Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Self-Analysis from my Three-Year-Old

From the drive down to our timeshare this last weekend (in the middle of her favorite sea shanty):

"But... I'm a good singer!"

Me: "Yes, baby, you are. Who told you that?"

"I just learned it by myself!"

10 comments:

Maren said...

And smart as a whip, too! What's her favorite sea shanty? Ours are "Eddy Stone Light", "Princess Pat", and "Who's that knocking at my door?".

Dave Y said...

Right now, it's Captain Kid, by Great Big Sea.

Anonymous said...

OK Maren, you must know a remarkably clean version of "who's that knocking at my door?" I know it as Barnicle Bill the Sailor" and it made most of us blush at our Pirates vs. Ninjas party a few months back.

Dave Y said...

Pirates v. Ninjas party!

Why didn't I hear about this?!

Jeff said...

So which are you, Dave?

The self-awareness of three-year-olds never ceases to shame me.

Maren said...

You're right about the title. I'm told there are preshcool versions and not-for-preschool versions of many of these. Here's the one I know:
(Ahem) Knocking on the floor comes first, then hand up to ear and using a very high voice
Whos' that knocking at my door, who's that knocking at my door? Who's that knocking at my door, said the fair young maiden.
The lowest voice you can muster
Yo-ho 'tis me; I'm home from the sea, said Barnacle Bill the sailor. Yo-ho 'tis me; I'm home from the sea, said Barnacle Bill the sailor.

Pretty tame, eh? But fun for 3 year old girls and boys (who are in the thick of gender idenitifaction) to have a song with high and low voices. I'm not sure I want to know how the original goes if it made pirates AND ninjas blush!

Anonymous said...

If you go to wikipedia and type Barnacle Bill, it gives you the lyrics. The ones given are fairly close to the ones sung on the version I found. Some slight added vulagrities on the recording. The line that caused the group to collectivley gasp/blush follows "what if we should have a child"

We are a motly bunch of very dirty minded people, but that line did have most of us reaching for the remote...

to rewind it and hear it again...

just to be sure.

Maren said...

Davey: I see what you mean.

Dave: Great stuff, that. There are several songs listed on that album that I know from when Quinn was in Newfoundland (Old Polina, Tickle Cove Pond). Do you recommend the whole album as appropriate for little sponges like Laurel? I listened to a bit of The Mermaid, and I wasn't so sure....

Dave Y said...

Yeah, The Mermaid is definitely the raciest song on there (lyrics).

Michelle has a little bit of concern for Hilde singing along on Captain Kidd with lines like 'And God's laws I did forbid, oh most wickedly I did...', but on the other hand I grew up listening to & singing along with Abba songs that I discovered much later were dirtier than I had any concept of as a child.

We weren't listening to the GBC album, but my Sea Shanties & Traditionals mix has several songs from it which are all big faves of the 3-yo set - Old Polina, Captain Kidd, and Harbor Lecou.

Anonymous said...

More appropriately, Old Polina is the 1 year old's favorite. Currently whenever we get in the car Hilde asks for Captain Kidd. As soon as it starts Enoch starts yelling, No, Old Polina!!!