Puff the Magic Dragon makes me cry

When I visit mum in her nursing home I play compilation CDs I've made for her and we sing along to her favourites. I find some of them very hard to get through like, 'I Have Dreamed' from The King and I, 'Younger Than Springtime' from South Pacific and Matt Monro's 'On Days Like These'

I have a Kleenex at the ready and blame Hay fever.

When I was a child I used to really worry about Puff My mother used to sing Scarlet Ribbons. I heard it recently for the first time in years. It brought a tear to my eye.

I didn't even know the verses in question until relatively recently, so I don't think it's memories of the song that upset me. It's definitely something in those lyrics that sets me off.

My little grandchildren absolutely love the song, but every time I try to sing it with/for them, I get choked up on that bit!

I guess I need to man up, as the youngsters would say

Its Morningtown Ride for me - used to sing my grandson to sleep with that one and now he is to big for that.

It used to make me sad. But not anymore. I'm a tough old boot these days.

I feel very nostalgic about this song. Was it on the radio when we were little ? I was born in 1953 so perhaps it was popular in the 60's. It makes me feel a little weepy too, but I love it. My long deceased mother you to sing 'mona Lisa' ( Mona Lisa Mona Lisa they have named you) fist thing in the morning I used to feel like throwing something at her. A few years ago I heard it on the radio on my way to an important day at work and found myself sobbing driving up the motorway. I arrived all red eyed & snotty and had to explain why to a senior colleague I'd never met before. She was very kind though. I think music, songs & nursery rhymes can awaken long lost memories.

I think the idea that the song contains references to drug-taking is an urban myth - the writers deny it, anyway, sayng it's simply about the loss of childhood innocence. It doesn't make me cry.

It does for me too! I think I read that it was drug related though. I still see it as a sad friendly dragon!

Probably not. It doesn't do much for me though.Maybe it's a sad song and you are feeling very down?