Wednesday, February 12, 2014

If songs could be weighed...

... these would be very light.

Easter bonnet parades motivate the writing of some of the most vacuous of all children's songs. Last year at our easter parade we had a particularly fine selection, including Yankee Doodle Bunny.

This year I'm writing a set of easter songs, ranging from semi-inane to completely inane, that prep teachers could potentially use with their classes. At our easter bonnet parade, each prep class presents an item (there are 7 prep classes) then I conduct the whole group as a choir for a couple of songs. Jesus is strictly not allowed at this event and I'm kinda okay with that. There's something educative about seeing how little is left when the cross is removed from easter. But I do have some standards for what level of inanity I'm able to cope with. Yankee Doodle Bunny was the step too far last year.

I do have some standards, but my boys would argue that my standards have slipped dangerously low. These little songs that I've written today might not be quite as bad as Yankee Doodle Bunny, but they are certainly moving in that direction.

What do you think? Are these too awful even for an easter bonnet parade? (I'll try and write something a bit more significant for the whole group items. Last year I did this.)

Little Easter Bunny

Little Easter bunny
You look so funny
Short tail, long ears
And a chubby tummy!

Open up your basket
What do I see?
Yellow, orange, red and gold
Easter eggs for me!

Easter Bunny Hop Hop Hop

Easter bunny hop, hop, hop
Deliver all those eggs, oh don't you stop!
Chocolate, sweet and smooth and yum
Easter eggs for everyone!

Up in the tree

Up in the tree is a little nest
Built by the bird that I like best
She flies away now let's look and see
Three eggs, three eggs, one, two three!

Up in the tree is a little nest
Built by the bird that I like best
Three eggs are hatching
Let's look and see
Three chicks, three chicks, one, two, three!

Egg Song

Wiggle Jiggle
Yellow Middle
White around the shelly
Soft and tender
goey center
put it in your belly

eggy weggy
mummy wummy
cook 'em for my supper
crack 'em, beat 'em
fry 'em, eat 'em
eggs with toast and butter!

sar 2014

4 comments:

  1. That last one could be lots of fun.

    As I avoid Easter parades at every opportunity, I couldn't possibly assess whether they're too bad!

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  2. I quite like 'Up in the Tree' - could be good for playgroup.

    As for the rest...

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  3. As for the rest... You love them, right? And you want to sing them at playgroup and at every opportunity at home?

    Let me defend them. (Not the lyrics - there's nothing that can be said in their defence!) But...

    "Little Easter Bunny" works with a goosey goosey gander type tune.
    Rhythm: te-te te-te ta ta, ta te-te ta ta, ta ta ta ta, te-te te-te ta ta... x2
    Melody: s-s m-l s m, s m-l s m, f r f r, s-f m-r m d... x2
    We can sing its rhythm and I can do a s-m-l lesson thing with the opening pitches.

    So if I have to sing this one 100 times with the kids, all won't be lost (except, perhaps my sanity.)

    "Easter Bunny Hop, Hop, Hop" has very little going for it, except a slightly less annoying tune than "Little Easter Bunny". It works with "horsey horsey, don't you stop, just let your feet go clippety clop".

    The Egg song doesn't have a tune yet, but going for it is the fact that there are no bunnies in it at all. Whatever its tune or lyrics, this is certainly a good thing!

    Petrina - I have more as well! A couple are not as bad as these. New post up the page a bit.


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  4. Oh - And Petrina - "Up in the tree" works with a 'Here is a bee-hive' tune. Know it?

    I'll jot it down for you if you want me to.

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