Lucille

 

Our grand father Nunley was a musical fellow who was pretty quiet otherwise, we never heard him say much or tell a story, but he did sing little ditties he made up while standing around jingling the loose change and a pocket knife in his pants pocket. 

Jenny remembers this one, one of our favorites. 

In a email about her favorite memories of our past summers with the Nunley clan in the Narrows deep in the Appalachian mountains she wrote these memories which I wanted to share today. 

Well, copy and paste doesn't seem to be working in this blogger form so I have to type it in...

Jenny wrote:

Some of my favorite memories of Grandma & Grandpa's: home made biscuits w/Grandma's STRAWBERRY preserves, green beans, fresh tomatoes, homemade donuts, picking the sour cherries and green apples from their fruit trees and the creepy huge black ants that lived on those trees. Also, washing off the porches every morning to get rid of the coal dust so we wouldn't get black feet and track it inside the house! Then we would sit on the gliders and snap beans or shuck corn from our Grandpa's garden. Grandpa Nunley always sang funny little songs he made up for the kids: "Lucille, stepped on a banana peel...." remember that one? And at night, when we were all in bed, windows open to the cool mountain evening, and hear the lone whistle and sound of the trains going down the track. I always wondered where the trains were headed to. Nice way to fall asleep and dream.

Jenny sent this rendition of, the long ago, Grandpa Nunley song

 '"Lucille'"

Oh, Lucille, Lucille, stepped on a banana peel. Fell down and skinned her heel. Said "oh brother, how bad I feel since I stepped on that banana peel, and I'm never goin' step on a banana peel a anymore!

Well, now you see Lucille sure has kept her word; she steps softly as a bird, and she's never stepped on a banana peel a anymore.

Repeat chorus:

Oh Lucille, Lucille, stepped on a banana peel. Fell down and skinned her heel. Said "oh brother how bad I feel since I stepped on a banana peel, and I'm never goin' to step on a banana peel a anymore! 

Now you see Lucille she creeps around the house, she steps softly as a mouse, and she's never stepped on a banana peel a anymore!

Chick-a-plunk! Chick-a-plunk! Chick-a-plunk-plunk! 

And she's never stepped on a banana peel a anymore!

That is how Jenny remembers the words to Lucille writing in the 1960s by George D. Nunley and performed numerous times for any kid that wanted to hear the tune. He used a foot tap and some thigh slapping to give the beat to his song.