Rise and Shine --- The song

Good Morning and welcome to the weekend!

Anybody who has children is approaching (or has passed though) one of the annual rights of spring: The concert.
School children throughout the world practice songs, musical instruments, dances, whatever.
Then, some day during the next few weeks, they all drive to the school, pack into a small area like so many sardines, sit on too hard chairs and clap like they've never clapped before.
Sure, the singing may not be as good as, say, the Metropolitan Opera, but it's probably a step ahead of American Idol (at least to the parents).
The best part, though, isn't the night of the actual concert (after your child gets done, it turns into a long night waiting for the rest of the classes). The best part is how the songs come home in the weeks ahead.
For the past couple of days, a 5-year old girl I know has been singing 'Stand By Me' while she plays. She sings it in the bath. She sings it at the dinner table. She sings it to her princess dolls.
It really is kind of amazing. The song, which she may or may not have ever heard before, suddenly is the sweetest thing in the world.
Sure, I've heard the song millions of times. I even have it downloaded on my iPhone, which is a rare thing.
Mostly, though, the beauty of this particular song is how it holds up all these years later.
The song, originally sung by Ben E. King, was released in 1961 and has been covered thousands of times.
After listening to the latest version (about 100 times yesterday), it struck me how (really, without thinking about it) gives us a pretty good way to live.

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Then again, maybe it's just the sweetness of this particular 5-year old that makes the song better.