I want a girl with the right allocations
Who’s fast and thorough
And sharp as a tackShort Skirt, Long Jacket
Every Monday through Friday I get to have the relational experience of driving my daughters to and from school. This is a special time. For better or for worse, I am in a confined space with my kids. They can’t go anywhere (although, our first month home Kelly did try to open the door while driving down the highway). I control the speakers, quiet or loud, and conversation can flourish (or occasionally, drowned out by Alt-Country).
Often the drive is emotionally draining. Kelly and Monica are typical sisters. They like to bicker and get under each others’ skin. Our Honda Element puts them RIGHT next to each other and hands and feet invade spaces. They always want Papi to referee, even though I try to have them work it out.
Our little toaster car often becomes a music laboratory. One of my dearest possessions is a 30 gigabyte iPod packed with all the songs I own. Over the past year I’ve introduced my daughters to their Papi’s musical tastes. And it cracks me up to see what sticks.
For example, they absolutely ADORE Cake. Every morning, for the past (no joke) 3 months they’ve asked me to play “Short Skirt, Long Jacket”. Short Skirt is easy to chant, there’s an echoing portion, and Monica can clearly pronounce the lyrics. It’s also a fairly wholesome song – a description of a modern day woman who kicks butt (although, obviously, still being objectified).
I spent all day yesterday watching the grass grow,
what I learned was grass really growed slow.
Now I’m hanging around trying to get inspired,
punch a hole in my cage and a retell it blind,
she said
have patience,
everything will be alright
have patience,
give me just a little more time,
everything will be alrightHave Patience
Monica also attached herself to a folk song called “Patience” by a group named Redbird. She calls it “her song”. The simply beauty of this favorite song is that Monica often displays an astounding ability to have patience (particularly when compared to Kelly). I love the thought of this song meandering through her mind when she remembers her life churning chaos and, then, the slow realization that the line “everything will be alright” is actually coming true. In the car, she belts the chorus with all her heart and never wants it to end.
When I hear that trumpet sound
I will lay my burdens down
I will lay them deep into the ground
Then I’ll know that I am glory boundI’ll be travelling far from home
But I won’t be looking for to roam
I’ll be crossing o’er the great divide
In a better home soon I will resideHallelujah, hallelujah
Glory Bound
Kelly, too, has her favorite song. It’s called “Glory Bound” by the Wailin’ Jennys. Kelly likes to chirp “Papi, play that hallelujah song” when we hit the hills of the west side of Cincinnati. On our morning commutes, “Glory Bound” serves as a peacemaker song. The girls may be fighting, yelling, and crying – but when I play “Glory Bound” they stop their spats and happily sing “Hallelujah, hallelujah” with as much as air as their lungs will hold. It may be out of tune (usually is), but it comes from their heart and, more than once, has caused me to tear up.
Were I to make any generalizations, I’d say they favor folk over rock. They’re big on easy melodies and simple harmonies. They really like spirituals and hymns (I love that). They sometimes go on “God Bless America” cycles, singing it over and over and over. Christmas jingles will last all year. And, yes, that do sing Justin Bieber songs while walking out the door of school (I certainly don’t play that for them).
Currently the three of us are on a Radical Face kick. In particular, there’s a beautiful, simple tune called “Doorways” that makes me think of my childhood and the one I’m trying to create for my daughters. Turns out the artist made a video and posted it on YouTube. A good way to end my post.