Magic Penny (by Malvina Reynolds)

Love is something if you give it away,
Give it away, give it away.
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more.

It's just like a magic penny,
Hold it tight and you won't have any. 
Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many
They'll roll all over the floor.

For love is something if you give it away,
Give it away, give it away.
Love is something if you give it away, 
You end up having more.

Money's dandy and we like to use it, 1
But love is better if you don't refuse it.
It's a treasure and you'll never lose it
Unless you lock up your door.

For love is something if you give it away,
Give it away, give it away.
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more...

Magic Penny (Love Is something if you give it away)

Miriam Kelemen Solis lived her first sixteen years in Budapest, Hungary, where she attended the School of the Arts. She married in San Francisco, where she continued to study for her BA and MA, first at City College and later at the University of San Francisco. She taught for more than thirty years at various public and private schools.  She also taught music privately, working with 31 piano students a week and several voice students as well. In 1959 she joined the San Francisco Municipal Chorus and sang with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for many years. She still sings in choruses including the San Francisco City Chorus.  After retiring from teaching, Miriam became a docent at Muir Woods, the Academy of Sciences, Audubon Canyon Ranch, and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, working with children and adults on ecological concerns. She is the mother of three beautiful daughters and four wonderful grandchildren.

MKS put together this group of folksongs from various cultures. As a teacher from early childhood to high school levels, she used group singing as a reward for finishing the tasks in all classes before the bell rang. Whether it was a class in math, science or just English, if the students finished her wish for the day's work, singing ended the class as a special treat. 

Note: the paintings on silk included among the pictures are her own creations.