
Every
song on My 'Magination tells a story from a child's point of view. Funny, stimulating,
and different, these tunes, as the CD title announces, encourage imagination,
visualization, and participation. Check out some lyrics. |
|

My
'Magination -- listen
and watch | lyrics | about
this song
I'm Making
Dinner -- listen
to MP3 | lyrics | about
this song
The Worst
Day of My Life -- listen
to MP3 | lyrics
| about this song
Marshmallows
-- listen
to MP3 | lyrics
| about this song
I See
What I See at the Sea
-- listen
to MP3 | lyrics
| about this song
PB+J
-- listen
to MP3 | lyrics
| about this song
I'm Proud
to Be Me -- about
this song
Buttering
Bread -- listen
to MP3 | lyrics
| about this song
If I Had
a Pet --
listen to MP3
| lyrics
| about this song
Wonderful
World -- about
this song
I Don't
Sleep Anymore --
listen to
MP3 |
lyrics
| about this song
top
 
Imagine
you're in an ice cream store. There are lots of flavors to sample Have a taste
of the songs from My
'Magination.
My 'Magination
Listen
and watch now!
more
about this song
CD
credits
I'm Making Dinner
Im making dinner
for my family tonight
And you can bet your breadsticks Ill do it right
Now Im not using
any recipe
But dont be afraid. Dont be afraid.
You gotta just trust me.
Cause
I made... Smashed potatoes with chocolate chips Toothpaste-coated asparagus
tips Goldfish swimming in lemonade Oh boy, this is the best meal I ever
made
[...and many more unusual dishes!] more
about this song

The
Worst Day of My Life Today was...the worst day
of my life Today was...the baddest day of all From the time I opened up
my eyes For all the whole day long Every single thing went wrong...wrong...wrong Walked
to school Dropped my lunch Middle
of the road Bus drove by Wheel went crunch Watched my lunch explode
[...and it gets worse!]
more
about this song

Marshmallows
What if you were throwing
a ball
And you found 10 marshmallows
stuck
to the wall...
Would you eat them? NO!
Would you eat them? UH-UH!
Would you eat them? YUCK! NO WAY!
What if you
were watering plants
And you found 9 marshmallows
crawling
with ants...
[and
counting down to a surprise at 1!]
more
about this song

I
See What I See at the Sea
When
I went down to the ocean shore
I saw a lot of things
I never saw before
So I'm going to go back
a whole lot more
To See What I See at the
Sea
There was a
non-flying saucer made out of shell
A floating jelly blobbo shaped like a bell
You can say it's a lie, but I gotta tell
That I See What I See at the Sea
[...seeing
it all through a child's eyes.]
more
about this song

PB+J
PB&J, Hey! Hey!
Sticky and
sweet. And so good to eat
Theres nothing like PB&J. Hey! Hey! Theres
nothing like PB&J.
PB&J,
Hey! Hey! On bread or on toast. I love it the most Theres nothing
like PB&J. Hey! Hey! Theres nothing like PB&J. I
take a bite here. It oozes out there I take a bite there. It squoozes out
here There's some in my ear!. There's some in my hair! Its drippin-drippin-drippin-drippin
everywhere! [Dee-lish...and
very messy!]
more
about this song

Buttering
Bread
"It might not look
like butter
It might not look like bread
This gloppy gunk might look like junk
But it tastes great," I said
I may
not do it like everyone else
I do it my way instead
Although it might
not be quite right. I'm buttering my bread.
[...a
good way to think about yourself.]
more
about this song

If
I Had a Pet If I had a pet
Oh, what fun we would have
It could sleep in my room next to me
Id feed it and
love it Oh, how I would love it But I cant get my folks to agree
Cause
the pet that I want is a chimpanzee
And the name that Id give him is Jiminy
We could swing from a vine
In the trees if we pleased
And eat all the fruit we could find
No, no, not that banana. It's way too green.
How happy Id be
With my own chimpanzee
But I cant get my folks to agree
[...followed
by an insect, a marsupial, and a fish!]
more
about this song

I
Don't Sleep Anymore Bedtime makes me madder
than mad Meaner than meanest, badder than bad. My mom says Goodnight,
and my daddy agrees Saying, Go up the stairs and to sleep, if you please.
Just why should I listen? Im right to ignore. Im different because
I dont sleep anymore. [...and
many, many more reasons.] more
about this song

top

My
'Magination -- Listen to it now!
The CD's title song, "My 'Magination," is
very visual. Once in the mood, it's easy to imagine "growing striped tomatoes"
or exploring "a planet made of cardboard" (just give a kid a large cardboard
box and watch the imaginative possibilities unfold). By the end of the song, it's
you who "can go anywhere" and "be anyone." It'll make kids
dance.
lyrics

I'm
Making Dinner A child left alone in the kitchen....
The outcome could be very messy, and almost certainly not edible. "Making
Dinner" is a child's desire for self-actualization...and a parental nightmare.
Do not try this at home!
lyrics

The
Worst Day of My Life Every child has terrible
days from time to time. I wrote "The Worst Day of My Life" to let kids
see that even if "every single thing went wrong, wrong, wrong," the
day can still turn out great when a little love is added. Thank you, Grandma.
lyrics

Marshmallows
Counting backwards from ten to one, "Marshmallows"
demands participation as more marshmallows are found in the unlikeliest of places.
And you get to yell "YUK!"
lyrics

I
See What I See at the Sea
What could be better
than a day at the seashore? "I See What I See at the Sea" is a trip
to the beach...interpreted as only a child could. This song has been used in pre-school
and kindergarten as part of a nature curriculum.
lyrics

PB+J
I actually wrote this song while eating a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich. My original manuscript has the smears and stains to
prove it! "PB&J" celebrates (with a not-too-loud, but very lively
lead guitar) the unavoidability of stickiness. The reality of Lunch. lyrics

I'm
Proud to Be Me
I first heard this tune
when I was four. I memorized it ...and never forgot
it. Its title says it all. I think it helped me form
my view of the world and my relationships with others.
It was on an album entitled "Little Songs on Big
Subjects" (out-of-print for decades).

Buttering
Bread This song celebrates kids who like what
they do...even if what they do doesn't look like what everyone else expects. It
was inspired by a three-year-old who, after a playmate disparaged a picture she
had drawn, told me it didn't bother her. "She said it was ugly, but I didn't
care because I think it's beautiful." I like that spirit. lyrics

If
I Had a Pet Some families have dogs. Some have
cats. Some even have hamsters or mice. Every kid wants a pet. "If I Had a
Pet" tests the waters with a primate, an insect, a marsupial, and a fish.
And lets the child figure out why Mom and Dad might be rejecting the suggestions. lyrics

Wonderful
World
I wanted to sing about
how good life can be. "Wonderful World" is
a medley of two terrific tunes. Snippets from the song
Louis Armstrong made famous are wrapped around another
song from "Little Songs on Big Subjects."
I'd be proud to have written either of these.

I
Don't Sleep Anymore "Can't I watch TV until
this is over?" "Please read me another book?" "I need a drink
of water." Every parent has heard why their kids don't want to go to bed.
As the non-sleeper in this song states, "All that stuff is easy. I do so
much more!" "I Don't Sleep Anymore" takes the excuses and explanations
to imaginative heights. lyrics

top

All
songs: words · Steve Cotler · Pobba Publishing (BMI), music ·
Doug Cotler · Wail and Blubber Music (BMI), © 1996, except Marshmallows
and Buttering Bread © 2002, and also except Im Proud
to Be Me by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer, and Wonderful World medley:
It Could Be a Wonderful World by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer, Argosy Music/Oliver
Music (ASCAP) and What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss and
Robert Thiele, Abilene Music/Quartet Music/Range Road Music (ASCAP)
Pobba:
vocals
Doug
Cotler: backup vocals, whistling, guitar,
kazoo, and vacuum cleaner tube
Troy Dexter: every
other instrument and the closet door (except on Im
Proud to Be Me and My Magination
Eric Jorgensen:
trombone, Mike Nelson:
woodwinds, D. Jon Papenbrook:
trumpet, Freebo:
tuba).
Abi Cotler: backup
vocals and finder (at age 3) of a "mahshmallow
bhind the gahbage"
Ariana Cotler: backup
vocals
Taylor Dexter (age
10) & Jordana Epstein
(age 10): kids voices on "Marshmallows"
Produced by:
Troy Dexter & Doug
Cotler
Engineered
by Troy Dexter at The Green Room, Chatsworth, CA, assisted by Tracey Brown
Design: Emily Cotler,
Waxcreative Design
Illustrations and Hand Lettering: Henry Zaballos
(age 9) & Lily Zaballos (age 6)
Photos: Deborah
Sherman, deborah sherman
photography
Thanks to Andy
& Peggy Newman for earliest encouragement. For Zippy, Pobbas
first grandchild top |