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Easing into August

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Written by Karen D. Swim

I am sitting in my office on what could be described as a perfect summer evening. August has arrived and with it the heat that has eluded us all year. The sky is clear and there is a peaceful stillness. Even the bugs seem to be moving at a slower pace in an attempt to conserve their energy.

It is the kind of night that makes you want to just sit back and enjoy friends and family, take a dip in a pool, lake or creek (or “crick” as I heard someone say recently) and laugh until it’s so dark you can’t see your finger in front of your face.

I found myself singing an old Gershwin tune and I wanted to share it with you all.  This is the beginning of the end of the summer here, and I hope you take some time to just savor and enjoy.

Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your ma is good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning
There ain’t nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
Summertime – Lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your ma is good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning
There ain’t nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
As I listened to these two legendary artists, it reminded me of those who cannot hear the music in these videos. The deaf and hard of hearing also do not have access to online news videos and other videos with words that are only spoken and not captioned. But we have an opportunity to change that. There is a bill to make access available to all of our friends on the net. You can read it about it  here and if you’re on Facebook you can join the Caption Action 2 Cause.

Comments

  1. This is definitely the right sound for August! Thanks for sharing the song, I really didn’t know it. Speaking of August, I perfectly remember being so happy to be in the month of June. And now, we only have three weeks of summer left. Amazing how time flies. We know it does, yet it still manages to take us by surprise 🙂
    .-= Alina Popescu´s last blog ..I bow to BMW – No mercy! =-.

  2. I can truthfully say I have lived this song . LOL… one of my all time, favorites….it’s the kind of atmospheric skin soothing soul calming let’s linger here for awhile music that fairly oozes up from the sidewalks in the Garden District . Made for porch swings and balconies and slowing down to breath it in.

    Hadn’t occurred to me how many people might not be able to enjoy the fullness of it’s magic. Bravo for bringing that forward.
    .-= Janice Cartier´s last blog ..Best Laid Plans =-.

  3. A version where the voice stands out rather than blends with the music. I love musicals because voices often stand out and they’re easy to follow. Here are some popular songs that I can hear the singer’s voice stand out from the background:

    We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel
    Sweet Dreams Are Made of This by Eurythmics
    Footloose

    Hope this helps.
    .-= Meryl K Evans´s last blog ..40+ Writer Uses for LinkedIn =-.

  4. Roland, the combination of the three is dynamite, isn’t it? I love Gershwin and even all these years later can sing so many of their lyrics.

  5. Hi Karen, after reading your article I sent a message to my local government. Thanks for all that you do to raise awareness. I’m only too happy to lend my voice and fingers to the cause!

  6. Hi Meryl! Isn’t it a great song! I’ll have to find a version you can hear, what should I look for? On a mission! 🙂

  9. Oh, I LOVE that song. I can’t find a good version that I can hear. I’ve heard a couple of them from Porgy and Bess, but I could barely make out the words.

    Thanks for supporting Caption Action! I rarely join causes on Facebook simply because there are too many… but this one I joined.
    .-= Meryl K Evans´s last blog ..When’s Prime Time on Twitter? =-.