Take Children's Songs Literally

I laughed a number of times when I read Sarah Schmelling's McSweeney's piece Mom Takes Children's Songs Literally.  Who among us hasn't thought, "You’re paying far too much attention to that very, very small spider"?

Read the examples in the link, and then add your own in the comments. Here are some of my off-the-cuff responses:

Is "Eeyi-Eeyiyo" the name of the farm or the sound the old farmer MacDonald makes when s/he has to get up in the early morning to feed all of those chickens, ducks, sheep, etc?

Three words for Henry: Stop Making Excuses.  For those who think that Liza is overly demanding, consider that Henry started the whole scenario with his whining.

I know those examples are not as clever as the ones in Schmelling's piece. That's why I'm looking to you.

Song and motion for language development

My mom sent me this article from The Guardian: Singing to Children May Help Development of Language Skills, by Amelia Hill

As Daniel Dwase, editor of the online Child Development Guide, points out, songs with actions help children to learn "balance, co-ordination, body awareness and rhythm." The best songs with movement I learned came from Lucia's Waldorf kindergarten. At some point, I should teach you the song that begins thus:

Show me your foot and let me see your shoe
We will do what the washing women do,
We're washing, we're washing, we're washing all day long. 2X.

After we wash the clothes, we wring them out, dry them, iron them, and fold them. When we're done, I announce, "You've done such a lovely job with the laundry. Now, the rest of your family to put their clothes away." I've tried to implement this policy in real life. It sometimes works.

Mary's Garden

I just posted a new song over at A Storytelling of Crows. It's called "Marie in the Garden," and it's a simple game that a Waldorf teacher taught me a few summers ago. She worked with my daughter for an afternoon, and in thanks, I made for her a little doll. She said the doll would be perfect for "Marie in the Garden" and sang it for me.

Recently, my daughter sang the song for me, and I posted it in a video here.

Here is the back of the doll I made to accompany the song:


The thinking behind the flowers on the cape:

The three different kinds of flowers are those one might find in a Mary Garden: rosebuds, forget-me-nots ("Mary's Eyes"), and grape hyacinths ("St. Joseph's Bells"). I had intended to stitch a lily on the back of the cloak, but shading is not in my repertoire as of yet. I decided to embroider rosemary instead, but my needle seemed to have its own mind, and grape hyacinths appeared instead.

Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience

The first song on Natalie Merchant's album Leave Your Sleep is Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience, by Charles Causley, a title evocative of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience. I'm abashed that this song is my introduction to Causley's poetry. I don't know how to write about poetry in a way that isn't choked with cliches. I'd rather just read it, think about it, and appreciate it anew when it's set to music. However, if I had to choose one word to describe Causley's poetry, it would be the German sehnzucht, which roughly translates to yearning and longing. Here is a video of Merchant performing "Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience."



This essay by Dana Gioia mentions Walter de la Mare as an influence. Yes. Causleys' work immediately reminded me of Mare's work, whose poems appear at first as if they are meant for children, but resonate with adults as well.

A favorite song from (not too) long ago

My favorite Duran Duran song is "Secret Oktober" which was the B side of the single "Union of the Snake," back when singles had sides. The song was written and recorded in a twenty-four hour time period before the "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" album tapes were sent off. In the 1983 original, only vocalist/lyricist Simon LeBon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes are on the track. Recently, I found this cover by musician Michael Aaron, and I like it better because I'm predisposed toward stringed instruments. The rapid images of the video itself are distracting, mainly because I want to see what the guitar chords are. You can listen to the original here.

Some of you (like my mom) will say, "I didn't like the band then, and I certainly won't punish myself by listening to one of their songs now." Fine. Go ahead. Disparage away. When I was 14, I officially threw over Top 40 for heavy metal but quietly kept most of my old music. When it comes to musical preferences, I tend to acquire new genres without losing my appreciation for the old ones. The one exception may be modern musicals a la "Les Miserables" and "Phantom of the Opera." I remember listening to one of those musicals while I washed the dishes only to have my mom enter the kitchen and say, "You know, I preferred Motley Crue to this."

Five Year Celebration and a Giveaway

[Note to those reading this in RSS readers: this is the real blog post.]

Five years ago, I started a storytelling blog. My daughter was not yet two years old and I was still working as a children's librarian on a substitute basis. I had as a goal for that year to learn guitar or sewing, and surprised everyone (most of all myself) when I started lessons for both. Throughout the years, I've learned to know new people through blogging and have even got to meet some of them. Relationships with old friends with whom I'd been out of touch as well as acquaintances who've became good friends have been possible because of blogging.

I'm thankful for all of you. Today's celebration is in thanks for your friendship. I am hosting a giveaway of a doll I made especially for this day: an Astronomy Magus to aid you in storytelling or inspire you as you work.

The doll is made with hand-dyed dark blue wool felt and embroidered with blue and white stitches. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post with a reflection on one or more of the following items:

1. A description of a beloved story from your childhood that you have not yet located. Be as specific as possible, and someone might be able to find the information to reunite you with that story.

2. A song you really enjoy that you don't think a lot of people know. Please provide a verse or two.

3. A scenario of a book you would love to read that to the best of your knowledge has not been written. Only share the story idea if you're not planning to write it yourself!

4. Explain quantum theory as if it were a story.

I will need to be able to contact the recipient of the Astronomy Magus, either through an email address found on your blog/website profile or through a private email you sent directly to me at: saintsandspinners [at] gmail [dot] com. If you send me a private email, please be assured that I will not use your address for any purpose but this giveaway.

"Why an Astronomy Magus?" you might ask. Some of you know how much I love outer space. The science-fiction I enjoy most has to do with interplanetary travel. You might not have been aware that when Carl Sagan says, "The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be," my soul leaps with joy, but you've probably suspected that I watched every episode of the new Battlestar Galactica series. It is my hope that when I bring my first book-length story to completion, it will incorporate stories, songs and textiles into a science-fiction genre. That is why the Astronomy Magus is my gift.

The drawing for the Astronomy Magus ends Friday, February 26, at 6 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. You may comment multiple times, but each name will be entered only once. Parents and siblings of the House of Glee plus Brad the Gorilla are welcome to comment but will not be eligible for the drawing.

Songs of Winter

Next week's blogging will be rather quiet as the House of Glee prepares for the final days of Advent leading up to Christmas. I'll spend the majority of my blogging time checking in on your blogs and saying hello.

Last week, I managed to record the song "We Are Three Wandering Travelers" for A Storytelling of Crows before I came down with my cold. Sharp ears will hear the beginnings of the cold in my throat, but the recording is sufficent to convey the tune.

My daughter came home from school with a song that's a variation of a poem that Rudolph Steiner wrote. Steiner's version is about the four lights of Advent, but in Lucia's school, the four lights of winter convey the same message in an ecumenical way. I'll post a link to the tune when I've learned it properly, but here now are the words as Lucia taught me:

The first light of winter is the light that shines in stones,
The light that shines in crystals and seashells and bones.

The second light of winter is the light of plants
Plants that grow up to the sun and in the breezes dance.

The third light of winter is the light of beasts
The light of life that shines in the greatest and the least.

The fourth light of winter is the light of humankind
The light of love, the light of thought, to give and understand.

(Lucia didn't remember the last line, so the one you read here is what I've culled from online research.)

Jack Frost and Mrs. Thaw

Happy December! Jack Frost arrived this morning and reminded me that it's probably too late to weed my neglected garden. By mid-day, the frost had all melted. Thus, the struggle between Jack Frost and Mrs. Thaw, as recounted in Ollie's Ski Trip by Elsa Beskow, begins in Seattle, Washington.

I have both a Jack Frost and a Mrs. Thaw in my shop right now:



When my daughter was in a Waldorf parent-tot class, we sang a song based on the poem "Jack Frost Was in the Garden" by John P. Smeeton. I'll have to locate the song again and perhaps record it for A Storytelling of Crows. I posted the Fire Fairy Song yesterday.

As a reminder, two lovely saints' festivals are coming up: St. Nicholas Day on December 6, and St. Lucia Day on December 13.

Storytime Wrap-Up: Seattle Public Library

We finally have winners of the Children's Book Sequels contest! The fabulous Minh Le and I will announce them next week, along with honorable mentions and all the other entries as well.

Today, I performed at the Madrona-Sally Goldmark branch of Seattle Public Library. This was the performance that had been postponed from December due to snow.



We had a good turn-out (29 people) and there were a number of babies as well as toddlers and preschoolers. People seemed to have a good time. I know I did. I performed my new song, "May I Walk With You?" with felt-board pieces you can see here:



There's a daytime version of this song, and a nighttime version. Here is the main body of the daytime version:

I went for a walk in the fields one day,
And I met a duck who was going my way,
"Quack, quack," said the duck, "May I walk with you,
Quack, quack," said the duck, "May I walk with you?"

Repeat with different animals.

The final verse:

And when I stopped walking, I turned to see
A whole bunch of animals following me....

[call out all the animal sounds]

Then we sat in the meadow and we all had tea,
When the party was over, they said to me,
"So long, and thanks for your company,
So long and thanks for your company."

I plan to record it eventually so that you may hear what it sounds like.

In other news, storytelling student Jody Segal had kind things to say about my gig at Third Place Books yesterday, which you may read here.

Our in-house soprano: The Magic Flute

The Unnecessary Children's Book Sequels That Never Were contest runs until midnight (Eastern Standard Time) of April 10, 2009.


Lucia loves Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, i.e. "The Magic Flute." Her favorite aria is "Der Hölle Rache" from the second act. You may hear Erika Miklosa sing it here and Sumi Jo sing it here. You may also watch and listen to Lucia sing a snippet of it here:



The costume is one that I found a few weeks ago at a local toy-shop for half of its original price. The original price was outrageous for the quality of the material and stitching. At half the price, it's still an indulgence, but worth the money in terms of the play value. I'm glad that Lucia doesn't know what the aria actually means. For her, the aria is joyful.

Currant Leaves for Cloudscome

Cloudscome of a wrung sponge always has such stunning photographs to go with her poems. In her honor, I took a photo of my white icicle currant bush with the new leaves beginning to unfurl:



Here is the currant bush as it appears in my still-sleepy garden:



This corner of the garden has flourished quite well. Late last November, a single rose bloomed until the snows of December. I couldn't help but think of the song "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming" each time I passed by.

The Great Simon and Garfunkel Sing-Along

Back in 1993, before Heather Kropf had recorded her first album and I had no musical aspirations beyond wistfully wishing I could sing and play guitar at a campus-hosted coffee-house, I lived with 4 other young women in a rental house painted green, and consequently was called the Greenhouse. Technically, the Greenhouse was off-campus housing, but since it was right across the street from campus, we had the best of both worlds: easy access to classes and events without the hassle of so-called "open-house hours" whereby members of the opposite sex couldn't be in each others rooms past 11 pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends. I chafed at this rule, not because I had a boyfriend (I didn't) but because at least half of my good friends were male and we always had to cut our merry-making short or move to the common lounges.

The Greenhouse was a good place to gather. One week in late winter, Heather Kropf and I decided that the way to beat the chill of a northern Indiana town in February was to invite people to attend a pot-luck followed by a Simon and Garfunkel sing-along. We came up with the following flyer, which we printed up and hung around campus. If you're a Simon and Garfunkel/Paul Simon fan, see how many song-titles you can name from the flyer:

If you’ve got the paranoia blues from hangin’ around in Goshen…
If you’ve been seeking out the poorer quarters where the ragged people go…
If you’ve been Mick Jaggered and silver-daggered…
If you find someone’s taken your place after you’ve washed your face…
If you’ve heard words you’ve never heard in the Bible…
If the zookeeper is very fond of rum…
If you’ve seen a shadow touch a shadow’s hand…
If you dreamed you were dying…
If you thought the man in the gabardine hat was a spy…
If you read your Emily Dickinson while he reads his Robert Frost…
If you’re a Citizens for Boysenberry Jam fan…
If your group has more cavities than theirs…
If you’ve laughed them all with Frank Lloyd Wright…
If you think it will be terribly strange to be seventy…
If you’re only fakin’ it and not really makin’ it through the hazy shade of winter…

The game is over. Why don’t we stop fooling ourselves?
There must be fifty ways to have a good time. On February 16, 1993, at 9 p.m., say goodbye to the Queen of Corona and come to the big bright Greenhouse, where flowers never bend with the rainfall.

For all you Simon and Garfunkel fans that need a pre-midterm study break… or just an excuse to sing. Stop. Stop and think it over. Come to the Simon & Garfunkel Sing-A-Long at the Greenhouse.

People came with their guitars, Heather played the upright piano in the Greenhouse, and despite the lack of printed lyrics, we had a good time. If you weren't there, we missed you. We'll have to do it again. My rallying cry: Next time in Seattle!

To learn more about Heather Kropf beyond her website, check out this early article.

Love Song: Green is the Color of My Merman's Hair

Happy Valentine's Day! As I said in last year's post, I try to use this month to catch up on correspondence, as St. Valentine was a deliverer of letters. I've managed to do that once this month. I'd also meant to have a recorded version of my revised song "Green is the Color of My Merman's Hair" (to the tune of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair). I'll post the lyrics and chords now and the recorded version at a later time. Hold me to it!

This song is dedicated to Bede, of course.

Lantern Walk Songs for Martinmas

I recently started a satellite blog called A Storytelling of Crows. As of now, I plan for it to be primarily a site for me to share audio and video outside the scope of Saints and Spinners. Yesterday, I recorded Lucia's teacher singing "I Go Outside With My Candle," and "Glimmer, Lantern, Glimmer," and so that the parents of my daughter's classmates could learn the tunes in time for Martinmas, a festival that appropriately coincides with Veteran's Day on Tuesday, November 11. Since the third song, "My Lantern! My Lantern!" ended up not being a clean copy (there was screaming in the background, which I hadn't noticed at the time), Lucia sang the song for me on video this morning.

Here is the post I wrote for Martinmas last year: St. Martin and the Lantern Walk

Here is a link to all three songs: Lantern Walk songs

Poetry Friday: Jack-'o-lantern

Many thanks to Sam Riddleburger and Cece Bell for their pumpkin carving tutorial. Bede used a dry-wall saw to carve this jack-'o-lantern, whom he has named "Isabelle":



Last year, my daughter learned this song at her school, which she sang after we lit the jack-o'-lantern and turned out all the lights:

Jack-'o-lantern, Jack-'o-lantern
You are such a pretty sight
As you sit there in the window
Looking out at the night.
You were once a yellow pumpkin
Growing on a sturdy vine
Now you are my Jack-'o-lantern
Let your candle light shine.

(Author unknown)


Here is the tune:


The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Poetry for Children.

Music in Santa Fe

Greetings from Santa Fe, New Mexico! The time is passing quickly. I've had two jam sessions with the friend of my mom who lent me one of his guitars. My mom's friend used to play guitar for contre-dances, and as you can guess, he's quite good. He's given me some non-barre guitar chords to practice that venture above the fifth fret. They are challenging to remember but definitely stretch both my fingers and my brain. Last night, we went through the Rise Up Singing book. He introduced me to the Scottish folk ballad Mairi's Wedding, I introduced him to Arlo Guthrie's Ring Around A Rosy Rag, and then we played a version of Stephen Foster's Hard Times Come Again No More that was far merrier than its actual lyrics. We ended the evening with a few lullabies and waltzes, as it was hard to stop at just one.

I had such a good time! I keep hoping to have more music jam sessions in Seattle. My friends are keen on the idea, but once I actually throw out dates and times, it becomes more of a challenge to gather people together. I suspect that everyone's tired after all of the commitments they already have (and I can relate). It would be great if we could just get into the habit of bringing our instruments when we visit each other, and if a music jam session happens, it happens.

Love is a tune you hum-de-hum-hum

A couple of weeks ago, Bede took Lucia to the park to throw boomerangs. Bede's first (and favorite) boomerang immediately got gobbled up by one of the park trees. Despite that initial disappointment, Bede and Lucia had a good time with the boomerangs in the park, and "boomerang" replaced "barnacle" as her favorite word of the moment. I decided to look for songs about boomerangs.

As you could have probably guessed, love is like a boomerang.

Some songs, like T-Bone Burnett's Boomerang, were catchy but not appropriate for young ears (i.e. "He broke into the bedroom/ They put him on the spot/He took off his pistol/ They never heard the shots/ They were headed for a crash/ And it even hurt to laugh/ Cause it ended with a bang/ When it all came back like a boomerang"). I finally settled on one of ABBA's silly but delightful ditties, "Bang-a-Boomerang":

Like a bang, a boom-a-boomerang
Dum-be-dum-dum be-dum-be-dum-dum
Oh bang, a boom-a-boomerang
Love is a tune you hum-de-hum-hum
So give it away, I think you'll learn
You'll get love in return
So bang, a boom-a-boomerang is love
A boom-a-boomerang is love

You can see the original video here.

And you can see and hear my daughter's rendition (complete with arm motions copied by Agnetha and Ani-Frid from "Mamma Mia") here:

Song of the Week (Special Edition): Padstow May Day Song

In relation to the Padstow "'Obby 'Oss" May Day song I blogged yesterday, here are the basic guitar chords as I've figured them out, based on the Lance Frodsham and Steeleye Span versions:


Click on the image to enlarge it

If you are better-versed in musical theory than I, or you are trying to play the song and the chords just don't match up, leave a message in the comments or send me email to let me know. To my ear, this song doesn't sound right transposed into any other key. There's something special about the B7 chord.

Padstow, the 'Obby 'Oss and our May Day Celebration

'Obby 'Oss photo by Ennor

Happy May Day! One of the biggest May Day festivals can be found in Padstow, Cornwall. It's called 'Obby 'Oss Day.* Here are some of the lyrics to the Padstow May Day song:

Unite and unite, and let us all unite
For summer is a-comin' today.
And whither we are going we all will unite,
In the merry morning of May.

The young men of Padstow, they might if they would,
For summer is a-comin' today.
They might have built a ship and gilded it with gold
In the merry morning of May.

For the rest of the lyrics to this version of the May Day song, click here. The best audio I could find was this video of Steeleye Span. When my father visited us, he showed me a better quality video of Steeleye Span performing this song on a DVD he owned. The tune is catchy. I found night and day versions of the Padstow song here. [Careful! An audio file loads automatically.] For those of you who want to try out the song on guitar, here are the chords.** There are more recorded versions out there, as a quick iTunes search reveals.

While Lucia's class is delivering paper cones of flowers to people in the community, the big May Day festival is our May Faire this Saturday. This is the first year Lucia will dance in the May Pole Dance, and we're all excited. I'll take photos for sure. I wish I had my birthday camera with its video capabilities, but that's still in the works. I hope that next year I'll be able to capture a video clip for you to see, as long as I get permission from the other kindergarten parents to have their children pictured on my blog.

*Amended May 2nd: "Hobby Horse Day."

**I'm trying them out now, and I'm not sure if they're going to work. I'll let you know. Update: For me, the song works best as a three-chord deal in the key of F (E chord shapes and a capo on the first fret). There are a few chords in the "St. George" section that are beyond my reach. Maybe I'll just strum a B7 and hope for the best.

iMix for Advent and Christmas

Here is my iMix (i.e. music mix posted on iTunes) for my Advent and Christmas music compilation. Newly included is People Look East, sung by Diane Taraz.