I was in 4th grade when i heard a version of the song Clementine which put me in
fear for some time. One of my classmates was asked to sing it to the class and
as I listened to her, the lyrics of the song started to linger in my long term memory
and see images of me as Clementine in the song. We were even asked to copy the
lyrics from the green board to our notebooks and to be memorized:
On an island in a country
in a farm house far away
lives a farmer and his daughter
and i often hear him say
oh my daughter
oh my daughter
oh my daughter Clementine
if you ever leave this island
i will miss you Clementine
On a banca, in the water
Clementine softly sings
oh my father
oh my father
I'm so sorry I can't stay
I shall go and see the city
I shall come back again someday
It was always a wonder to me if Clementine did ever return home
or was her father still alive when she got back
what if from that banca was her the last view of her dad
Perhaps her father was a widow and left behind by his free-spirited daughter
because she wants to see the other side of the world.
It's been sixteen years since the first time i heard the song but until now
the thought of those what ifs still hunt me.
Life can be so uncertain but in any case we must always see to it that we do not
miss what's essential . Regret can be the worst punishment.
Almost 2 years now after my grandfather passed away, I am still so thankful that in
the years before, I have come to learn the song that made me a more sensible
person.
A year before he was diagnosed with cancer I left our little hometown to see what's on the other side of life, though he was very much against it, he couldn't do anything. I was a Clementine.
It broke his heart. All I had were consoling words of coming back soon and staying safe at all times.
But when he became so ill, the song played back in my head, and was getting to my
consciousness. There was no second thought though, I was all set to go home before it's too late. A couple of months after I got home was also his turn for a journey.The whole family was right beside him 'til his very last breath. I was never late to bid him farewell.
