Just One Step

Remember the race
between the tortoise and hare
Rabbit said the turtle
would never get there
But the turtle kept going,
step by step
and won while the rabbit slept

If you take just one step
You'll get closer, you'll get closer
If you take just one step
You'll get closer,
you'll get there. (repeat)

Every book in the library
starts with one word,

don't you see
and word by word
a book becomes your friend
you can read and
then read again.

Chorus

Some people I know,
they just can't agree
They argue and argue to infinity
but one word of kindness,
a word to the wise
can bring peace and a compromise

Chorus

You Can't Buy the Sun

Oh, you can't buy the sun
with dollars and dimes (3X)
'cause it rises every morning
and it shine, shine, shines
No, you can't buy the sun
with dollars and dimes

Oh, you can't buy the ocean
with a sack of gold (3X)
'cause the water's too deep
and the water's too cold
No, you can't buy the ocean
with a sack of gold

Oh, you can't buy love
with diamonds and pearls (3X)
'cause love's a lot bigger than
this little old world
No, you can't buy love
with diamonds and pearls

Yo-Yo Yodel

I've got a yo-yo in my pocket
I always carry it around
and when I'm feelin' blue
or got nothin' to do
I just yo-yo up and down

Well, some folks think I'm crazy
but I think I'm just fine
‘cause when my yo-yo twirls
and goes around the world
I get a shiver up and down my spine.

Chorus
Yo yodel, yodel-laydee yodel
yo yodel, yodel-laydee-hoo
yo yodel, yodel-laydee yodel
yo yodel, yodel-layde-hoo

Bridge
Yodel-laydee-hoo
yo-yo yodel-laydee-hoo
yodel-laydee-hoo
yodel-laydee-hoo
yodel-laydee-hoo
yo-yo yodel-laydee-hoo
yo-yo yodel-yodel-laydee
yo-yo yodel-yodel-laydee-hoo

I'm learnin' how to rock the baby
but I can walk the dog most any time
you can't do this maneuver
on your fancy computer
bet you a dollar to a dime

So if you want to learn to yo-yo
you need a yo-yo and some string
then in a while
you'll begin to smile
and then you'll start to sing

Chorus

(You Don't Have to be Irish to Sing) An Irish Song

I've never been to Dublin
Never kissed the Blarney stone
No, I've never been to Ireland
No, Ireland's not my home
But when e'er I hear a hornpipe
I just have to sing along
Oh, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song

Sing along, sing along
No, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song
Not everyone's o lucky
to have seen a leprechaun
No, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song

So, your mother comes from Africa
Your father's half-Chinese
a little bit Israeli
some Dutch and Portuguese
Your name may be Muhammed,
Betty, Sue or Juan
Well, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song

Chorus
Not everyone's so lucky
to have shamrocks for a lawn ...

From Limerick to Luanda
From Belfast to Oslo
From Donegal to Mumbai
From Cork to San Paulo
From Waterford to Sidney
From Galway to Hong Kong
No, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song

Chorus
Forget about your differences
Let bygones be by-gone
No, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song

Chorus
I hear the words are written
upon the Parthenon
No, you don't have to be Irish
Even though it's kind of stylish
No, you don't have to be Irish
to sing an Irish song

Emily's Dance

Uncle Jonathan

I love my Uncle Jonathan
He drives a big, red truck
and what other people throw away
my Uncle Jon picks up
So every Thursday after school
we roam the neighborhood

and we pick up all kinds of things
Uncle Jon says "still looks good"

Like glass bottles - toot, toot
Like tin cans - clank, clank, clank
Like plastic pails - boom, baba, boom
Like newspaper - shucka, shucka, shucka

Allergies

Dogs, cats, trees
make me sneeze
It's no fun
when your nose runs

dust, mold, grass
big, red rash
cough and wheeze
I hate all-er-gies

I have lots and lots of all-er-gies
everything around me makes me sneeze
medicine and all these hankerchiefs
they don't work and give me no relief

I feel so sick I think I have the flu
these nothing that my mom or dad can do
all this stuff is floating in the air
allergies are dumb and just not fair.
Ah-Choo!

Julia Noon's Balloon

Julia Noon
bought a balloon
blue as the sky
round as the moon.
Now I will try
to make it fly
up to the moon
higher than high
Julia Noon's balloon
Julia Noon
sent her balloon
up through the skies
up to the moon
but a strong breeze
stirred in the trees
rocked the bright moon
tossed the great seas
Julia Noon's balloon
Julia Noon
and her balloon
caught by the breeze
flew to the moon
up past the trees
over the seas
up to the moon
swift as you please
And did I forget
They've not come down yet
Julia Noon's balloon

My Picture of You

There's a picture I carry always
right here in my school backpack
It's of just you and me
standing by an old tree
I remember you just like that

And on days when I'm feeling lonely
I look at my picture of you
I remember your smile
and you're here for a while
and I'm feeling not so blue

Look outside, it's a sunny day
kids singing songs, holding hands
look outside, it's a sunny day
and today will be grand

Now my teacher is smiling at me
Time to put my ol' picture away
but when each morning starts
you'll be here in my heart
and we'll share another day

Yellow Flower

Rain drop, rain drop
falling down, down
Rain drop, rain drop
falling down, and down

I'm a little yellow flower
waiting for the sun to shine
I'm a little yellow flower
waiting for the sun to shine

Sunshine's bright
Golden light
Sunshine, sunshine
All is right

My Grandma Turned 91

When my Grandma turned ...

91 She wrestled with an alligator just for fun
92 She dyed her hair red, white and blue
93 She climbed to the top of a coconut tree
94 She danced on the ceiling and she danced on the floor
95 She ate some broccoli and she survived
96 She built a house out of popsicle sticks
97 She rode a roller coaster straight to heaven
98 She jumped right over those pearly gates
99 She came back home for dinner time
1-0-0 She said, "You gotta move faster, cuz you're movin' too slow!"
101 She said, "This song is over, this song is done!"
102 She said, "I'm serious! I thought I told you, this song is over!"

Firestation

There's a firestation down the street
And a Fire Chief whose name is Pete
And when someone calls in 9-1-1
All the firemen and -women run

(You gotta) ring the bell ... clang, clang, clang
Slide down the pole ... whoo-wee!
Start the fire engine ... rummm, rummm
Sound the siren ... eeeerrrr, eeeerrrr
Run on the hose ... whoosh, whoosh
Climb the ladder ... climb, climb, climb
Save the kitty ... mee-oow!
Fire's out! ... phweew ...

My Triangle

It's a little song
I learned to play on my triangle
It's a little song
I learned to play on my triangle

(and) if you play along
with this simple little song
you can play it all day long
and never ever get it wrong

It's a little song
I learned to play on my triangle.
It's a little song
I learned to play on my triangle.

Not a circle round
and you know it's not a square
and it makes a ting, ting sound
when you tap it lightly there

lie, la lie, la lie ...

Opposite Blues

I'll be in
I'll be out
I'll be in
I'll be out

I'll be in and out
Before the sun goes down

In/out
Hot/cold
Big/small
Loud/soft
(I will) smile/frown
(I'll go) mm/ah, ah

Staten Island Cowboy

I'm a Staten Island Cowboy
riding on a subway train
all these people rushin' ‘round me
like cattle on an open plain
I love the rumble of the subway
the cars connect like one big chain
I'm a Staten Island cowboy
riding on a subway train

I hear it's awful hot in Texas
I know it's awful cold in Maine

California's got those earthquakes
Georgia's got those hurricanes
I know every stop and turnstile
from Wall Street to Jamaica Plain
I'm a Staten Island cowboy
in New York City I'll remain