Children's music
Recently I purchased a CD of children's songs to put in Eli's Easter basket. I got this because 1) Eli really seems to enjoy children singing in his Baby Einstein videos, and 2) I am really tired of listening to all of our old CDs. Eli is not quite sure what to make of it yet. In fact, I think at this point that I am enjoying the CD more than he is. It's fun to think back to my own childhood and hear the songs that I once learned and loved.
On that note, I do have a beef to take up with the CD company, or for that matter society in general. They took what used to be some fun songs and made them "politically correct" so as not to offend anyone listening to the music. Ten Little Indians, which used to be a fun song complete with tribal whooping and hollering, is now Ten Little Monsters. I guess it could be worse... they could have changed it to Ten Little Native Americans. Another song that they have, in my mind, completely destroyed was The Animal Fair. Here is how the lyrics went when I learned the song:
I went to the animal fair.
The birds and the beasts were there.
The big babboon in the light of the moon
was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey he got drunk
and sat on the elephant's trunk.
The elephant sneezed and fell to his knees
and that was the end of the monk.
I the new version, the monkey bumped a skunk before sitting on the elephant's trunk. Do they really think that the original song, by having a drunk monkey, is going to condone alcoholism in our toddlers? On the contrary, I think it teaches our children a valuable lesson... alcohol abuse = crushed to death by an elephant.
On a different (and lighter) note, by listening to this CD I have developed a new definition of hell. It is being woken up by your toddler multiple times in the middle of the night, and playing over and over in your head the whole time is the Weenie Man song. For those of you who don't know it, this is a very deep song about falling in love with the owner of a hot dog stand. After 12 hours of "I know a weenie man...", I was willing to do just about anything to get that song out of my head. Luckily it went away, but only to be replaced by An Austrian Went Yodeling.
On that note, I do have a beef to take up with the CD company, or for that matter society in general. They took what used to be some fun songs and made them "politically correct" so as not to offend anyone listening to the music. Ten Little Indians, which used to be a fun song complete with tribal whooping and hollering, is now Ten Little Monsters. I guess it could be worse... they could have changed it to Ten Little Native Americans. Another song that they have, in my mind, completely destroyed was The Animal Fair. Here is how the lyrics went when I learned the song:
I went to the animal fair.
The birds and the beasts were there.
The big babboon in the light of the moon
was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey he got drunk
and sat on the elephant's trunk.
The elephant sneezed and fell to his knees
and that was the end of the monk.
I the new version, the monkey bumped a skunk before sitting on the elephant's trunk. Do they really think that the original song, by having a drunk monkey, is going to condone alcoholism in our toddlers? On the contrary, I think it teaches our children a valuable lesson... alcohol abuse = crushed to death by an elephant.
On a different (and lighter) note, by listening to this CD I have developed a new definition of hell. It is being woken up by your toddler multiple times in the middle of the night, and playing over and over in your head the whole time is the Weenie Man song. For those of you who don't know it, this is a very deep song about falling in love with the owner of a hot dog stand. After 12 hours of "I know a weenie man...", I was willing to do just about anything to get that song out of my head. Luckily it went away, but only to be replaced by An Austrian Went Yodeling.
posted by Stephanie at
12:14 PM
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