Morning Melodies

It is not a secret that I like my eyes to be soundly shut until double digits can be seen on the left side of the colon.  This desire is often in conflict with my aspirations to be responsible, and so today began as most do in my world - with bizarre melodies.

Musical mornings have been part of my awakening as far back as I can remember (musical being defined in the broadest sense of the word).  My dad, quite the perky turkey in the early hours, would come into my room with a loud “cock-a-doodle-doo”.  His imitation of an operatic rooster became famous and delighted party guests whenever I had sleep-overs.

Motivation for the day was often found in his cheer of “You gotta get up, You gotta get up, You gotta get up in the morning”.  Of course this did not always work, and he would then borrow material from Uncle Remus.  Not expecting a reply, he would ask, “Is there one dead girl in here?”  “Ah,” he would mutter, “She must be dead.”  He then boisterously declared, “Dead people stick their foot up in the air and yell YAAAAAHOOOOOO!”  This yelp sent shivers down my spine and acted as an electrifying alarm clock.

In my teen years, the song of “Oh, my darling, Oh my darling” was sweetly sung off-key with made up words and followed by a morning chat.  I liked these one-sided conversations; it allowed me time to find nice endings to dreams and transition to reality.  The transition became slightly more depressing when my dad happened to watch Oklahoma, and revised his song repertoire. 

You would think that “Oh what a beautiful morning” would make a great addition to our morning routine.  Unfortunately this sprightly tune was not the one that peaked my dad’s interest.  Instead, the next few months he delighted in waking me to a moaning ballad, “Poor Jud is dead, Poor Jud is dead,” followed by a gleefully gloomy morning chat.

Although conventional alarm clocks have long ago replaced my father’s melodic attempts, today my transition to reality was definitely inspired by his methods.  A circle of clouds shaped like alligators surrounded my head and absconded with the lyrics of two well-known songs.  They replaced them with the following and sang them alternatingly:

"Waking up is never easy, I know but I have to go..." ABBA

"Morning is broken, like a first mourning..." CAT STEVENS

It took a shower, two cups of coffee, and emptying the dishwasher before I could get these songs out of my head and start the day with enthusiasm.