Maddie on Song Writing

As do many families, in Weeland we have a night time routine. Showers, teeth brushing, scripture reading, a fictional story and then each Wee is allowed one song request. Wee 1 and Wee 2 always choose the same song and get express serious disdain if I modify a single word. Wee 4 prefers classic nursery rhymes put to the tune of Army cadences. For those of you who know what Army cadences are, it is really quite amusing.

Wee 4 loves for me to sing the same song each night, but not the same words. Maddie's favorite bedtime song is "Old MacDonald" and it has been her platinum album favorite for about 3 months. Sometimes her singing of it acts like sonar in the house, and I can determine where she is or what type of mischief she is up to by the tone, tempo and volume of her singing. Last night Maddie requested two alternate versions.

In the first rendition, "Old MacDonald had a plant." I thought this to be quite the astute observation, because if he had no plants he really would have been a zero as a farmer. The challenge comes when one must sing what the plant "says". I thought Maddie herself would be a great source for how to fill in the following blanks and here is what she came up with.

Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O.

And on that farm he had a plant EE-I-EE-I-O,

With a grow, grow here and a grow, grow there

Here a grow, there it grows right into a French Fry and then into my belly.

Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O.

Perhaps we have a blossoming vegetarian in our midst?

After singing her avant-garde personification of domesticated crops, Maddie begged for one more verse and more out of curiosity than anything else I said OK. This time Old MacDonald had a "rock star." Not just any rock star, but one that came complete with air guitar and her version of an Air Supply solo. With an approved TV channel list that includes PBS, Noggin, and only morning Disney shows I have no idea where she got in touch with her classic rock roots, but her serious rock star face included furrowed brow and pouting lips was almost too much for me to handle. When she started the around the world guitar waving, I felt it was time to call it a night.

A wee bit excited about tomorrow night's concert,

CarrieAnne