Jennie’s real name was Cheryl Kanner, a teenager from The Rail, very pretty and a terrific athlete, both of which drew my attention to her and she became the muse for this tune (although our relationship remained strictly platonic – guess I needed to write a better song). The melody, like so many others, seemed to live in my 12-string and all I did was take it out for a walk. It became a signature song for me and on the rare occasions when I perform, I always start the set with this. When Robin and I were expecting our second child and looking for names, Robin suggested Jennie, partly for her grandmother, and partly because of this song. I sang it at my Jennie’s bat mitzvah.
Lyrics
Jennie’s Song
Jennie comes, purring nice
Asking me for advice
Jennie laughs and I dream, she pokes fun at my schemes
Jennie’s there when I’m glum
Singing starts when Jennie comes
Jennie glides, she can’t fly
When Jennie hides don’t ask her why
In the psalms that she hums, in the few songs she can strum
A persistent, silent drum
Singing starts when Jennie comes
She confides in me that I am right
And bakes me brownies every Monday night
She has some carnal knowledge of the light
She knows the warmth religion brings, and every chilly morning
Jennie sings, Jennie plays
Jennie likes to act amazed
In the long afternoon as I put my guitar in tune
I know there’ll be music soon
Singing starts when Jennie comes.