Row Row Row Your Boat
By: Peggy Willms
(3 min read)
We have all heard the nursery rhyme, Row Row Row Your Boat, but how much do you know about this little tune we have all been singing for generations?
The lyrics were first published in 1852 by Eliphalet Oram Lyte. Say that name three times fast. The tune wasn’t recorded until 1881. There have been many renditions of the song. The one most of us know is Row row row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream. But there are more sinister versions such as Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Throw your teacher overboard / And listen to her scream).[1] Whoa.
I must confess because that is what you do when you blog…until I saw a TikTok last year, I had been singing, Life is BUTTER dream. #jokingnotjoking
Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald have sung the tune, and apparently, so have Celine Dion and Justin Timberlake.
All the above is fine and dandy, but today, I found myself having visions of a little boy in an old row boat. I recognized him. He looked exactly like one of the two young World War II antique sailor figurines in my office. They are family heirlooms. And when I raced to look for them, I noticed they were also standing by a wooden boat, another heirloom. OM to the G.
In my vision, he wasn’t frantically trying to empty the boat. He would fill his bucket and toss it overboard, fill his bucket, and toss it overboard. He kept a steady pace. And the odd thing was that the boat stayed at the same level. He was tossing out the same amount of water as was coming in. He was maintaining the balance.
Was I having a vision of someone else, or was this a message for me personally? Am I just floating along in life? Am I missing those little leaks around me? Now, I don’t want to get all woohoo on you, but I listen to those visions or downloads. Why? Because when Peggy doesn’t, Peggy regrets it.
I revisited the image of the sinking boat several times today, and many things popped up. I could see myself fishing with my grandparents when I was a kid. We always made 3 Diamond Tuna Fish with lots of Hellman’s mayonnaise and cut the sandwiches into quarters. I could see myself reaching into the Styrofoam cooler for a Coke. That was a big treat for us back in the 70s.
Later in the day, I could see a vision of myself chasing the water leaking out of the walls of my house during Hurricane Ian last year. Boy, that certainly felt like a sinking ship.
I thought, what would the Dream Queen say about this…I hopped online. There are always many dream meanings, so it is important to see what sticks.
Untapped inner riches, resources, and unexpressed talents. There is something in your life that you need to cut out and get rid of. Your privacy is being invaded. This dream denotes your personal hang-ups. There is a situation that may potentially take over your daily life and prevent you from functioning efficiently. You need to add more color and joy to your life.
Frankly, I resonate with all of the above. I am feeling a tug to find balance. It is not a new challenge for me. My inner voice has been telling me for about a month to get more active, take more breaks, breathe more fresh air, and regroup. So I shall. Off to the beach, I go. Tomorrow, I shall shuffle the sand between my toes, relish in the sound of the slapping waves crashing upon land, and soak up the rays of sunshine. The ocean always gets me back on track.
But just in case the visions are literal, I can tell you this girl isn’t using her kayak or hopping on a boat anytime soon.
Do you have any leaks you have been ignoring?
[1] https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-the-nursery-rhyme-row-row-row-your-boat/
Peggy Willms
All Things Wellness, LLC
peggy@allthingswellness.com
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