I have two boys, 2 and 4. We listen to cool tunes, mostly a steady stream of New Order, Erasure with other goodies thrown in. I never realized what I was doing until this morning when I heard the youngest sing on his own “I wanna be adored” by the Stone Roses. There’s really only one verse over and over and it goes:
And if that wasn’t bad enough, my 4 year old knows most of the words to “Super Freak” by Rick James. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry when he sings
I’m sure the Child Protection folks will be knocking on the door any day. At least I’ve been careful not to play Eminem in front of them.
I lead an entire bus load of 5 year olds in a rousing version of “Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)” but I didn’t have to teach them the lyrics - they already knew them.
When my son was 6 years old he knew all the words to “Pasties and a G-String” by Tom Waits. When he was around 19 or so I asked him if he still remembered the words. He said, “Yeah, but NOW I know what they mean”.
my little sister sings “it wasn’t me” by shaggy a lot… she really belts it out when she hears it on the radio… sooooo embarrasing, especially when the window’s open…
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I used to entertain my babies while changing their diapers by belting out a revised version ---- “Dirt Diapers (Done Dirt Cheap).” They thought it was hilarious.
Hey — anything to keep them from squirming off the table until I could get the job done.
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When my daughter was in the 1st or 2nd grade there was a Sing in after-school. Littlegirl waited patiently for her turn on the stage. After two renditions of “I Believe I Can Fly”, one cute “Little Red Caboose” and three kids singing “Do Your Ears Hang Low” at the same time, my little princess went on and sang: An old man turned 98
he won the lottery and died the next day. . .
She knew all the words. How could she not when she and her mom spent the last week or so belting out all the songs on Alanis’ CD. I’m just glad she did’nt pick You Outta Know.
Denis Leery does a whole routine about getting a call from his son’s prestigious pre-school because the boy was acting inappropriately. The kid was singing “I’m An Asshole”. He told the administrator that there wasn’t much he could say to the boy considering he wrote and recorded the song himself.
My nephew has been singing (and liking) Black Sabbath for about three years, since he was about 4. He prefers Ozzy over the Ronnie James Dio incarnation, by the way.
Cooler kid than I was. I liked smarmy 70s ballads and pop hits until I discovered rock and roll at about the age of 12, spending a summer in Detroit with relatives.
One listen to my cousins’ Zeppelin debut album and Sweet’s “Desolation Boulevard,” and I was a changed young man.
When my daughter was in K1 (first year kindergarten) in Thailand last year, her school had a sort of talent/theatrical day where all the grades, K-12 displayed there stage abilities. She went American School where many monied Thais from high society send their children to get the best education.
As background, whereas Thailand tends to have a sort of immoral image in the western Media, the reality for most Thais is that they are hugely modest by Western standards. Holding hands in public or kissing before marriage can be taboo.
So imagine an auditorium full of proud Mamas and Papas with their camcorders at the ready to capture little Somsak or Arunee do something pleasant but innocent on stage.
Then imagine what must have been on their minds when the K1s came on stage, with all the little girls done up in satin latin dresses, off the shoulder, full Jon Benet Ramsey make up, hair set in gel, black stockings, etc, dancing in a Dirty Dancing/Lambada fashion to the Ricky Martin tune, She Bangs.
I am not sure why, but the next open house we went to featured the children in a much more traditional version of Little Red Riding Hood.
My husband is a blues musician. While my kids aren’t singing the words to the songs he performs yet, I know that someday they will. And I’ll be getting a call something like this:
Teacher: Excuse me, is this the Dianasaur’s mother?
Me: Yes, what have my daughter done today?
Teacher: Well, she was singing a song in class today…
Me: Uh oh.
Teacher: Mrs. Dianasaur, does your daughter know the meaning of the phrase, “I want to squeeze your lemon 'til the juice runs down your leg?”
While not dirty as such I believe I have the only children on the Eastern Shore of MD that know by heart all the lyrics to Laurie Anderson’s “From the Air” and “O Superman” and Kraftwerk’s “We are the Robots”.
Three Irishmen, three Irishmen, were digging in a ditch;
One called the other a dirty son of a
Beehive Corn Syrup, five cents a glass;
If you don’t like it, shove it up your
Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies,
If you get hit with a bucket of shit, be sure to close your eyes.
your song reminded me of one that was passed from older kids to me.
Miss Susie had a tugboat
The tugboat had a bell
Miss Susie went to heaven
The tugboat went to
Hello, operator
Please give me number nine
And if you disconnect me
I’ll kick you from
Behind the 'fridgerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Susie sat upon it
And broke her little
Ask me no more questions
I’ll tell you no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping up their
Flies are in the kitchen
The wasps are in the hive
Looking back, it makes absolutely no sense, but we got in trouble when we sang it full volume in the back of the bus