When I sit alone with my memories
My mind drifts back to the early 60s
When folk music was all the rage
The New Christy Minstrels, Peter Paul and Mary
The Brothers Four, The Limelighters, The Kingston Trio
The Canadiana Folksingers... who?????
A six member group called The Canadiana Folksingers
Included myself and my first wife Linda
Along with two guitar players, a one-string bass
And I played the five-string banjo
Did we have a blast? Oh yah!
Made an album called “This Land Is Your Land”
And a 45 rpm single called, “Hey Jolly!”
Along with appearances on both
Of the only two Canadian TV Networks at the time
My memories of those days fill me with pride and tears
We can't go back but we can dream
About when we were young
And the world was ours to explore!
When I sit alone with my memories
My mind drifts back to the early 60s
When folk music was all the rage
The New Christy Minstrels, Peter Paul and Mary
The Brothers Four, The Limelighters, The Kingston Trio
The Canadiana Folksingers... who?????
A six member group called The Canadiana Folksingers
Included myself and my first wife Linda
Along with two guitar players, a one-string-bass
And I played the five-string banjo
Did we have a blast? Oh yah!
Made an album called “This Land Is Your Land”
And a 45 rpm single called, “Hi Jolly!”
Along with appearances on both
Of the only two Canadian TV Networks at the time
Memories of those days fill me with pride
Can't go back but we can dream
About when we were young
And the world was ours to explore!
In what way shall I improvise myself?
Shall I memorize the first way I felt?
And my origin from West Africa
Through the European landing in hell?
Jelly with a honeysuckle belly
Make it catch like rhythm that unfolds
Unremembering the hell til it tells me
Live like I act like a story untold.
Ragtime Naptown bands in syncopation
Dixieland Creole bred pause for the cause
Sax make it take it banjo behave it
Clarinet trombone tuba and guitar
String bass and pluck mashing in your face
Swing like I tap dance on boogie shaped clouds
Ella King Vaughn touch it fast then it shake
Mean as a blues song on turn it up now.
Then I gain recognition streams freed me
On to an atonal sound without bop
And I'm not in any definite key
Remembering not remember locks.
Once was a folk singer back in the sixties
It was surely my time to shine
Along with the great Peter Paul and Mary
They seemed like good friends of mine
A group of six, The Canadiana Folksingers
Appeared on Canadian TV
A couple of albums and two or three shows
Played banjo, sure looked geeky
Hi Jolly was our biggest success
Wherever we went they clamoured for it
Did I tell you Bruce played a one string bass
It added some charm I'll admit
Wife Linda was one of the two girl singers
Sure prettied up the group I'll say
Didn't make much money but that didn't matter
The joy hasn't left to this day
Not everyone can say they were part of a group
Twas a very special time in my life
Wish I could go back and relive it again
A great time for me and my wife
© Jack Ellison 2015
When I sit alone with my memories
My mind drifts back to the early 60s
When folk music was all the rage
The New Christy Minstrels, Peter Paul and Mary
The Brothers Four, The Limelighters, The Kingston Trio
The Canadiana Folksingers... who?????
A six member group called The Canadiana Folksingers
Included myself and my first wife Linda
Along with two guitar players and and a one-string bass
And I played the five-string banjo
Did we have a blast? Oh yah!
Made an album called “This Land Is Your Land”
And a 45 rpm single called, “Hi Jolly!”
Along with appearances on both
Of the only two Canadian TV Networks at the time
My memories of those days long ago fill me with pride and tears
We can't go back but we can dream
About when we were young
And the world was ours to explore!
© Jack Ellison 2014
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.