Lexi's Latest Jam: Rocky Top

We just returned from a long weekend in the hills and hollers of Tennessee, and it was there that I was reminded that our little one, Lexi, sure does enjoy herself some pickin' and grinnin'.  Of course, she gets it honestly.  I love it too!  And you cannot- CANNOT- get away from any such jam session in the great state of Tennessee without hearing good ole Rocky Top somewhere on the set list.  It is one of the official state songs of TN, and has become a fan favorite at all of the University of Tennessee games too.  

In any case, Rocky Top has become Lexi's latest jam.  Although she's heard it many times before, something just clicked this time, and now she's asking for it by name.  So I play it for her over and over.  And we dance, dance, dance all around the house.  What fun!

Incidentally, another thing we cannot seem to get away from every time we visit the mountains of TN are the old time photos.  Here we all are this most recent trip.  That's the Harris Sisters' Daddy and his wife Nancy, along with my hubby John, sweet Lexi, and me.  Daddy looks like he just walked out of one of his favorite westerns!

And there's little Lexi just being precious.  She's so good at it.  I loved her little dress, and she did a great job holding those flowers too!

And it was actually just this time last year we were in the same part of the country with John's parents for a long weekend, and we took similar pics then too.  That's John's dad, Larry, his mom, Jan, and of course me and our little family.  Lexi was only a year old and we were all shocked that she sat still for this picture.  Larry also looks like he just walked straight out of a Western. :)

And of course, long time followers of the blog will remember these fun photos.  That's all the Harris Sisters: Misty, me, and Donna, along with Misty's daughter, Charlotte.  These pictures were taken a few years ago on one of our famous Girls' Weekends. 

So what do all these photos have to do with Rocky Top?  Well, they were all taken on trips to Gatlinburg, Tennessee over the years. And Gatlinburg is actually the birth place of the song Rocky Top!  If you listen to the lyrics, you will pick up on references to the country life- "Ain't no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top.  Ain't no telephone bills."  And for your reference, I'm including the full lyrics below.  You will need them when you start singing and tapping along to this classic.

So here's one of my favorite videos of the Osborne Brothers performing their hit.  They do a great job giving a little history of the song right before they dive into it, so listen up.  It's so much fun!

And here are those lyrics for you.... 

Wish that I was on ol' Rocky Top

Down in the Tennessee hills

Ain't no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top

Ain't no telephone bills

Once I had a girl on Rocky Top

Half bear, the other half cat

Wild as a mink, sweet as soda pop

I still dream about that

Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top

Lookin' for a moonshine still

Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top

Reckon they never will

Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top

Dirt's too rocky by far

That's why all the folks on Rocky Top

Get their corn from a jar

I've had years of cramped up city life

Trapped like a duck in a pen

Now all I know is it's a pity life

Can't be simple again.

Rocky Top you'll always be

Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

And to leave you with another fun video, here's our Lexi (and me) jamming to Rocky Top from our most recent trip to the mountains. 

And here she is dancing with another sweet little girl who saw Lexi dancing and decided to join in. 

We had front row seats at this concert, so Lexi just made herself at home.  But that's what you do in the mountains, right?   

So that's a little look into what we've been up to lately, and definitely what we've been listening to lately.  Never a dull moment around here!