Listen to the Mockingbird: A Lesson of Dignity
Although I might be biased as a nature lover, mockingbirds are fascinating creatures. These birds cause no pain to anyone or anything—they just sing, continuously. Chosen as a book title, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the bird is a figurative representation of the loss of innocence. Quoting from the book, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but . . . sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The overall theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is that every human being deserves to be treated with dignity. What a wonderful message for today’s world, everyone deserves dignity.
Initially inspired to write about not just mockingbirds, but the song, Listen to the Mockingbird by Steve Forbert, my research lead me to of the lyrics origins. First written in 1855 by an African American street musician pen named Alice Hawthorne, the author sang about his sweetheart that died. With a sense of joy, a mockingbird sang their favorite song at her grave. During the Civil War, this became a battle song interestingly for both sides. Lincoln is even quoted about his favorite song, “It is as sincere as the laughter of a little girl at play.” In the original version, although the lyrics are somber, the music is decidedly up beat and hopeful.
Over the years, there have been various interpretations of the song. Famous artists such as Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Dolly Parton created their own perspectives. Even more curious are the adaptations from the Threes Stooges and the happy purple dinosaur narrative by Barney. But the version for my inspiration is a distinct sorrowful mourning of the loss of a loved one. Through my quest to write a book about the Hoge/Howe family cemetery, my search online brought numerous results which generated finding these lyrics by Steve Forbert.
Woke up one bright morning
Woke up in the rain
Woke up to the sunshine and the pain
Stood out in the rosebuds
Stood out in the dew
Stood out in the clear and got a clue
Listen to the mockingbird
Sing his sweet song
Listen to the mockingbird
And know that life goes on
Been inside a coal mine
Been inside a whale
Been inside a grief just like a jail
Listen to the mockingbird
Sing his sweet song
Listen to the mockingbird
And know that life goes on
On that morning, dressed in black
I began my journey back
Through old cobwebs colors blew
From my footsteps shadows flew
Through these eyes of light now
I begin to know
All good things in time will come and go
Listen to the mockingbird
Sing his sweet song
Listen to the mockingbird
And know that life goes on Listen to the Mockingbird is also the title of a book about the life and times of a pioneer Virginia family by Daniel Dunbar Howe. Never before did I understand the correlation between the title and the book’s content. The theme of overcoming grief after losing family “sleeping in the valley,” as quoted in the original version, ties to the history of the Hoge/Howe cemetery where the deceased overlook Sunnyside, the ancestral farm. Reflection of our history presents much pain and struggles, but a morsel of light in the representation of the mockingbird bringing hope. We know life must go on as the chorus goes, but let ‘s not forget those who have passed on.
Researching the family cemetery brought many turns and twists, highs and lows in our ancestor’s life stories. Some threads of their core values seem to be woven throughout: perseverance, adventure, knowledge hard work and family. But looking to the mockingbird as an example, it provides us with guidance for the future. The message, to do no harm speaks volumes. Do no harm physically or emotionally while carrying on our core values for future generations. Everyone deserves dignity.
