Bedtime Singing

During tonight's bedtime song, Madeleine became deeply invested in uncovering the underlying meaning to the lyrics of "A Little Help from My Friends":

MADELEINE: Mama?  Can you sing me a song?

ME: What song would you like?

MADELEINE: Uh..."O little help from my friends."

ME: Okay.  (singing) What would you think if I sang out of tune...

MADELEINE: Mama?  Is it Paul McCartney singing this song?

ME: No, it's Ringo Starr.  (continuing the song)

MADELEINE: But Mama?  Is it a little boy?

ME: No.  

MADELEINE: But Mama.  Why NOT?

ME: Because it's a man.  (singing) What do you do when your love is away?  Does it worry you to be alone?

MADELEINE: But Mama?  Where's his MOM?

ME: Uh...I don't know.

MADELEINE: But Mama.  WHO'S his Mom?

ME: I don't know.  (singing) How do you feel by the end of the day?  Are you sad because you're on your own?

MADELEINE: But Mama.  He HAS to have a MOM!

ME: Oh yeah?

MADELEINE: Mama.  Is he ALL ALONE?

ME: Uh...yeah.

MADELEINE: But Mama.  Is he SAD?

ME: Uh...no.  Because he has his friends.

MADELEINE: But Mama.  What do his friends HELP him with?

ME: Uh, I guess...well, if he's lonely, then he can have his friends come over, and keep him company.

MADELEINE: But Mama.  Why?

Because Madeleine.  They'll probably ALL DO DRUGS TOGETHER and then he'll go off to HAPPY LAND.

At any rate, once I was finally able to finish the song, Madeleine was eager for yet another lullaby.

MADELEINE: Mama?  NOW can you sing me "Five Little Laps?"

ME: "Five Little Laps?"  What are you talking about?  I don't think I know that song!

MADELEINE: Here, Mama, I'll sing it to you...(singing) Five Little Laps, on the top of a roof-

I then interrupted her beautiful rendition to get my video camera.  Since her lights were off, the video quality is extremely dark, but you can at least hear the music:

Once she had finished her song, I settled in for snuggles, but it turns out Madeleine wasn't quite done with lullaby time yet.

MADELEINE: Okay, so, Mama.  Now can you sing me "Five Little Laps?"

ME: Uh...I don't really think I know how it goes.  

MADELEINE: No Mama.  Can you SING it?

ME: Well, I don't really remember the words.  But you got to sing it to me!  So I sang YOU a song, and then you sang ME a song!

MADELEINE: Uh, no, Mama.  The CD was just playing and playing the MUSIC of "Five Little Laps."  

ME: Oh, that wasn't you singing it?  It was a CD?

MADELEINE: Yeah.  So Mama?  NOW can you sing it to me?

ME: Honey, I don't think I really remember how it goes.  I think I need to listen to the video a bunch of times to learn it.

MADELEINE: Here Mama.  I will sing it for you AGAIN.

She then launched into a second rendition of "Five Little Laps."  The lyrics this go-round were almost entirely unrelated to the lyrics the first time around.  All I really remember is that the second time ended with the words: "And then I gobbled up my baaaaagel!"

MADELEINE: Okay, Mama, so NOW can you sing it to me?

ME: Uh...okay...

I sang what few lyrics I actually remembered, doing about a four-line version of the song, ending with the gobbling my bagel part, and said, "Okay!  I sang it!  Now it's time for bed!"

MADELEINE: Uh, Mama.  You have to do it a LOT OF TIMES.  It's a LONG SONG.

Oh, for goodness sake.

I gave her the choice of me leaving to go study the video to learn the words for tomorrow's lullaby, or me skipping the song and staying to snuggle.  She chose snuggles, leaving me off the hook (at least temporarily).  

So, on that note, I'm off to listen to the video and gobble up my baaaaaagel.