Aide-mémoire and Songs to Remember

Patrick has been learning some techniques at school to help with his spelling. They use silly sentences to help the children remember how to spell simple words. 

For example, to spell ‘was,’ remember ‘worms and slugs,’ for

‘saw,’ remember slugs and worms. ‘Said’ is ‘silly ants in dustbins.’

Generally this works quite well, until you get to the longer sentences.

The latest sentence, to help spell the word ‘because,’ was ‘big elephants can’t always use small exits.’ Simple right?

Unless, you are Patrick. “I know this,” he says excitedly, “b, e, c.... big elephants can’t ....always go through little exits.....b,e,c,a”

Nope, not going to help  -  becagtle? – not even close.

At breakfast the other morning the children were all trying to remember a song they had heard.

“Naa, na, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na...chasing the sun” sings Patrick.

“No it isn’t that,” says Emilia, and trills  “It’s Naa, na, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na. ...face in the sun.”

“Isn’t it place in the sun?” I ask (not singing it)

“No it is not,” Patrick assures me, and he is off again singing “it is Naa, na, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na....chasing the sun.”

“No”, counters Emilia, “it’s (sings)Naa, na, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na, naa, naa, na, na, na....face in the sun!”

And on and on the tuneful argument goes. We never discovered, who was right, could be all of them for all I know. I did recognise the song but I’m clueless about the lyrics.

I love how they mishear lyrics. My nephew Charlie, believes the words to  ‘Moves Like Jagger’ to be ‘Move my Dragon’ and sings “ooohh, ooh,ooh, ooh,ooh, I’ve got to move my dragon..........moooooooove my dragon!’

I know a few adults too, who have been unknowingly, wrongly singing lyrics for years.  One recent correction made in our family was the line from the Feed the World Christmas song, which was believed to be “the greatest gift they’ll get this year is RICE’ rather than, the rather more powerful ‘life.’

The children like to sing the grace from school, which goes to the tune of the Addams Family.

Lord, we are so grateful

For every cup and plateful

Lord we are so grateful

We’re in your family

Da da da da (with clap)Thank You

Da dad a da (with clap) A – Men

Rachel, either, because she can’t remember it, or because she can’t be bothered, sings:

“Arfa, arfa, plateful” and joins in the clapping and da da da das.

She clearly feels she is only getting half a plateful so why should she be grateful?

Emilia is constantly singing show tunes. We were trying to remember the words to ‘Maybe’ from Annie, while out walking the other day.

Emilia sings “Maybe in a house, all hidden by a hill,

She may be playing piano, he may be straightening his tie”

“I don’t think that is right Emilia” I say “the first line needs to rhyme with tie”

“I know,” she says, “it is (sings)‘maybe real near by, or maybe far away, she maybe pouring his coffee, he maybe paying a bill.’”

“No Emilia, it is easy, listen for the rhyme,” I sing the ‘hidden by a hill’ line, rhyming it with the ‘paying a bill’ and point out that nearby must follow far away to rhyme with 'tie.'

Yes, she says, “I’ve got it, Maybe far away or maybe real nearby, he maybe pouring her coffee, he may be playing a bill.”

So frustrating! After every correction we make – she has to sing through all of the other catchier verses, that she has remembered:

Betcha they're young
Betcha they're smart
Bet they collect things
Like ashtrays, and art!
Betcha they're good -- 
(Why shouldn't they be?) 
Their one mistake 
Was giving up me! 

So maybe now it's time,
And maybe when I wake 
They'll be there calling me "Baby"... 
Maybe. 

Betcha he reads
Betcha she sews
Maybe she's made me
A closet of clothes!
Maybe they're strict
As straight as a line... 
Don't really care
As long as they're mine! 

After much discussion, of whose doing what for whom, and where, we finally got it.

Emilia, at the top of her voice, sings beautifully, much to the amusement of other Leith Hill walkers.

“Maybe far away
Or maybe real nearby
He may be pouring her coffee
She may be straightening his tie!
Maybe in a house
All hidden by a hill
She's sitting playing piano,
He's sitting paying a bill!”

And then the rest of it, again and again....Painful or what? 

At least it was an inoffensive song. Unlike the ones we used to sing as children.

My brother aged 3 said to my Father,

“I want to hear the shit song?”

“I beg your pardon, Nicholas?” said Dad, appalled but intrigued. “How on earth does that go?”

Nicholas sings “I’d like to teach the world to sing and furniSHIT with love.”

I think we’ll stick with Annie.