On Sunday, we went up to visit my brother and his very-pregnant wife. Naturally, The Banshee, now 3, was there. At one point, she sang us a very loud, word-for-word perfect version of that kiddy-pleasing song from “Annie”: Tomorrow.
Then she looked at me and said, “Okay. Now you sing me a song you know, Tee Tee.”
Now I know lots of musicals. Lots. Still, the only thing that leapt to mind was:
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd
His skin was pale and his eye was odd
He shaved the faces of gentlemen
Who never thereafter were heard of again
Okay. No, Tracey. She’s 3. Don’t sing that to her now. I mean, you gotta wait til she’s going to bed to get the full impact on that.
So I fast-forwarded my brain to the next musical:
JUST DON’T
SAY I’M
DAA-AA-AA-AAAAMNED
FO-OR
AA-ALL
TI-I-IMME!!!!
Hm. Cheery. Your moodypants are showing, Trace.
The Banshee was staring at me, all blonde and big-eyed, so I just opened up my mouth and sang the first thing that came randomly into my morbid little head:
The moon’ll come out
Next Thursday
Betcher bottom penny
That next Thursday,
There’ll be moon.
Just thinkin’ about
Next Thursday
Clears away the dishes and the toothpaste
Til there’s none.
When I’m stuck with a day (okay, I shoulda changed that noun, gimme a break)
That’s pink and purple
I just stick out my toe
And scowl
And SCREEEEEAM!!
Then the big finale:
NEXT THURSDAY
NEXT THURSDAY
I LOVE YA
NEXT THURSDAY
YOU’RE ALWAYS
SEVERAL DAAAAAAYS
AAAAAA
WAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
I thought The Banshee was gonna have a stroke from laughing. She loved it. “Sing it again, Tee Tee! Sing it again!”
I sang that damn thing 4 times. What have I done to her??
My husband is sooo good at coming up with lyrics on the spot! The kids love it! I just can’t do that. He so good at it that he likes to play bards when we game and then he makes up songs during the game that tell the tale of what happened during the gaming session!
Brillant!
There’s nothing like an appreciative audience! I love your new lyrics and I’ll bet the Banshee’s laughter just tickles you. I know my niece’s does. 🙂
Okay, I’M howling with laughter! Geeeeen-yus. Tef is good at this too. We sing all sorts of variants of just about any song you could imagine at home. (“Rollercoaster Of Love” is a perennial fave. When I’m irked at him but feeling playful, the lyrics get changed to, “Mutha’-blank-blank, Shut UUUUUP!” “Say what?!”)
And I’m sorry, but I’m a howwible, howwible Auntie: I would have loved to see the look on Banshee’s face when you belted out the ditty from “Sweeney Todd”. 😉
That’s fantastic! I love song rewrites.
My girls know the original by heart. I sang your version to my 5 year old, and later I heard her laying on the ground singing to herself, “The sun’ll come out, next Wednesday. Betcha bottom dollar that next Wednesday…” hahahaha
red fish — hahahahahaha!
I totally thought of you in the magazine aisle at the drugstore yesterday–Entertainmt. Wkly. had you-know-who in his Sweeney Todd costume on the cover.