My mother grew up on a small farm in Rosebud Pennsylvania, a neighborhood just outside the town of Coalport. At the time of her childhood, there were tightly knit ethnic neighborhoods – Irish, German, Polish, English, Italian, and others. Many of the people in these neighborhoods came to this country at about the same time to work in the coal mines and other industries.
The song “La Paloma” with it’s distinctive Cuban rhythm, was an unusually popular song that crossed over into many cultures and languages. My mother recalls hearing this song in several different languages, and her father played it on the harmonica.
My version of this song is loose, slightly crooked, and based on memories of my childhood.