October 30, 2015 (Friday)
I had another one of those mornings this week, when I woke up with a song in my head that would not go away. It was the song, “Remember Me,” written and sung by Willie Nelson. He will be remembered by future generations not only as a singer, musician and entertainer, but as a poet. He has a way with words. He knows how to express feelings and ideas in ways that elicit responses from those who read his words and hear his songs. The song, “Remember Me,” goes like this:
Remember me when the candle lights are gleamin’.
Remember me at the close of a long, long day.
An’ it would be so sweet when all alone, I’m dreamin’,
Just to know you still remember me. *
As soon as I identified the song that wouldn’t let go of my mind, I remembered several more songs with the same or similar title but each a unique kind of song. Perhaps you can think of some of these songs too. One that I liked a lot was “I Remember You,” written by Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin and five others. **
And then another song came to my mind. It was one that I heard Smiley McCallon, whose home was in the Rio Grande Valley, a student at Baylor in 1950, singing with the Baylor Religious Hour Choir. The song was, “Dear Lord, Remember Me (written by Myrtle Jackson and made popular by Hank Snow).” Smiley was one of the first musicians to record on Word Records, a giant company today founded by then student Jarell McCracken. Whenever it was announced that he would sing this song, everyone sat up to listen:
I don’t care how dark and drear my way may be,
I won’t mind the cross to bear
For I know in God’s own time he’ll set me free
But this I pray oh dear Lord remember me.
Remember me when tears are falling down
Remember me when there’s trouble all around
And, Oh down at the river of Jordan,
When calling the roll oh Lord remember me. ***
* Willie Nelson sings Remember Me
** Nat King Cole sings I Remember You
*** Lester Roloff and Girls of Rebekah Home sing Dear Lord, Remember Me