children in our church sing lots of songs during their sunday meetings. some somgs are for reverence, some teach gospel principles, some are silly to get wiggles out, and some are about the world around us, and the beauty of nature. some have hand actions or sign language or a game that goes along with it.
one of the songs the kids most oft request and sing the loudest is called "popcorn popping". i learned it myself when i was about three, actions and all. it goes a little something like this:
i looked out the window and what did i see?
popcorn popping on the apricot tree.
spring has brought me such a nice surprise,
popcorn popping right before my eyes.
i can take an armful and make a treat,
a popcorn ball that would smell so sweet.
it wasn't really so...but it seemed to me,
popcorn popping on the apricot tree.
i spent my orange county childhood thinking: what the crap does that mean? but here in utah they have these trees, and they look like popcorn when they blossom in spring. i didn't know this till i was, like, 23. someone really should've showed our primary this picture, cause i'm pretty sure we all had no clue. i'm sure we were all thinking like: palm trees and eucalyptus trees and citrus trees and avocado trees do not look like popcorn.
so if you don't live where the popcorn trees are, would you take a second and show this pic to your kids who know the song? i bet they'll go "ooooohhhhhhhhh! so that's what the crap that means" (or something more polite). i know i sure would've appreciated it when i was just a little ctr.
This song was never a mystery to me. I always thought that this was "my song" or "my anthem".
"I look out the window and what do I see, popcprn popping on the apri - katri."
ha ha ha --- my kids in primary have let everyone in primary know that this is "their mom's song"
Can't wait to see your future posts.
Posted by: Katri | May 03, 2011 at 05:11 PM
just so you know apricot trees really do blossom just like that to look like popcorn. so it doesn't even have to be a different kind of tree it literally is true that apricot trees look like popcorn!
Posted by: T. | May 03, 2011 at 05:51 PM
Ya I know, we just didn't have them where I grew up so I thought we were singing about a fake tree. And I didn't get why we would do that!
Posted by: Kelly mccaleb | May 03, 2011 at 06:19 PM
I have never heard that song before but, it's totally neat that you finally have a tree that resembles the popcorn song!! Too funny!
Posted by: casey | May 03, 2011 at 06:25 PM
Hey Kelly,(this is out of the way) but on facebook, today is 2011 Intergalactic STAR WARS Status Day! I thought u might like it. Even if ure not on facebook.
Posted by: Sonishka | May 03, 2011 at 06:48 PM
I remember hearing the song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause," and could never figure out why she was kissing him and WHY in the world they would write a song about it if she did! I was honestly in my 20's when it finally clicked.
Posted by: Sarah | May 03, 2011 at 08:29 PM
in the song "As i have loved you, love one another" I thought they were say "by this shamino" instead of "shall men know" I didn't know what a shamino was, but i never thought anything of it, or question it. I just realized it when I was older, and had a good laugh. You were always forever the scientist and thinker, and I was........um not. just happy in my own happy world singing "shamino" with all the feeling i could muster. ha ha ha
Posted by: heather | May 04, 2011 at 07:15 AM
ha ha! i grew up in So cal too and never really got the song either! My aunt used to sing the little purple pansy song: "little purple panties touched with gold..." she used to think it was a song about someone having an "accident".
Posted by: heather from arizona | May 04, 2011 at 09:14 PM
lol @ Sarah's comment about "mommy kissing santa claus" -- i had the same "aha" moment with that one.
and i'm sure it took me a long time to realize what we were singing about with the popcorn song. i never even thought about the meaning of it -- just thought it was a funny song!
Posted by: sewsara | May 04, 2011 at 10:29 PM
I wanted to bring this to your attention, although you probably already are aware of it.
http://www.starwars.com/movies/saga/bluraymay4/index.html
Oh and, I'll add that my sister thought that it said, "teach me all that I'm a stool" instead of "teach me all that I must do" in I am a Child of God. She was confused but didn't question it. She's totally inactive now.
Just kidding, she's not.
Posted by: Holly L. | May 04, 2011 at 10:53 PM
that's my favorite primary song probably because it was written about my grandfather's tree! the author was his neighbor and would see his apricot tree blooming over the fence. fun huh?!!
Posted by: karajayne | May 05, 2011 at 03:45 PM