Mother Earth and Father Time
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Mother Earth and Father Time" is a song from the musical animated film Charlotte's Web (1973 film) written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It is introduced in the story by the Charlotte, the spider, voiced by Debbie Reynolds. It is reprised once more in the film as Charlotte is dying. Her last words are the final lyrics of the song and then she dies.
Lyrics:
- How very special are we
- For just a moment to be
- Part of life's eternal rhyme
- How very special are we
- To have on our family tree
- Mother Earth and Father Time
- He turns the seasons around
- And so she changes her gown
- But they always look in their prime
- They go on dancing their dance
- Of everlasting romance
- Mother Earth and Father Time
- The summer larks return to sing
- Oh, what a gift they give
- Then autumn days grow short and cold
- Oh, what a joy to live
- How very special are we
- For just a moment to be
- Part of life’s eternal rhyme
- How very special are we
- To have on our family tree
- Mother Earth and Father Time
Reprise: As Charlotte dies...
- The autumn days grow short & cold
- It's Christmastime again
- Then snows of Winter slowly melt
- The days grow short, and then
- He turns the seasons around
- And so she changes her gown
- Mother Earth and Father Time
- How very special are we
- For just a moment to be
- Part of life's eternal rhyme
[edit] Controversy
- According to "The Annotated Charlotte's Web" by Peter F. Neumeyer (see Literary Sources), some fans of the book are not in favor of the song's placement in the film because it supplants E.B. White's narrative words, "...And she didn't move again." which purists find extremely moving.
[edit] Trivia
- The Sherman Brothers' father, songwriter Al Sherman, believed the Charlotte's Web song score, and more specifically "Mother Earth and Father Time" to the brothers' finest work. The lyric addresses the idea of putting perspective on one's life. In the storyline the song is sung by Charlotte at the end of her life. Ironically, Al Sherman passed away shortly after the film was released.
[edit] Literary Sources
- Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.
- Neumeyer, Peter F. "Annotated Charlotte's Web, The". New York City: HarperTrophy, 1997
