When Mother Ruled the Roost at the Henn House Cabaret.MPG

My great-grandfather Carl Henn, Sr. primarily loved three things: throwing parties, singing, and raising children. So when Carl, Jr. and his brothers and sister were growing up, one of the things they would do is gather around the piano and sing songs. Carl, Jr. took the tune of one of Carl, Sr's favorite tunes ("When Nero Played the Fiddle at the Roman Cabaret") and wrote his own lyrics.

The occasion was Carl, Sr's 50th anniversary of marriage to Valeda Müller in May 1970 (41 years ago, not 46).

The song is written from Carl, Sr's point of view and details first what it's like to look back on 50 years of marriage, then what it was like raising a dozen kids in the midst of the Great Depression, and finally the achievements of the kids themselves.

LYRICS:

'Twas fifty years ago today, in the merry month of May
I married a girl with long black hair; strange that it's turned to gray
We started out with fifty cents, we've traveled all this way
I can't explain it, but we still have fifty cents today
For a great big glorious jamboree, you can't beat a great big family

When mother set the table at the Henn house cabaret,
It cost us more than Wall Street spent on last Election Day
The kids ate beans like hoarse Marines, we bought bread by the ton
And every time a cow went by, it took off on the run
When buying clothes, oh, heaven knows, some ground we'd always lose
We had a dozen children and eleven pairs of shoes
If beds were shy when night drew nigh, we had to stack them three kids high
When mother ruled the roost at the Henn house cabaret

Now Carl does P.R. jobs, and Joe ensures men far and wide
Dick chases pennies through the books, Jim's construction boss outside
While John sells fencing, Marge keeps house along the Jersey shore
Gene keeps the bankers out of jail with law books by the score
Our computer son is Tony, and our auto son is Paul
Our customs man is handsome Pat, Vince sells toothpaste and all
Son Bob's a young executive, now each has his own place to live
But in our hearts, they'll always stay at the Henn house cabaret

Now, Carl and Polly had eight girls and one fine boy, that's nine
While Joe and Anne had Don and Mike and Barb, the face divine
Then Dick and Nicki kept it up with two boys and Colleen
But Jim our bachelor son said no, he was no love machine
Then John had three and Marge had two, and Gene checked in with four
Plus four for Tony, three for Paul, and two for Pat, so far
Our Vince has two, our Bob has none (not yet); that's thirty-six, and my story's done
Of life and love and children at the Henn house cabaret

© Carl Henn, Jr., 1970

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 60th
• anniversary
• 50th
• anniversy
• family
• memories
• great
• depression
• grandparents
• children
• grandchildren
• achievements
• when
• nero
• played
• the
• fiddle
• at
• roman
• cabaret