Children’s Songs
Each of these four songs is accompanied by a fully illustrated children’s book.
Other Albums
Ned + Hank + Ernesto + Blue : Lyrics
Hank the Owl was very small, Not much bigger than a ping pong ball
But he grew a bit, and in the fall, He headed off to school
Hank learned to count from one to ten, He wrote his journal with a pen
He even drew stuff now and then, But Hank the Owl loved vowels ..he’d sing :
A is for hay and not for croquet, today’s okay, I could play all day and
E is for bee and a cup of tea, a tall green tree and the deep blue sea and
I is for flies on the apple pie, a big glass eye and not good-bye but
O is when I HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!
Hank listened hard at storytime, And on the monkeybars he’d climb
He learned that sharing was sublime, But mostly Hank loved vowels
The years went by so very fast, Hank the owl grew up at last
Lots of things left in the past, But Hanky still loved vowels.. ohhhh
A is for hay and not for croquet, today’s okay, I could play all day and
E is for bee and a cup of tea, a tall green tree and the deep blue sea and
I is for flies on the apple pie, a big glass eye and not good-bye but
O is when I HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!
Now Hank the owl is huge and white, He’ll race the moon on winter nights
He flies from dusk til morning light, And Hank the Owl loves vowels
Hank likes to eat forbidden fruit, He likes to hoot in his birthday suit
His love for hoots is absolute, Ohh Hanky loves his vowels
A is for hay and not for croquet, today’s okay, I could play all day and
E is for bee and a cup of tea, a tall green tree and the deep blue sea and
I is for flies on the apple pie, a big glass eye and not good-bye but
O is when I HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!
__
Ned the Nitpicker is a little red bird
With a beak so sharp it looks absurd
Deep down inside, Ned’s heart is kind, One thing disturbs his peace of mind
He’ll hold his breath, and Ned will wait , For someone (anyone) to make a mistake
He’ll pounce on them with sheer delight, Because Ned the Nitpicker.. loves to be right.
You’re doing it all wrong he'd shriek, I’m always right, use MY technique!
You said you’d be one minute more, I’ve been counting,]it’s been four.
I fear you’ve missed my point - but see.. If I talk louder, you’ll agree!
Where are you going? I’m not done! I’ll list my thoughts now, one by one.
His Friends said :
Why you gotta nitpick? Learn to use a chopstick
Find a new sidekick Travel til you’re homesick
Wear a different lipstick Watch a little slapstick
Pull off a hat trick Love until you’re heartsick
Just a little pinprick Hang out with a peacenik
Learn a new card trick Sail until you're seasick
But if you gotta nitpick I'm gonna have to ask quick
QUIT PICKING ON ME!
His friends got mad, they nearly popped..
They begged and begged him : PLEASE NED, STOP?
You always tell, you never ask Just ONCE can’t you let something pass?
It’s always your way or the highway.. You never let me do it MY WAY!
It’s been like this our whole life long.. Just once can’t you admit you’re wrong?
Ned picked his friends down to the bone Until they left him .. all alone.
The days crawled by, so dull and long And thoughts crept in, as time crept on
Ned looked back through his whole long life Was he REALLY always.. right?
Another thought then followed on.. Was Ned the Nitpicker just ..
scared to be wrong?
It’s true that..
You can pick a fight (but you really shouldn’t)
You can pick your nose, if nobody’s looking
You can pick a scab, when it gets real itchy
You can pick a pocket, if your fingers aren’t twitchy
You can pick a lock, if you lose your keys
But if you’ve gotta nitpick, I gotta say please…
QUIT PICKING ON ME!
And then there came that waited-for day When Ned said “Hey! Let’s try it your way!”
And learned it didn’t make him blue To try out other points of view
He learned at last to let it go And say so when he didn’t know
Laughed at himself, and thought he might
Rather be happy than be right.
Why you gotta nitpick? Learn to use a chopstick
Find a new sidekick Travel til you’re homesick
Wear a different lipstick Watch a little slapstick
Pull off a hat trick Love until you’re heartsick
Just a little pinprick Hang out with a peacenik
Learn a new card trick Sail until you're seasick
But if you gotta nitpick I'm gonna have to ask quick
QUIT PICKING ON ME!
__
Ernesto was a quiet armadillo
Ernesto the armadillo lived alone
Ernesto didn’t like to go out walking
Mostly Ernesto stayed at home
The midnight transport from Bernillo
Rumbled past his front door every night
Salido salido Ernesto
Come out wherever you are
OLE! Every morning! The truck drove by his door
OLE! Every evening! The truck came back for more.
Ernesto was tired of all the racket,
Ernesto was going to make his stand
He woke up but couldn’t find glasses
Still he went out and trudged across the sand.
The truck appeared on the horizon
The headlights called him to the road
Salido salido Ernesto
Come out wherever you are
OLE! The truck’s warning! The showdown had begun.
OLE! One split second. The armadillo was gone.
Salido salido Ernesto
Come out wherever you are
Salido salido Ernesto
Are you underneath that car?
Ernesto like every armadillo
Jumps three feet in the air when he is scared
He woke up in Miami in the morning
A rough ride on the grill no worse for wear
From that point on he stayed away from traffic
He felt content to breathe the fresh sea air
He made a quiet burrow by the ocean
And as far as I know he is still there
__
A little blue elephant lived in a zoo
His mama and papa lived there too.
He loved watching birds when they flew overhead
And he always asked when they put him to bed
.. “when will I fly?”
When you’re older you can dye your hair blue
When you’re older you can get a tattoo
You can ride your bicycle straight to Peru
When you’re older, maybe you'll fly
But the little blue elephant, lonely and bored
Wanted the secret of how the birds soared
He tried jumping higher, he tried flapping his ears
But they shook their heads and said (walk up GABC) “maybe next year”
When you’re older you can ride a big bike
When you’re older you can stay up all night
You can stop eating the things you dislike
When you’re older, maybe you'llfly
A wise old elephant the head of the herd
Took him aside and said this is absurd
You are an elephant give it some thought
Stop trying to be (walk up G-A-B-C) something you’re not
It’s true I’m an elephant he said to himself
But I’ve got this dream I believe in myself
I’ll fly through the air with the greatest of ease
I’m joining the circus (walk up GABC) to ride the trapeze
When I’m older I will fly through the air
I’ll feel the wind blow through my hair
I ain’t gonna sit in no rocking chair
When I’m older then I will fly.
When I’m older I will drive my own car
When I’m older I can be a rock-star
Eat only the cashews from a mixed nut jar
When I’m older then I will fly.
When I’m older I will sleep in my fort
I’ll put on high heels if I am short
I’ll only wear mittens as a last resort
When I’m older then i will fly.
When I’m older (walk up GABC) then i will fly.
