Lydia Maria Child, who made many contributions to American life, reached the front page of today's Wall Street Journal because of a song lyric. The title is obscure, but can you supply the first few lines?

An Oblique Clue: In 1827 Child's then important novel, "Hobomok", was published. It told of a romance between a Puritan girl and an American Indian.

Your second "clue" has thrown me off. All I could think of prior to that is what I'm about to write, but now I'm really not sure, especially without having seen the Wall Street Journal. Oh, well, here goes anyway:
Is it "Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white(?) and drifting snoooooww"....??

That is...unless your clue was simply to bring forth the image of Thanksgiving...

Ah, yes, Thanksgiving. Pilgrims and Indians. Would my next clue--that Mrs. Child wrote "The Frugal Housewife," a popular cookbook, with much additional Martha Stewart type advice--have been more reinforcing of the Thanksgiving image? By the way, do you, or one of your fellow Leaguers, know the official name of the source poem she wrote? I'll give you the last two words: "Thanksgiving Day."

By the way, you do have the opening lyrics to Mrs. Child's poem. The maestro believes, however, that another key would be more suitable to your fine baritone voice.
Now try:
"Over the river, and through the wood,
With a clear blue winter sky,
The dogs do bark,
And children hark,
As we go jingling by."

To end the almost unbearable suspense, the title of the original poem was "The New-England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day." The Maestro himself will expand upon matters later.

A truly memorable title...ranks right up there with "Aisle 1--Cereals" or "Poems: a book of poems by a Poet."

I am very intrigued by all this, especially since I had always pictured jadm as a bass. However, tell me Maestro, who penned the tune that went with this poem??

Actually, I am a saxophone.

I always thought of JADM as a high pitched piccolo.

PROFESSOR, I will get you for that....and won't mention your instrument (cough). (Do they still use the triangle)? Also, anyone here remember Tubby the Tuba??

and a happy Thanksgiving to you too.........

and many more... now, let's analyze who started it.....

The Maestro is working with the brass section at the moment, but Robert Tomsho of The Wall street Journal says the names of the persons who set Mrs. Child's poem to music have been "lost to time."
I assume that the sheet music in the Maestro's library will say "Anonymous," but will try to rummage around in the dusty piles there if he permits me entry.

Just checked one of Mrs. Savage's books and it has the tune with lyrics (and as an oddity, it is "to grand-father's house we go" in this version). No credit given for either, but a copyright of 1970 is placed on the page. Realize that is grossly incorrect since I learned this song as a child, but makes for some interesting fodder.

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