July 20, 2010
Donkey, don’t you dare
I’m watching the film Canyon Passage (Jacques Tourneur, 1946) for the first time, and in it Hoagy Carmichael plays the singing proprietor of a trading post in frontier Oregon. Sooner or later he’s going to sing “Old Buttermilk Sky”, but he made his first appearance astride a donkey, strumming and singing a tune called “Rogue River Valley”.
I was disappointed the second time he sang the song’s refrain. It begins:
“Oh, donkey, don’t you dare to dally”
The first time round I’d heard:
“Oh, donkey, don’t you dare to doubt me”
That is all.
Update: If you give this a look and a listen, you’ll realize that “Donkey, don’t you dare to doubt me” was pure wishful hearing on my part.
I live to embellish. I hear what I deserve.
comments
Leave a Reply
what you thought you heard is what you deserved, if that makes any sense.
Anus, that makes perfect sense.
I would love some more snacks.
I don’t doubt it.
burro tacos?
Made with ground burro and seasoned with lots of cumin.
Whatsis! How y’all bring the chuckle to my throat.
Anus likes!
I’ll fix you some next time I’m down your way, hon.
Anus’s happy.
happy Anus.
Anus the Happy Pagan. (Ages 7-9.)
grade school photograph.
He won’t look a thing like that when he’s grown.
right now he’s hungry all the time.
The Awkward Age. The Pagan Age.
I think he said Donkey, don’t you dare do Dolly. Hoagy’s the jealous type.
Deron Bauman cover up yourself. Oh, shit. I’ve lost whatever joke I was coming up with. “Uncle, Deron! I’m calling Uncle. This carpet burns!“
I’ve lost whatever joke I was coming up with too.
Wonder whether I might persuade Renner to collaborate on a children’s book titled Anus the Happy Pagan. (Ages 7-9.)
Anus the Happy Donkey?
Anus the Happy Pagan Donkey-Lover?
maybe it’s a trilogy.
Let’s make sure we work with an agent who specializes in film contracts. This Anus franchise could be bigger than Shrek.
Man, oh man. From Hoagy Carmichael to Anus the Happy Pagan Donkey-Lover.
so far we’ve only talked about my Anus. what about Uranus? that is a goldmine.
I’ve been renewing the option year after year after year and doing surprisingly well.
royalties.
Burro tacos? I want some goat.
Noted, Kelsey.
I was just saying to Deron that I will be a happy woman if by tonight I have stopped singing, “Donkey, don’t you dare to doubt me” over and over and over and over. I have been singing it in my head since yesterday evening. Lately I discovered that I actually feel slightly less insane if I sing it aloud quietly. Maybe that will exorcise it.
I am wondering whether a donkey doubts anything and if so, what it might doubt.
Maybe the consciousness of a donkey is one continuous doubt.
If it’d been Cole Porter, he might have sung “Scuse me, while I kiss this guy.”
[...] on a theme by Hoagy Carmichael. posted by Sheila Ryan in language, music | * | [...]