THE BIG SUNFLOWER
The next thing she knew, she heard Pa singing....
Laura opened one eye and peeked from under the
covers. Snow fell softly onto her face, a great
lot of snow.... -- By the Shores of Silver
Lake, Chapter 27, "Living in Town"
Laura woke up suddenly. She heard singing and a
queer slapping sound... Pa was singing his trouble
song and slapping his arms on his chest... -- The
Long Winter, Chapter 4, "October Blizzard"
"The Big Sunflower" was written by Bobby Newcomb in 1868 and made popular by minstrel singer Billy Emerson, who sang black-face comedy not in rag-tag clothes, but as a dandy dressed in bright colors. "The Big Sunflower" became Emerson's signature song, and a sunflower pinned to his lapel became part of his costume no matter what he was performing. Although "The Big Sunflower" is a light-hearted nonsense song, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote that it was Pa's "trouble" song; in the manuscript for By the Shores of Silver Lake, Wilder included: "Ever since she could remember, she had heard Pa sing that song whenever he was especially cold and miserable. Something was wrong…" One can only imagine that Pa didn't sing it with quite the same joyful lilt as it was intended to be sung!
While working on On the Banks of Plum Creek in 1936, Wilder and daughter Rose discussed using "The Big Sunflower," which Wilder wrote that she definitely wanted to use in "the next book." She sent the lyrics to Rose anyway, saying that sometimes Pa changed the last line to: "and comes and goes as it pleases, oh!"
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THE BIG SUNFLOWER
1. There is a charm I can't explain About a girl I've seen, My heart beats fast when she goes past, In a dark dress trimmed in green. Her eyes are bright as evening stars, So loving and so shy, And the folks all stop and look around, When ever she goes by.
[chorus] And I feel just as happy as a big sunflower That nods and bends in the breezes, And my heart is as light as the wind that blows The leaves from off the tree-sees.
2. As days past on and we became Like friends of olden times, I thought the question I should pop And ask her to be mine. But the answer I received next day, How could she treat me so Instead of being mine for life, She simply answered no.
3. I went next day dressed in my best, This young girl for to see, To ask her if she would explain why She had shaken me. She said she really felt quite sad To cause me such distress, And when I said "Won't you be mine?" Of course she answered yes. |
THE BIG SUNFLOWER (from By the Shores of Silver Lake)
Oh, I am as happy as a big sunflower That nods and bends in the breezes! And my heart is as light as the wind that blows The leaves from off the treeses!
THE BIG SUNFLOWER (from The Long Winter)
Oh, I am as happy as a big sunflower (Slap! Slap!) That nods and bends in the breezes, Oh (Slap! Slap!) And my heart (Slap!) is as light (Slap!) as the wind that blows (Slap! Slap!) The leaves from off the treeses, Oh! (Slap! SLAP!)
Use the navigation bar above to listen to "The Big Sunflower" - midi sequence by Lesley Nelson-Burns. If you do not see the midi player above, click HERE to listen.
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