Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
For Me and My Pal
For all those guys out there wondering, Should I tell him?, a perennial classic.
Not quite as I learned it from my grandparents.
Shine On, Harvest Moon
(1908)
The night was mighty dark, so you could hardly see,
for the Moon refused to shine;
couple sitting underneath the willow tree,
for love they pine.
One of them was kinda 'fraid of darkness,
so he said: I guess I'll go.
His pal began to sigh, looked up in the sky,
told the Moon this little tale of woe:
Shine on, shine on Harvest Moon,
up in the sky:
I ain't had no lovin'
since January, February, June, or July.
Snow-time ain't no time to stay
outdoors and spoon,
so shine on, shine on Harvest Moon,
for me and my pal.
I don't know why that boy should sigh
when by his side
is the one he loves so true;
all he has to say is, Won't you be my guy?
For I love you.
Why should I be telling you this secret
when I know that you can guess?
The Moon would start to smile,
smile on all the while,
if his little pal should answer: Yes. So...
Shine on, shine on Harvest Moon,
up in the sky:
I ain't had no lovin'
since January, February, June, or July.
Snow-time ain't no time to stay
outdoors and spoon,
so shine on, shine on Harvest Moon,
for me and my pal.
Tune: Nora Bayes
Lyrics: Jack Norworth
Same-sex version: Steven Posch
You can hear the immortal Ruth Etting's version (from the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931) here.
spoon = make out
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