Ed Du Bois, IslandHome, Records: Songs/Lyrics/Stories

This is a song that my grand daughter Carolyn and I actually wrote together. Carolyn had been staying with me while Christy and Joe were on a cruise. After four days I was about brain dead! Christy and Joe were to be at the Miami airport at 8:30 A.M. on a Friday and I felt that I could make it until then. But Christy called, there was a delay and they would not be arriving until 8:30 P.M. I could have cried but I didn't let her know that of course. Not that Carolyn was bad but babies are definitely for the young.

In the process of trying to kill a day we went to a restaurant. Carolyn didn't want to eat she wanted to play. Music was playing and she danced all over the restaurant, bumped into people, dropped food everywhere and finally I tried stop her. She came to me with those big brown eyes flashing, red hair glistening and said Papa don't be mad, I'm not being bad, I'm only dancin'. She really did! That was it! It was such a perfect put down. An insightful comment on parenting by this child! She was right.

Anyway, her comment stuck with me until we got home. I grabbed my guitar and we started singing together and this song evolved.

Chords: G,C,D7.

Chorus
Hey Papa I'm only dancin',
I'm not bad,
So don't be mad,
I'm only dancin'.

1)
I don't know and I'm not sure,
Who I am where I stand,
or what I'm in for,
But those flowers you gave me,
And the love that is real,
Makes me jump up and show how I feel.

Chorus

2)
So much to learn so much to see,
So little time for you and me,
But each day that I spend with you in your life,
Makes me dance makes me sing into the night.

-Talking- (She never knew her grand mama except by a picture on the wall. Didn't know her voice, never felt her touch, didn't know her at all. Then one day she came to me with that picture in her hand and she said, Papa)

3.
What did she say how did she sound,
What's it like with her not around,
But Papa somehow with me in your life,
We will dance we'll sing it'll be alright.

Chorus
Hey, hey, hey, Papa,
I'm only dancin',
I'm not bad so don't be mad,
I'm only dancin'