…strange yet true association I have with this song I stumbled upon:

When I was 6, and we lived in Zambia, we toured quite a bit of Eastern Africa. By car, with no air conditioning.

I sure got to understand, at grassroot level, what a very large continent Africa is.

Bumpy dirt track roads, neverending distances, relentless heat and 14-hour daily trips with no stops meant that some amusement had to be created for the 3- and 6-year old girls in the car. Luckily (as we didn’t have a cassette player in the car) my dad was a great singer. Karhunpoika sairastaa, Mikki Hiiri merihädässä, Rosvo-Roope, Pieni tytön tylleröinen, Ihme ja Kumma… With his spirited renditions of his own childhood classics he somehow managed to keep us entertained for hours on end.

I still know the full production of Georg Malmstén by heart.

This chorus, that my dad sang to me sooooo often as a lullaby, has followed me all my life. Strangely, especially at times of sorrow, I return to it and find some comfort. Sorry dear foreign readers, I wouldn’t dream of translating these lyrics as I could never capture the childhood innocence implied with mere words.

“Maailmassa monta
On ihmeellistä asiaa,
Se hämmästyttää, kummastuttaa
Pientä kulkijaa”

The song embedded, Hopeinen kuu / Silver Moon by Olavi Virta was my father’s own all-time favorite. We used to have horrible taste with my sister, as we’d loudly protest in favor of children’s rallies whenever he belted out this tango…

Now that I heard it again, after decades, it brought an incredible storm of nostalgia to my heart.

Ei tulla koskaan, voi tällaista iltaa…

Oih.

~*♥*~

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