actually committed suicide. That Mrs. Gerber sang this song with the class is a tribute to her individuality. The Board in charge of the Feinberg investigations remained in force for 2 more years; disbanding in 1961.

Flag Day - The 49 Star Flag Story (1959)

There won’t be too many people left in a few more decades who will remember the last time we added a star; or two; to our flag. So, I try to drag this story out as often as I can.

Today is Flag Day, which always prompts me to recall a day toward the end of kindergarten when my teacher, Mrs. Gerber, unveiled a new flag in our classroom. We had been saluting the 48 star flag, even though Alaska had entered the Union as the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959. Here it was June and we still had the old 48 star flag hanging at the front of the classroom in Public School 197 in Brooklyn.

With all appropriate drama, Mrs. Gerber unrolled the new 50 star flag as she carefully explained that yet another state, Hawaii, would be joining the Union in August. This would be just before we returned to school. Since the City did not have the funds to replace the flags twice in one year, they had opted to wait until the next state was added to make that change. We were getting a preview of the 50 star flag that would become our new National Symbol in August.

It wasn't until a few years later, while collecting stamps, that I actually saw a 49 star flag. The placement of the stars on the field of blue is somewhat of an art. It must be done in uniform rows to look right. The current 50 star flag relies on a pattern of two rows; 5 stars and 4 stars respectively, repeated 5 times and then the last row of 5 to make 50 stars. Very symmetrical.

The 49 star flag, which is seldom seen, has the same alternating pattern, only with 4 stars and 3 stars. The pattern, repeated 7 times, yields the 49 stars that represented the States in the Union at the time. The first row is 4 stars and by necessity, the last row is only 3 stars.

Flag Day was actually celebrated in the schools back then. Times have changed but history remains the same. So for those who have never seen it, here is the 49 star flag that reigned for a scant 8 months back in 1959.

Flag Day and the 49 Star Flag - 1959

I remember the day as clearly as if it were yesterday. We were getting a new flag in my Kindergarten class- but there was a twist to it. Alaska was being admitted as a state, to be closely followed in a year, by Hawaii. There had been 48 stars on the flag since about 1912, and now there was set to be 2 changes to the flag in one year’s time. Although the school authorities were very much concerned with the fiscal aspects of the changes, I was more enthralled with the idea that I was living through an historical event.

The schools I went to were the Public Schools in Brooklyn, New York. In my case I was at PS 197 on Kings Highway and East 22^nd Street, when these events occurred. Our teacher, a young boy’s dream named Mrs. Gerber; she wore seamed stockings; explained that buying two flags in one year for each classroom would be too costly for the City to bear. Instead, they were jumping ahead to the following year when Hawaii would be admitted, making 50 states, and 50 stars, on the flag. Seriously, I was a bit miffed at the decision, even at the age of five. Let me explain.

My favorite TV show at the time was “Yukon King”, which starred Preston Foster, who played a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, and his dog, who pulled his sled. So, I was very excited to hear that we were getting a piece of the action in that part of the country! Hawaii, on the other hand, was just a very faraway place where pineapples came from, for which I had no use. I could not, at the age of five, see the strategic advantage of having Hawaii as a state, thus extending our borders. The events at Pearl Harbor were just a vague concept to me at the time. I knew that something had happened there, but wasn't quite sure what.

Alaska, on the other hand, held an immediate connection for me. It was, as I said earlier, my favorite TV show at the time. So, this is my earliest memory of our flag. I do vaguely recall learning the Pledge of Allegiance, but that was more of an assignment than a personal connection. The flag is human to me; when it flaps in the breeze I am happy. Some may call that imperialistic, or empirical. I just know that I grew up feeling pretty secure under that banner. Though the past few administrations; both Democratic and Republican; have been disappointing to say the least, the flag has remained as a symbol of what we once were, and can be again. 

By the way, if you were looking for some sort of lesson in the above story, sorry to disappoint you. It's just a story about one of my earliest memories of the flag.

Flag Day 1959 - 49 Stars - The Forgotten Flag

June 14, 2009: Today is flag day, which always prompts me to recall a day toward the end of kindergarten when my teacher, Mrs. Gerber, unveiled a new flag in our classroom. We had been saluting the 48 star flag, even though Alaska had entered the Union as the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959. Here it was June and we still had the old 48 star flag hanging at the front of the classroom in Public School 197 in Brooklyn.

With all appropriate drama, Mrs. Gerber unrolled the new 50 star flag as she carefully explained that yet another state, Hawaii, would be joining the Union in August. This would be just before we returned to school. Since the City did not have the funds to replace the flags twice in one year, they had opted to wait until the next state was added to make that change. We were getting a preview of the 50 star flag that would become our new National Symbol in August.

It wasn't until many years later, while collecting stamps, that I actually saw a 49 star flag. The placement of the stars on the field of blue is somewhat of an art. It must be done in uniform rows to look right. The current 50 star flag relies on a pattern of two rows; 5 stars and 4 stars respectively, repeated 5 times and then the last row of 5 to make 50 stars. Very symmetrical.

The 49 star flag, which is seldom seen, has the same alternating pattern, only with 4 stars and 3 stars. The pattern, repeated 7 times, yields the 49 stars that represented the States in the Union at the time. The first row is 4 stars and by necessity, the last row is only 3 stars.

Flag Day was actually celebrated in the schools back then. Times have changed but history remains the same. So for those who have never seen it, here is the 49 star flag that reigned for a scant 8 months back in 1959.