My fascination with clouds goes all the way back to my childhood when my grandmother and my mother sang this song to me…
Two little clouds one summer’s day
Went flying through the sky.
They went so fast they bumped their heads, And both began to cry.
Old Father Sun looked out and said, “Oh, never mind my dears,
I’ll send my little fairy folk
To dry your falling tears.”
One fairy came in violet,
And one in indigo,
In blue, green, yellow, orange, red,– They made a pretty row.
They wiped the cloud tears all away, And then, from out the sky,
Upon a line the sunbeams made They hung their gowns to dry.
There was something so sweet about it or maybe it was the way they sang it. I can still hear them.
We didn’t have a lot to do in the summer in those days. We went to the swimming pool and I played golf from a young age, but there was a lot of time on our hands. We didn’t have air conditioning until I was in grade school…horrors! Actually, I wouldn’t trade air conditioning for much, so I’m not yearning for those good old days. We didn’t have television for a long time and, when we finally got it, it didn’t come on until late afternoon for the first few years. How old am I anyway?
We spent time in the yard and the neighborhood. We played workup with however many kids we could find and a softball and bat. We got stung by wasps and looked for earthworms, picked the flowers from the trumpet vine, sucked on honeysuckle and got into poison ivy. We looked for fossils in the gravel on the driveway since ours wasn’t paved yet. We looked for four leaf clovers and laid on blankets under the trees to stay cool. And we stared up at the sky, thinking and dreaming. What a luxury that time was and we didn’t even know it.
The clouds changed shapes as we watched them move across the sky. There were bears and dogs and monsters and angels. A canvas for our imaginations.
I took that fascination into my teens. Once, when I was about 16, I had a date with a guy who was a class leader…quite a deal to snag a date with him. I asked him about the clouds and he looked at me blankly. That was the end of whatever chance of infatuation there was with him. I couldn’t imagine being with someone who didn’t see anything in the clouds.
The first time I flew I was kind of disappointed with the inside of the clouds when I discovered they really are just fluffs of air. But then that became another fascination. How do they look so thick when there is so little to them.
Yesterday was a glorious summer cloud day, which we get when the heat comes in. They don’t show on radar, just popping up out of nowhere. Still fascinating.
You start with a cloudless day, a bright clear blue sky…
Suddenly you notice clouds exploding all around you…
They develop little wispy areas to soften the thickness…
And there is always the effect of the sunshine from beside them, around them, through them as the day goes on…
Obviously, I haven’t forgotten how to entertain myself outside. No matter where I see them, whether it’s in the city, out on the plains, up in the mountains, near lakes and oceans, or from the air, I always stop to watch. Clouds still make me smile, stir my imagination, and are just as mysterious and magical as I’ve known them to be since I was little. Heads up…don’t miss the great shows Nature sends us.
Confetti Thoughts 
My husband’s family sings this song. I had never heard of it before, and since I am an elementary school music teacher I thought that was odd. I just had to google it to see if it was anybody else’s family song. My husband’s mother passed in 2013 and we miss her ever so much. It’s wonderful to know this song has deep meaning for other families, too.
One of the old songs. I think of it all the time and have sung it to my grandkids. I have looked it up to get the correct words. I wonder if everyone sings it to the same tune or if we all have our family versions?
So glad you wrote. Made me smile today!
My dear Mom turns 100 today! She has recited this poem for many years so it is very special to us all. Thank you for posting it.
Happy Birthday to your mother! I love sharing this poem/song and finding others who know it also!
My father sang this song to me when I was a baby .I have only ever known it as a song, with a slight lilt to .It was most certainly set to music originally.
My grandmother sang it to me. I found it as a poem when looking for the lyrics. Such sweet memories.
Please if anyone out there can help identify this song and /or poem…”When mortals rest and from the west the zephyr breeze blows sweetly cool. We tippet light from fairyland we tippet light from fairyland”….
That’s all I remember. Please help !
I haven’t heard that one.
My Aunty used to sing this to us – I’m Australian, so is it perhaps a British song? I’m now 81 years old and I sing it to myself. I have always loved clouds and as a child, used to think they were mashed potatoes!!!! My first time in a plane I wanted to jump out and run through them.
Hi Lynette,
I’m almost 75 & my grandmother & mother used to sing this. I just looked it up again & found that it was based on the poem
“The Rainbow Fairies” by L M Hadley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVt9vx-PHP4
I’ve always been fascinated with clouds, too. I watch them from the ground & from planes with wonder. If you are on Facebook, there is a page called The Cloud Appreciation Society which features cloud pictures from people around the world. We aren’t alone in our love of them.
Thank you for writing!
Karen
My grandmother passed at 84 last week. She sung this song to my little sister and I when she’d kept us after our mother left. I can’t still hear her voice, thank you for this post.
Welp lots of typos in there..
She’d sang this song*
When she kept us*
I can still hear her voice*
Guess the lyrics had me all choked up!
We all hear the voices singing.
My grandmother & mother sang it to me, too. I sang it to my grandmother as she was leaving us. During a pop up rain this week, my friend said something about the song and I sang it to her. Her mother sang it to her. It’s an old song with lots of memories for many. Thank you for writing.
soft leather tote
Two Little Clouds | Confetti Thoughts
travel tote bag
Two Little Clouds | Confetti Thoughts
My dad was born in 1911. When I was just 5 years old in the 50’s my dad (father) insisted that I memorize this poem.“Two Little Clouds.” He went over it with me daily until I memorized it perfectly.
To this day I recite it perfectly. I love this poem. I never knew it was a song 🎶..
I too, love to gaze into a blue sky with whit fluffy clouds.
Sandy
Naperville Illinois
Awww. Aren’t those great memories? Have a wonderful day! Karen