In general, songs at Ajawah are either campfire songs (usually slower songs) and mess hall songs (usually rowdier and often involving physical action). A perfect example of the former is Mr. Moon, often sung as the first song at the evening campfire.
Oh Mr Moon, moon, great big silvery moon, won't you please shine down on me
Oh Mr Moon, moon, great big silvery moon, won't you come from behind that tree
There stands a man with a big shot gun
ready for to shoot you if you start to run
So Mr Moon, moon, won't you please shine down on - talk about your shining -
Please shine down on me
Jim Dixon posted the following on a thread at mudcat.org
"This song is oddly hard to track down. It seems like an old pop song, yet I have failed to find any web site that credits an author, or gives any specific information like a date of publication. There are a lot of variants out there. Some even change it to "Mister Sun." It is a popular kids' song, and often appears on lists of camp songs. One version appears on a Barney video. The Delta Delta Delta sorority has adapted it for their purposes. It is popular with barbershop quartets, and I have seen many ads for songbooks that include it, but no actual lyrics."
63 comments:
My grandmother used to sing this to me and I have been looking for it for years.
Hi Anonymous, thanks for the comment. Can you tell me when and where your grandmother grew up? I'd be curious to see if it was near Minnesota.
My dad used to sing it to us. He was born in 1907 in Massachusetts and lived in New England all his life. He sang it with the exact lyrics you posted.
Thanks, anonymous. Interesting that the lyrics were a perfect match and that your dad spent his life in New England, far from Minnesota.
I don't remember who sang it to me, but I've recently began singing it to my daughter, remembering it from my own youth. I grew up in FL, and my family was from FL, MD, and TN. Once I realized the words, I've began to wonder if it's roots are in slavery hymns. Certainly makes sense. And for why the origins are so hard to place since it would've been passed orally.
Thanks, Anonymous, for chiming in (and for passing Mr. Moon on to your daughter). Your guesses about the songs origins could well be correct.
Hi; I'm a little late to the party, but I thought I would share what I have been able to find as I have also been wondering about this song every since I became a mother and remembered that my mother used to sing it to me, just as I now sing it to my son. My mom learned it from her father, who was born in 1920 in Lompoc, California. His mother, in turn, sang it to him; she was born in 1884.
I dug a little deeper and found that the lyrics we all remember are included in the Serenade Medley of Otterbein University, founded in 1847 in Ohio. The link to the lyrics page is http://faculty.otterbein.edu/DDeeveR/stories/SweetheartSong.html#medley. I have not been able to discover how a college's serenade became so obviously popular all over the country, but I hope this information is of some use.
Thanks, Sadie, for the interesting link to Otterbein. My reading of the info is that "Mr. Moon" was one of a few popular songs that was sung in a medley by the school's serenading groups. It prodded me to look again, and I did find this info that seems to ID the song as a vaudeville tune written in 1903 (http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=44759#2159179).
That would work for your timeline, as your great grandmother would have been 20 when it was written and she sang it to your grandfather almost 20 years later (and I'm assuming she sang the version most of us know, which evolved a bit from the original).
I remember this song being sung by a girl in a talent contest in the parish hall of a small village called Heage in Derbyshire, England. It was in 1947, not long after the end of the War, and there were Italian P.O.W.s in the audience who were still waiting to be repatriated and were allowed out of their camp. It was sung very badly and I have often wondered since what they thought of it. I've never heard it sung again. I thought it was an American popular ballad of the time but, obviously, it goes back much further.
Pauline
Pauline, thanks for sharing that interesting memory. You must have liked the song to have only heard it once yet still remember it all these years later.
My grandmother sang this song to me as a child and I now sing it to my children and God babies... However, I heard my grandmother sing this song with different words. When I asked her about it, she said that her older sister sang it to her- both versions- one similar to the one above and one about the sun, with no mention of a man with a gun or being scared. However, she said that her sister told her that the moon was the important version. I asked her if she knew how her sister knew the song and she said that her mother would often sing it as she was hanging the wash. My grandfather would also sing this song, but only when he was working in his garden/fields. One time I heard him and asked how come he never sang it when my Nana sang it, he said that his parents told him it wasn't a song for everyone. Now, that I am an adult and a Family Historian and nearly certified genealogist, I believe that this song was around long before any school or what have you was given credit for it'd creation... Based on all the info I've been able to gather, it seems that the version above was meant to be an all clear, get going and don't look back song. The version with the sun would have been sung when it was not safe up make a run for it, whatever the reason or case may have been.
My grandmother sang this song to me as a child and I now sing it to my children and God babies... However, I heard my grandmother sing this song with different words. When I asked her about it, she said that her older sister sang it to her- both versions- one similar to the one above and one about the sun, with no mention of a man with a gun or being scared. However, she said that her sister told her that the moon was the important version. I asked her if she knew how her sister knew the song and she said that her mother would often sing it as she was hanging the wash. My grandfather would also sing this song, but only when he was working in his garden/fields. One time I heard him and asked how come he never sang it when my Nana sang it, he said that his parents told him it wasn't a song for everyone. Now, that I am an adult and a Family Historian and nearly certified genealogist, I believe that this song was around long before any school or what have you was given credit for it'd creation... Based on all the info I've been able to gather, it seems that the version above was meant to be an all clear, get going and don't look back song. The version with the sun would have been sung when it was not safe up make a run for it, whatever the reason or case may have been.
Kimberly, thank you for your comment and the information regarding your family history with the song (and "Mr. Sun" as well). I'm glad to hear you're continuing to pass the song down to the next generation.
I grew up hearing this song sung by my mother and her mother...we hail from Kansas.
I grew up hearing this song sung by my mother and her mother...we hail from Kansas.
Julia, thanks for the info!
My mom sang it to me and told me that it was sung to her and her grandmother sang it to her mother as well. They all said it was a song about an escaped slave on the run.
Thanks, Zarah, very interesting!
My grandfather (1927-2015) sang this to his children and us grandchildren, using the same or nearly the same lyrics (I can't see any differences). The only different lyric was instead of "talk about your shining" it was "spread your silver light on". I love thinking back on his deep voice singing the beautiful words of that song, comforting us kids around a Bonfire.
Quinn, thanks for sharing that wonderful memory here. Just curious, whereabouts do you live (and/or where did your grandfather grow up)?
I was born in 1939-the version that was sung to me as a child goes "my life's in danger I gotta run, here comes a man with a big gattling gun" that fits with a war comment from someone who heard it sung in Italy.It would be too late for slavery times. I was raised in NYC area but my Mother came from southern Illinois. I am singing this song now to my great granddaughter who is 7 yrs. She questioned me on the gun. Think I will change to the owl version now. Loved reading the comments.
L Wingert
Lyn, thanks for sharing your experiences with this song. I'm glad you are passing it on to your great granddaughter.
I am 35 and my parents would sing this to me as a child, but the lyrics were a little different.
Oh, Mr. Moon, moon, shining up above, won't you shine down on me.
Oh, Mr. Moon, moon, shining up above, hiding behind a tree.
My life's in danger and I'm scared to run
'Cause there's a man behind me with a great big gun
Oh, Mr. Moon, moon, shining up above, won't you shine down on me.
They are from the SE part of Oklahoma. But everyone that I have mentioned the song to in OKC have no idea what it is. Or, they start singing some Mr Golden Sun song that I had never heard of and was growing a little sad that the song my parents had sang to me as a child was a ripoff of this Mr Golden Sun song. So, I am very happy to have finally found a few people that know of the song that followed me my entire childhood and is now being passed onto my son.
Thanks for chiming in, Snupher. Interesting - do you have any idea if either of your parents spend time in Minnesota, where I learned Mr Moon?
My dad used to sing this with the “my life’s in danger but I’m scared to run, a man’s behind me with a big shot gun. “ He was from Oklahoma. Our grade school choir teacher had us sing it the same way , in New Mexico.
Thanks, CC HI, for adding some more Oklahoma info (as well as NM). Nice to see how many generations have sung this song.
My mother used to sing this song to me. She would sing, "There's a man out there with a gaitling gun." Sounds like it could be the original lyrics. She was born in Staten Island, NY and lived her whole life there.
Thanks, Unknown, for the comment about your mom and "gatling gun." I have seen that version before and maybe you are right about it being the original lyric.
This is such an interesting thread! Thank you! I learned the song from my mom, who grew up in Illinois. I learned different lyrics:
Oh Mr. Moon, moon, lovely Mr. Moon,
hiding behind a tree.
Oh Mr. Moon, moon, lovely Mr. Moon,
please shine down on me.
When your life's in danger and you're on the run,
there's a man behind you with a great big gun.
Oh Mr. Moon, moon, lovely Mr. Moon
Please shine down on
Never cease to shine on
Moon shine down on me.
My impression is that it's an escaped slave song. You haven't mentioned the melody, which to me sounds like a song from late 19th or early 20th century America (which would confirm your suspicion that it was composed around 1904). It doesn't surprise me that high school men's choirs perform this song as a barbershop quartet song because that is what it sounds like to me. It doesn't sound like a WWII song. If it is an escaped slave song, being sung by white singers, there could be a problem there in terms of cultural insensitivity/racism. Thanks.
Thanks for the ithoughtful comments, Anonymous, as well as sharing your Illinois mother's version. The song was composed for vaudeville and has evolved quite a bit over the years into the summer camp version, but it's good to know the context and be aware of cultural issues for all songs that enter the folk tradition.
I taught this song to my daughter. And she taught it to hers. I grew up in Oklahoma. My music teacher Miss Baxter from Lincoln Elementary taught us this song.
Thanks for the comment, Unknown, about your teacher and your daughter. Always interesting to see where and how this song was passed along.
I was born in 1958. My grandmother sang it to me. She was born in Russia and lived in Manhattan on the lower East side. Almost identical lyrics. She left out the “Mr.”
dad23g, thanks for the info. It would be interesting to know where she learned it. Maybe school? Do you know how old she was when she came to America?
I'm in my 50s. My great-grandpa used to sing this to me much to the dismay of my grandma! They were NE Indiana farmers. His version: Mr Moon, Moon, silver shining moon oh won't you please shine down on me. There's a great big N(racial "N"word) with a shot gun, gonna shoot ya if you start to run...oh Mr Moon, noon, silver shining moon won't you please shine down on me. Makes me wonder if he learned it that way!
I learned from my father (born in the 30s in Michigan) “if your life’s in danger, you had better run. There’s a man behind you with a great big gun.” I’ve since changed for my children “If your light’s in danger, you had better run. There’s a star rising fast named Mrs. Sun!” Less scary and astronomically correct :-)
My Grammies used to sing this song to me and I sang it to my children. Our version is the same as the lyrics you posted. I have tried to research it as well with very little success. My grandma grew up in Wyoming. It makes me so happy to read about all these people who also know "Our song." Thank you so much for posting this.
I am 56 and grew up in SE Ohio, foothills of the Appalachians. I was taught the song in Elementary school choir. We had a slight variation: "Oh Mr Moon moon bright and shiny moon, please shine down on me. Oh Mr Moon moon bright and shiny moon won't you come out from behind that tree. Well my life's in danger and I'm scared to run, there's a man behind me with a big shotgun. Oh Mr Moon moon bright and shiny moon, won't you please shine down on me." I saw it as two possibilities for meaning: 1. It was a shotgun wedding he was trying to escape from or 2. He found a moonshiners still camp and needs to escape.
Im so happy I found this thread! My mawmaw sang this to us as children. We all grew up in South Louisiana. The lyrics I remember are a bit different. I remember her singing two versions, one was less “scary” that didn’t include a gun or life being in danger - but I can’t remember the less scary version! I’ve been trying to recall it for years! Curious about the “owl” version mentioned in a comment above if anyone recalls those lyrics.
Oh Mr. Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon won’t you please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Moon, moon, bright and shiny moon won’t you listen to my plea?
My life’s in danger I’m afraid to run.
There’s a man behind me with a big shotgun.
Oh Mr. Moon, moon bright and shiny moon won’t you please shine down on me.
Regardless, this song evokes such sweet memories and makes me think of my mawmaw June ♥️
Joe, I have a snapshot of this record my son purchase today at a yard sale. I do not know how to provide attachment so you can see it.
You seem close to the story I was told about this song
I am 78 yrs old,was taught this song by our 4th grade teacher. He was from Germany,had been in a prisoner war camp where he said they sang this song. The man with the big shotgun was referring to guards. I was sure no one had ever heard this song until he taught it to us .this was in Oak park Michigan
Grandmother taught this to me. She was born in 1929, raised in Mississippi as a child, and later moved to Wyoming.
My father used to sing this to me. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1919. I believe he learned it at Boy Scout camp in Western Pennsylvania in the 1920s.
His lyric was something like "You better hurry. You better run. Cause here come's Johnny with his gat-l-ing gun."
Seems like a runaway slave song
My father was born in 1906 in Newark Ohio. He sang it to me like this:
Oh, Mr. Moon, Moon, pretty silvery moon, oh won't you please shine down on me. Oh, Mr. Moon, Moon, pretty silvery moon, I'm as sad as I can be. Here comes a man with a big shot-gun. If he sees you, you'd better run. Oh, Mr. Moon, Moon, pretty silvery moon, oh won't you please shine down on me.
I always saw the shot-gun as a threat to the moon! My dad graduated from Kenyon College in 1929, which is in central Ohio. I also associated this song with the book "Good night, Moon" which was probably read to me at the same time.
What a mysterious song! I learned it at a Girl Scout camp in New Mexico in the 1950s and always wondered what it meant. The version I learned was
Mr. Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon,
Hidin' behind that tree
If you're in trouble and you're startin' to run
And there's a man behind you with a gatling gun
Mr. Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon,
Please shine down on, talk about your shine on,
Please shine down on me.
My mom would sing "Oh, Mister Moon" to us over 60 years ago, but with very different words. I can't remember them, but am sure there was no mention of a gun. Can anyone remember a version with an owl?
I learned this song in 5th grade music class, it was in a songbook. That would have been around 1973
That is closer to the version my grandfather and mom sang to me. It was always a Gatlin gun.
I am 78 years old and from Louisiana. We sang this song when I was a child, often when we were riding on the school bus to ball games. There was one difference in the lyrics though. We sang, “ I’m gonna shoot that possum with my big shotgun; I’m gonna shoot that possum before he starts to run; Oh Mister Moon, Moon, bright and silvery moon, won’t you please shine down on, please shine down on, please shine down on me…..Shine down on me!” It was a fun song for a child to sing and nothing scary about it.
I'm 68 and we sang it in the 5th/6th grade at Brandon Elementary School in Columbus Ms around 1965 along with songs from The Sound of Music! For us, it was "bright and shiny moon" and "my life's in danger and I'm scared to run...there's a man behind me with a big shotgun". The tune was fun but I always wondered why on earth someone was chasing them with a shotgun!!!!
for reference, I'm 23 at the time of posting this 2023. I didn't learn it from a grandparent who would sing it but instead picked it up from my cousins who would sing it to my sickly grandmother who would beam when she heard it. I assume they learned it from her when she was healthier. the lyrics I learned are a bit different though
"here comes a buckra with a big shotgun" is what I learned
My grandpa used to sing this - Mr. Moon, moon, bright & shiny moon. Shining down on me…I love my honey but I got to run there’s a man behind me with a big shot gun! From northern lower MI but he spent a bit of time in the Pacific Theatre. It seems he may have edited the original(?) a bit for our ears.
Parents and grandparents are from TX. My siblings and I were raised in CA's Central Valley and we grew up with this song. No recollection of who taught it to me, but suppose it was my mom and sisters. Our version goes like this:
Mr Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon,
Won't you please shine down on me?
Mr Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon,
Won't you please shine down on me?
Right over there is a man with a gun, da-da-da-dum
He's gonna shoot you if you try to run,
Mr Moon, Moon, bright and shiny moon,
Won't you please shine down,
Talk about you shinin'
Won't you please shine down on me?
My dad was born in 1922 Uniontown PA and used to sing it to me and I'm trying to track down the publishing songwriter credits because I have a hidden track of him and his brother onn my CD I released 25 years ago and now need it for digital rerelease....
Pepper mcgowan Cleveland Ohio
This is the version I was taught in 5th or 6th grade in the late 60’s in West Virginia. I had always assumed it was about a shotgun wedding but as an adult, I wondered if it was actually about an escaped slave.
My dad was born in Kansas in 1909 & would sing it to/with us at every campout/campfire opportunity our whole lives.
I believe it was in reference to the Civil War as he grew up with it since childhood.
His words..
OH MR MOON MOON
BRIGHT & SHINY MOON
WON'T YOU PLEASE SHINE DOWN ON ME?
OH MR MOON MOON
BRIGHT & SHINY MOON
HIDING BEHIND THAT TREE
OH WHEN YOUR LIFE'S IN DANGER
AND YOU'RE SCARED TO RUN
AND THERE'S A MAN BEHIND YOU
WITH A GATLIN GUN
OH MR MOON MOON
BRIGHT & SHINY MOON
WON'T YOU PLEASE SHINE DOWN ON
TALK ABOUT YOUR SHINE ON
WON'T YOU PLEASE SHINE DOWN ON ME
Grew up on the Mississippi coast;1970’s. Tonight, I looked out the window to see a bright moon peering from behind the trees. This song popped in my head. I googled the lyrics. Now I’m here. Interesting to read the different versions. I sang it as a kid. Now that I re-read the lyrics, it sounds like it may be about escaping slavery.
Oh Mr. Moon, moon
Bright and shiny moon
Won”t you please shine down on me
Oh Mister Moon, moon
Bright and shiny moon
Hidin behind that tree
Well my life’s in danger, and I’m scared to run
There”s a man behind me with a big shot gun
Oh Mr. Moon, moon
Bright and shiny moon
Please shine down on
Won”t you please shine on
Please shine down on me
This is much like what I recall growing up in rural Ohio in the late ‘50s and ‘60s. It makes more sense to me as someone fleeing danger would desire darkness and not bright moon light. We sang:
Oh mister moon, moon, bright and silvery moon’ hiding behind that tree,
Oh mister moon, moon, bright and silvery moon, oh won’t you please shine down on me
I’m gonna shoot that possum with my big shotgun, I’m gonna shoot that possum ‘fore he starts to run,
Oh mister moon, moon, bright and silvery moon Oh won’t you please shine down on , please show be down on, please shine down on
me!
PS. A an aside, I love that this ancient thread still runs strong!
I have been looking for this song. A grandparent sang it to me in the early 90’s. I grew up in Portland OR. She is no longer with us and I don’t know where she was from. This version written is the closest to what I learned. The one difference, “when your life’s in danger and you gotta run; there’s a man behind you with a gatlin gun.” I always thought the man was going to protect me. Sounds like the man was the one everyone needed to run from.
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