when I started this blog five years ago, I was a pet sitter and the name animal-crackers made sense. now I'm a stay-at-home-dad and freelance writer, but rather than confuse everyone by getting a different blog, it's just easier to keep posting things here.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Gas Truck Song (or An Apology to David Byrne)
Since Josh was just six months old I'd sing to get him to sleep. John Lennon's "Imagine". Cowboy Junkies' "200 Miles". Kumbaya. Whatever it took to get him to sleep.
His favorite was Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection".
Then something happened several months ago. We started telling him bedtime stories and he no longer liked listening to the not-so-golden oldie. We'd sing some in the car -- "John Jacob Jingleheimer", "Grand Old Duke of York", etc. But not that often.
One of the problems is my car sucks. Cartime is the best time to sing. But my stereo barely works. So when Andree when into the hospital a little over a month ago, I started driving her car. I dug out some of my old CDs and away we went.
The first CD I grabbed -- Talking Heads' Sand in the Vaseline. The first song, "Life During Wartime."
"I don't like that song," Josh yelled from the booster seat behind me.
It's a good song. We'll just listen to it for a couple of minutes. I'll turn it down low. None of my pleas worked. He hated the song. Then I remembered he had his Matchbox garbage truck in his hands.
"But Josh, this is the Garbage Truck Song."
"The Garbage Truck Song?"
Yes, the Garbage Truck Song. We listened to it, and when it was finished Josh yelled "I want the Garbage Truck Song! I want it loud!"
We listened to it a few more times to and from the hospital and daycare. Of course, I wanted to listen to the whole CD. I tried the second song "Girlfriend is Better".
"I want the Garbage Truck Song! The Garbage Truck Song!"
"But this is the Gas Truck Song," I tried. It worked once.
"The Gas Truck Song?"
Now the whole CD has been renamed. The Tow Truck Song. The Ice Cream Truck Song. The Flower Delivery Truck Song. I can't keep them all straight, and he calls me on it when I get them confused.
That's all he wants to hear now. Talking Heads.
Then tonight, while I was getting him in bed, he started singing:
"Down, down in the basement, we hear the sound of machines."
For those who don't know, that's the second verse of the Gas Truck Song.
His favorite was Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection".
Then something happened several months ago. We started telling him bedtime stories and he no longer liked listening to the not-so-golden oldie. We'd sing some in the car -- "John Jacob Jingleheimer", "Grand Old Duke of York", etc. But not that often.
One of the problems is my car sucks. Cartime is the best time to sing. But my stereo barely works. So when Andree when into the hospital a little over a month ago, I started driving her car. I dug out some of my old CDs and away we went.
The first CD I grabbed -- Talking Heads' Sand in the Vaseline. The first song, "Life During Wartime."
"I don't like that song," Josh yelled from the booster seat behind me.
It's a good song. We'll just listen to it for a couple of minutes. I'll turn it down low. None of my pleas worked. He hated the song. Then I remembered he had his Matchbox garbage truck in his hands.
"But Josh, this is the Garbage Truck Song."
"The Garbage Truck Song?"
Yes, the Garbage Truck Song. We listened to it, and when it was finished Josh yelled "I want the Garbage Truck Song! I want it loud!"
We listened to it a few more times to and from the hospital and daycare. Of course, I wanted to listen to the whole CD. I tried the second song "Girlfriend is Better".
"I want the Garbage Truck Song! The Garbage Truck Song!"
"But this is the Gas Truck Song," I tried. It worked once.
"The Gas Truck Song?"
Now the whole CD has been renamed. The Tow Truck Song. The Ice Cream Truck Song. The Flower Delivery Truck Song. I can't keep them all straight, and he calls me on it when I get them confused.
That's all he wants to hear now. Talking Heads.
Then tonight, while I was getting him in bed, he started singing:
"Down, down in the basement, we hear the sound of machines."
For those who don't know, that's the second verse of the Gas Truck Song.
4 Comments:
ahahha! brilliant! thats so cute :)
betty
Shame on you, Todd -- doing that old parental trick of renaming songs so your kid will let you listen to them:) Wait until he is a teenager and you have to listen to whatever kind of music they will have by then on whatever kind of monstrous music machine you have to buy for him for (you all) to be forced to listen to his music on!
Suanne
..... sublime solution.
That is SO great! LOL!!!
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