February Album Writing Month

posted March 1, 2009

Once again, Katryna and I have managed to write 14 songs. Some are more realized than others. This year, we will be recording them more carefully and deliberately and posting one a month on this blog. But here are the titles just so you know we did our job:

1. Full Catastrophe
2. Falling, Given Wings
3. Grabba Labba Do
4. Together We Will Keep Each Other Company
5. If I Could Be Forever Young
6. Give Me a Goodbar, Madam Mama
7. Mama Told Me
8. Caterpillar/Butterfly
9. This Is Not A Song About Vermont
10.Appreciate the View (Appreciate the Boo)
11. Appreciate the View #2
12. I Am Half My Mother’s Age (Ash Wednesday #3)
14. Pelican Fish

“This Is Not A Song About Vermont” was written in the car in Naples, Florida. Tom saw a license plate from Vermont.

“Mama,” said Lila. “Sing dat song about Vermont.”

“OK,” I said, and sang:

I want to live in Vermont.
Everything is green in Vermont
Except when it is winter in Vermont
Then everything is white in Vermont.

“NO!!!” said Lila. “That’s not the song about Vermont!”

So I sang,

This is not the song about Vermont.
There’s a better song about Vermont
This is not the song that I want
I want the song about Vermont.

“NO!!!!” said Lila, her lower lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears. “Not that song! The other song about Vermont.”

When I find out what song she is talking about, I will let you know. Meanwhile, I will continue to torment you with the above. If you know the song about Vermont, please advise!

The Comments

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  1. Is it possible that Lila’s talking about “Moonlight in Vermont”? Is she listening to a lot of old standards around the house?

    Michael M.

  2. When my kids want me to sing something that I don’t recognize, I ask them to sing a bit of the song so I know which song they’re talking about. Most times, I am able to figure it out (and usually, they have simply misheard a word or two and created a new word that really isn’t in the song at all). If not, I usually have them “teach” me the song, and they’re so happy at teaching me something, they forget the tantrum.

    tm

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