The day started with parents dropping off giddy children in a church parking lot and quickly overseeing their ascend onto the idle school bus. The excited children ran aboard because this bus wasn’t going to school, but rather to summer camp.
Kids filed into seats two by two and chatter filled the bus until a counselor stood up to take control.
“Ok everyone,” she said with authority, “let’s sing a camp song! Repeat after me. Oh, you can’t get to heaven.”
“Oh, you can’t get to heaven,” some children called back.
“On roller skates,” “on roller skates,” the call and respond continued. “Cause you’ll roll right past / roll right past; Those pearly gates / those pearly gates.”
Everyone combined in unison for the last part of the verse.
“Oh, you can’t get to heaven in roller skates, cause you’ll roll right past those pearly gates. Ain’t gonna see the Lord no more.”
The newer kids caught onto the song as more voices joined in the second verse.
“Oh you can’t get to heaven / you can’t get to heaven;
In dirty jeans / in dirty jeans;
Cause heaven ain’t got / heaven ain’t got;
No washin’ machine / no washin’ machine;
Oh you can’t get to heaven in dirty jean cause heaven ain’t got no washin’ machine. Ain’t gonna see the Lord no more.”
The verses went on, and as the end of the song drew near kids sang louder waiting for those favorite last two verses.
“Oh you can’t get to heaven / you can’t get to heaven;
With an orange kite / with an orange kite;
Cause God’s favorite colors / God’s favorite colors;
Are …”
I stopped singing too boo as loud as I could.
“Oh you can’t get to heaven with an orange kite cause God’s favorite colors are red and white. Ain’t gonna see the Lord no more.”
“Oh you can’t get to heaven / you can’t get to heaven;
In a red canoe / in a red canoe;
Cause God’s favorite colors / God’s favorite colors;
Are orange and blue / ORANGE AND BLUE;”
We screamed to drown out the boos.
“Oh you can’t get to heaven in a red canoe cause God’s favorite colors are ORANGE AND BLUE. Ain’t gonna see the Lord no more.”
The kids clapped and cheered, booed and jested, and sang more on the way to summer camp.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This story was prompted by remembeRED 'what do you rememeber from childhood by heart'.
If you didn't have the pleasure of growing up in Alabama, I'll explain a bit.
Red + White = University of Alabama
Orange + Blue = Auburn University
When you meet someone in Alabama, your convo goes something like this:
- What's your name?
- What church do you go to? Wanna come to mine?
- Alabama or Auburn?
Ah yes, competetiveness taught to the kids from an early age. Too funny!
ReplyDeleteCame from TRDC.
I'm red and white all the way. I grew up with a poster of Bear Bryant in my face and can't seem to get the team out of my heart. Roll Tide! Cute post. I can also relate to summer camp with the church, these were some of my favorite times as a child.
ReplyDeleteFun post. I can just imagine those voices filling the bus.
ReplyDeleteWDE!!
ReplyDeleteWow -- I remember that song.....I'm not from Alabama so we didn't have the red & white vs. orange & blue verses, but the rest are definitely familiar.
ReplyDelete