Thursday, June 7, 2007

Cinnamon Man!


This was taken on the trip to the beach in Crescent city. I am on the bottom kneeling with pony tails. My aunt Kim is next to me, and my mom is standing behind us with my sister, Jessica, on her shoulder's! I look at this picture and it makes me absolutely nervous.

Sinner Man

o sinnerman where will you run to
sinnerman where will you run to
sinnerman where will you run to
all on that day

run to the mountain
the mountain wont hide you
run to the sea
the sea will not have you
and run to your grave
your grave will not hold you
all on that day

see sinnerman
mountains are falling
sinnerman
the sea it rages
sinnerman
the grave will not hold you
all on that day
run to the lord
lord please hide me
run to the lord

sinnerman
sinnerman
sinnerman

where you gonna run to
all on that day
run to the mountain
the mountain wont hide you
and run to the sea
the sea will not hold you
and run to your grave
the grave will not hide you
all on that day

sinnerman
the mountain is falling
and sinnerman
the sea it rages
and sinnerman
sinnerman
sinnerman
where will you run to
all on that day

the mountain wont hide you
the sea wont have you
and the grave will not hold you
all on that day


When I was about 5 yrs old, my family took a visit to see my Grandma B.J. (short for Bennie Jo, my moms mom) in Crescent City where she lived for a short time with one of my aunt's, Kimmy (whom I also adored and looked up to), who is two years older than I am. When we were little, nothing pleased her more than to tell me the truths about life's little mysteries... like there isn't a Santa, or Easter Bunny just to name a few.

On one of our many road trips together, we loved to sing songs. We'd sing some favorite childhood songs like "The ants go marching one by one, Hurrah! Hurrah!", "There's a hole in the bucket!", and "This old man." We would sing them with a lot of drama and with much enthusiasm. Another song that we would sing was called "Sinnerman,"(also a favorite). Instead of "Sinnerman," I thought it was "Cinnamon Man," but would say "Cinna man." I loved cinnamon toast, and thought 'okay, why not, there is a 'muffin man.' In my mind, this was all okay, songs didn't always have to make sense... Humpty Dumpty (an egg) sat on a wall and had a great fall. Our family was on our way to the beach, where we were going to spend the day. Well, I remember singing this song at the top of our lungs in the back of an old station wagon, with my aunt Kimmy sitting next to me. Next thing I knew she stopped singing and just looked pleased to tell me I was singing it wrong... "it's not cinnamon man! It's Sinner man!" I said "No it's not! It's cinnamon man!" She then crossed her arms and demanded that I ask my mom. "Humph!" I said "I will! Mom! Is it Cinnamon man or what did you say Kimmy?" She said, "Sinner man!" I said, "Yeah, that Mom! Sinner man?" My Mom gave her little sister a look, and then looked at me with apologetic eyes.. "Yes, honey. It is sinnerman." That song took on a whole new meaning for me. As we sang it... the drama and enthusiasm were gone. I had so many questions and was asking them as we sang each line. I needed to understand WHO was the sinnerman and WHY was he hiding. Needless to say, when we sang that song it gave me the chills. It also gave me a reverent fear and I'd always try to be good, even at that young age. It wasn't because of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either.


**NOTE** Dear readers, In regards to my aunt Kimmy. In all fairness, she grew up, and actually helped me with a LOT of life's little mysteries, was one of my biggest cheer leaders and defenders and I do not know what I would have done without her! But, she was a stinker when we were little! My aunt Kimmy would be the first to admit it and adding some stories about me no doubt. *wink

12 comments:

  1. that mean old aunt Kimmy!(LOL) I guess that is the trouble with having aunts two years older huh? it's more like having an older sister to get your goat! but you handled it in stride and I think your safe from the " Sinner Man"

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  2. there are all sorts of songs from my childhood that i heard wrong and sang wrong and generally i like my meanings better than the actual ones, lol ...

    wonderful story and what a great photo of you little cuties!!

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  3. Great story and picture.

    When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten at a church's school near where we lived at the time (Powder Springs, Ga), they had to memorize Bible verses.

    Daughter comes home one day, and one of the verses she had to memorize was, Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Only problem was, her teacher's name was Mrs. Wright. So Daughter insisted that the verse was Children, obey your parents in the Lord for Mrs. Wright. She would get furious when we told her otherwise.

    Finally Mrs. Wright had to clear it up with Daughter, because she sure wasn't going to take our word for it on that.

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  4. I love this story...Cinnamon Man...very cool! and I love the photo...it's funny how photos from a particular time came out looking all yellow...we use to sing the ant song...and this old man...song on vacation road trips...oh and the 92 bottles of beer on the wall etc. song!

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  5. oh how significant these seemingly insignificant moments shape and mold our lives

    I don't know how things are today with aunt Kim, but most mean spirited children grow up to be dream crushing adults

    :) you know me Ang, I would have refused to sing it anymore (fingers in my ears..."la la la")
    and then made up a new song about the cinnamon man who sailed the sea and climbed the mountain, only to find his princess in a castle, live happily ever after...and the mean troll Kimmy was locked in the dungeon to live out her days making beautiful clothes for the people in the village!

    So there! Then you and I would continue to sing loudly as many other fun and happy ending songs as we wanted to.

    I've got your back babe

    XXXOOO darlene

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  6. I have aunts that are just a few years older, and they thought they knew everything too...LOL
    Love the photo, you all look so tiny next to that huge rock.
    xx

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  7. Angela, what a lovely blog you have! I'm bookmarking it to come back to later. Judging by your profile, we have a lot of "likes" in common. A lot of your movie, book and music favorites are mine too. Come visit my blog when you get a moment!

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  8. Wait...are you trying to tell me there's no Santa???!!!

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  9. Well, Aunt Kimmy certainly wore her problems out there for everyone to see, didn't she. She must have been a very hurt and sad person to say such a hurtful and fearful thing like that to you as a child. I had an uncle just like Aunt Kimmy. Only he would pick and pick and pick at you until he found a sensitive place, and then he'd concentrate on that sensitive place. Mean relatives should be banned from kids lives. But maybe they make us well rounded, I don't know.

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  10. Momma, you are SO right. What seems to be something intentionally mean when we are little is actually not sometimes. Our age changes our perception, our outlook on the way things are. I know that now, you look at that memory, and although at the time you were upset because it wasn't "Cinna man", you were changed for the better because it was "Sinner Man." God used a song and Aunt Kim to help teach you a lesson in life that lasted. What a blessing!
    Love you

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  11. The awaken happens at all ages doesn't it. Sinnerman was more tasty as cinnamon man. Oh to have some of that wonder and awe in older age would be a wonderful thing doen't you think?

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  12. While I appreciate that everyone is looking out for my wonderful niece/sister, you should know that I'm positive I told her those things out of jealousy and not a mean spirit as Darlene put it. We were more sisters than aunt/niece (right sweet expressions :) since we were so close in age. Jess was definitely the "little sister" who loved to make kimmy grit her teeth in frustration! My siblings, their mother in fact, are all older - by 10, 11 and 14 years - than me. Angela was the princess of the family – with her petticoat dresses and maryjane shoes. I know later in life she had to deal with blended family – I was part of that for a while also – but when we were young, as in this picture – she was the princess and I the jealous frog.

    Angela and Jessica are the sisters I never had - but always wanted - and I'm sure that they both know how very much I love them and miss them each and every day. I promise to encourage the personifications of Santa and the Easter Bunny to all of my great-nieces/nephews – we really are young only once – sometimes for only fleeting moments.

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