Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
“A Hill of Beans Can Become
a Mountain of Trouble”
This is my response to the challenge.
Tag: Acceptance
November Blue
This week at Glyn Wilton’s Mixed Music Bag,
he’s asking us to write about a song in which
the title or a line mentions the current month.
Here’s my November artists and their song.
To Love And Be Loved
Written for Sadje’s What Do You See #305.
Here’s where the photo prompt took me.
Transformation
Written for Only Murders In My Mind
Weekly Writing Prompt #74 and the
photo prompt shown below.
Here’s where the image took me.
Give Us A Smile
Written for Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim has asked his
readers to choose a song that reminds them of themselves.
When I read the theme for today’s SLS, I had a pretty good idea what my song was going to be. It’s been one of my favorite songs for a long time. And while it may sound melancholy, it’s message is one of the most uplifting ever written.
Who am I? Just an average person who has been blessed many times over in my life. I had so much fun as a young adult, going to concerts almost every weekend and meeting many extraordinary performers. I have a terrific husband, wonderful adult children and four grandkids. We live in a beautiful town with great neighbors who happen to be our best friends. The only thing I can complain about is the arthritis that has plagued me for the past 24 years. There have been times when the pain really brought me down and healing from surgeries seemed impossible but here I am, still standing. (No, that’s not my song!)
My featured song today is a real classic but some of you may think Michael Jackson was the one who made it popular; it’s much older than that. The music for today’s song was originally written and orchestrated by none other than silent film star Charlie Chaplin, starting as an instrumental for the soundtrack to his 1936 film Modern Times. And instead of being entirely a silent movie, it was the first time Chaplin’s voice was heard on a film. The idea for the movie came about from the Great Depression of 1929; messages of hope were essential to keeping people optimistic despite their circumstances. In 1954, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added lyrics to the song based on lines and themes from Chaplin’s Modern Times and gave it the title known around the world as “Smile”.
I know how fortunate I am; hell, Bill and I made it through a horrific rollover back in 2001 and he beat bladder cancer 6 years ago. 2024 hasn’t been a stellar year so far with my brother-in-law’s death and this god-awful spine surgery but we keep going and looking to each other for a smile. I’m an emotional person and wear my heart on my sleeve. Tears come easily but so does laughter. I love to have fun and make people laugh. And each laugh begins with a smile.
This is Tony Bennett.
LYRICS
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fears and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
Writer(s): Music – Charles Chaplin; Lyrics – Geoffrey Parsons, John Turner
Publisher: Tratore
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind
Here is a clip from Modern Times, Chaplin’s last silent film.
Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to follow the link and check out his site.
Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎
NAR©2024
All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.
LA FAMIGLIA
“Course One: Escarole Soup. Course Two: Manicotti and Salad. Gina, what is this – Sunday dinner or a reception for the Pope?”
My girlfriend Gina showed me a copy of the menu her mother had planned for dinner. It was a seven course feast! “Do you eat like this every Sunday?”
“No, silly – only when we have company. This week it’s my dad’s side of the family. There’s a lot a people and mom always says it’s better to have too much food than not enough.”
“Wait a second. There’s going to be other people besides your parents? Like how many?”
Gina started counting on her fingers. “About 18, maybe 20.”
“The first time I meet your parents I’m also going to meet 20 strangers and you didn’t think to warn me??”
“Oh, don’t worry. They’re gonna love you.”
“No. They’ll be employing Sicilian interrogations tactics. They’ll chew me up and spit me out. I’m Irish with blonde hair and pale skin. I don’t stand a chance!”
Gina laughed. “Oh stop exaggerating. We’re not The Mob, ya know. Just a mob!”
And she was right. I couldn’t believe the number of people that descended on her house. They were loud, funny, loving and very welcoming.
Gina’s mom set the table extravagantly, using her best dishes, utensils and glasses. And the food was incredible. Besides the soup, pasta and salad there was fresh baked bread, an antipasto, a huge platter of meatballs and sausages, two roasts, a bunch of vegetables, fennel, fruit, nuts, a slew of desserts I couldn’t pronounce and coffee. Gina’s uncles and male cousins ate like there was no tomorrow and no one stopped talking the entire time – except for Gina’s grandmother who didn’t utter a sound and stared at me with beady eyes the whole day. Honestly, that tiny woman dressed in black from head to toe scared me to death.
As the woman cleared away all traces of dinner, Gina’s dad got up, went to the cupboard and returned with a beautiful box made of highly polished wood with the finest Italian marble inlay. Placing the box on the table, he opened it to reveal an assortment of expensive imported cigars. The men lit up and a bottle of anisette appeared out of nowhere.
Gina’s Uncle Vito produced a deck of cards from his vest pocket. “Ya know how to play Red Dog, Phil?” he asked me.
“Um … it’s Bill, sir. And no, I’m not familiar with the game.”
“Hey, no problem, Irish. We’re gonna teach ya. And don’t look so nervous. We may rob ya but we ain’t gonna kill ya. For some reason our Gina likes ya and if she likes ya, we all likes ya.”
While we played cards, Gina’s cousins Louie and Frankie played their accordions and the women danced; it was the most surreal and unforgettable experience of my life.
I watched as Gina’s grandmother rose from her chair. Slowly she walked over to me and looked me square in the eyes. She grinned and pinched my cheek till it was beet red. And la famiglia howled.
I swear – 53 years later her stamp of approval is still on my face.
NAR © 2023
Originally posted in 2019
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