兒歌 兒歌

很多準媽媽都聽莫扎特作胎教，懷孕那時我對胎教沒甚研究；卻因辦公室長期播放音樂，我兒幾乎是流行音樂養大的。回想起當時播放的音樂有新有舊，但當中亦不乏經典如 Nirvana、Bob Marley、Grace Jones、Pink Floyd…等。而在家又因為老公玩 Hip Hop，所以兒子對音樂的接受程度很廣。嬰孩期聽過純音樂和古典，希望柔和的樂章能伴他入睡。幼兒期開始聽傳統 Nursery rhymes。Nursery rhymes 主要都是那些英語的經典童謠。短短幾句沒有什麼遠大理想，歌詞反而有點莫名其妙或很傻氣。但因為句子精簡又押韻 (所以才叫 rhymes)，孩子很易啷啷上口，兒子歲半左右便會跟音樂邊唱邊跳。如 Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme 《Hickory dickory dock》的歌詞，旋律簡單，歌詞又押韻易唱：

Hickory dickory dock,

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

 The mouse ran down,

 Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock,

The bird looked at the clock.

The clock struck two,

 Away she flew,

 Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock,

The dog barked at the clock.

The clock struck three,

 Fiddle-de-dee,

 Hickory dickory dock.....

當然除了傳統童謠外，The Wiggles ，澳洲 ABC電視台兒童節目 Play School 節錄的兒歌也是兒子很愛的，這些新派兒歌，旋律輕快，深受孩子愛戴。記得小時候，在幼稚園裡從未唱過一首廣東童謠是我喜歡的。與英語或國語童謠不一樣，廣東童謠的歌詞不押韻 ，甚至乎沒有一個字能配合樂章的音符；唱起來極繞口，所以也沒有讓兒子聽或學唱。

除了英語童謠外，兒子也聽 World Music、兒童 House，和兒童合唱團重新演釋的經典流行曲如 Beatles 等。非主流的我們很喜歡專輯 《Alphabutt》 by Kimya Dawson and friends。無論音樂與歌詞都有點 quirky 的兒歌，是聽 Mother Goose Rhymes 聽到有點「作悶」時的一股清泉。兒子的心水選擇有：louie，the Smoothie Song， Babby-O and Wiggle my tooth。不過音樂與歌詞都有點瘋狂，所以聽這專輯不用太認真；想聽歌學英文就更加別拿這 CD 作教材，因為全部歌曲都是玩味十足的輕鬆之作，其中 Alphabutt 的歌詞更不乏屎尿屁。> . <  我個人喜歡的是《Happy Home》。收錄於同一專輯，卻像是給哄嬰兒入睡的媽媽聽。

The Smoothie Song -- Kimya Dawson

Hey papa make mama a smoothie, make mama a smoothie right now
Hey papa make mama a smoothie, cuz when mama drinks a smoothie little baby goes wild

And it starts splashing and explicing like a school of little fishes as if school of little fish was in me
Then blub blub blub, like a fart in a tub, like a fart in a tub inside of me
And then the head and butt start rolling like two balls bowling perfect games on the lanes inside of me
Then a great big kick got founder my ribs that feels like nothing else but assures me of the health and the length and the strength of my little baby

Because when baby is feeling lazy, mama goes crazy thinking something's wrong
And then mama runs to papa and she sings him this little song

Hey papa make mama a smoothie, make mama a smoothie right now
Hey papa make mama a smoothie, cuz when mama drinks a smoothie little baby goes wild

(歌詞很爆笑，孕婦聽完會覺得似曾相識嗎?)

 

Happy Home -- Kimya Dawson

There was a time in my life that I felt so all alone
That I never thought that someday I would have a happy home
A family and a four track radio shack microphone
A backyard and a hammock and a paid off student loan
A backyard and a hammock and a paid off student loan

So if you see me and I'm dreaming
About selling socks on ebay
Shake me hard till I'm awake
Stitches will unravel, the stitches will unravel
The stitches will unravel if you knit with fishing line
Though your cast will be refined
You'd be better off with twine

When I was a kid we would play Annie at recess
I was always Sandy because I was the smallest
From all that crawling on the blacktop
There were holes in all my jeans,
In the toes of my bowed shoes but I never complained
Because I didn't think that I could sing
See I never perfected that nasally thing
All the kids sang in the school play
Now I know it's better if we don't all sound the same
Now I know it's better if we don't all sound the same

So if you hear me and I'm screaming
About auditions for Annie
I hope you will try out with me
There are parts for everybody
And you don't need to be the dog unless you like being the doggy

He's up against a team that he has never seen before
And they march into the outfield like they're marching off to war
It's a good one out to right field but they're quick and make the play
And as the curtain closes he just bows and walks away
Singing, "If you're breathing you are living
If you're living you are learning
So write and write and keep on writing
Just make sure your life's exciting"

So if you see me and I've joined the roller derby
Know that I've become something I always wanted to be
Fast and strong and part of a team

Teacher, thanks for everything
You said "If you're breathing you are living
If you're living you are learning
So write and write and keep on writing
Just make sure your life's exciting
Write and write and keep on writing
Just make sure your life's exciting
Write and write and keep on writing
Just make sure your life's exciting
Just make sure your life's exciting
Just make sure your life's exciting

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