Howlin' At The Moon

Nights at the Lesley Home could sometimes turn into magical music-filled times. We would all gather around in the den and watch Daddy pull out that beautiful wooden guitar, anticipating our favorite song. We were a family of six... David and Carol {daddy and momma} had 4 lovely {and terribly dramatic} daughters Heather, Jessica, Lauren and Christen. At times I do not know how daddy handled five women in his home all the time. Five women meant very little, if any, bathroom time, always being late for Everything!, and five sets of raging hormones & tears every month. When he pulled out that guitar, I like to think he forgot about all of that... he forgot about the 70+ hour a week job he was working... he forgot about the pile of mater mess we had for dinner because eating out was not an option... he forgot about the stack of bills that never seemed to go away... and he just played.

I loved watching his face light up when we would sing along to some of our favorites like "The King and the Beggar," "If I had a Hammer," or any of the Elvis impersonations... but there was always an excitement building to see if he would play the one that we always begged for. "Howlin' at the Moon" by Hank Williams has always been my favorite partly because it comes with a titch of romance and is sprinkled with loads of fun. My daddy sang it for my marmie when they were dating years ago and still to this day sings it. Daddy was raised in the boonies of North Carolina and is about as country as they come. He loves home cooking and apple pie. He loved to hunt until his four daughters burst into tears just at the thought of Bambi's mother {so he quit and has not since}. And he loves to romance my marmie with a sweet love tune. Some might not call it romantic but we all thought the song fit my daddy perfectly in every way... and boy, could he sing it. His deep barotone voice would bellow out so sweet and his smile lines beside his eyes would light up the room. He would rock back and forth with his calloused hands strumming away and his foot tapping right along with the beat. Sometimes, we 4 girls would get up and dance right along to that song. We would spin like little girls do, giggling to every word, and pausing at the end of every verse to join in with the "owwwww" after every mention of howling at the moon. 

Listening to that song is probably my fondest child-hood moments at home. I could always feel love saturating our cozy home every time it was played. I saw my daddy and marmie as if they were high school sweethearts, still wooing for each other. I saw my sisters forget about silliness for just a few minutes and dance the night away as best friends. I saw two parents who would give their daughters the world wrapped in one beautiful box if they could. But, for those peace-filled nights, we girls did not need the whole world... we just needed one little love song. 

Howlin' at the Moon

I know there's never been a man in the awful shape I'm in
I can't even spell my name, my heads in such a spin
Today I tried to eat a steak with a big old table spoon
You got me chasin' Rabbits, walkin' on my hands
...And Howlin' At The Moon.

Well, I took one look at you and it almost drove me mad
And then I even went and lost what little sense I had
Now I can't tell the day from night, I'm crazy as a loon
You got me chasin' Rabbits, pullin' out my hair and Howlin' At The Moon.

Some friends of mine asked me to go out on a huntin' spree
'Cause there ain't a hound dog in this state that can hold a light to me
I eat three bones for dinner today, then tried to tree a 'Coon
You got me chasin' Rabbits, scratchin' fleas and Howlin' At The Moon.

I rode my horse to town to day and a gas pump we did pass
I pulled 'im up and I hollered WHOA!, said fill 'im up with gas
The man picked up a monkey wrench and WHAM!, he changed my tune
You got me chasin' Rabbits, spittin' out teeth and Howlin' At The Moon.

I never thought in this old world a fool could fall so hard
But honey baby, when I fell the whole world must have jarred
I think I'd quit my doggish ways if you'd take me for your groom
You got me chasin Rabbits, pickin' out rings and Howlin' At The Moon