Pobba | Songs for Clever Kids

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
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more about this song

CD credits

I'm Making Dinner
I’m making dinner for my family tonight
And you can bet your breadsticks I’ll do it right
Now I’m not using any recipe
But don’t be afraid. Don’t 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!]

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!]

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!]

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.]

PB+J
PB&J, Hey! Hey!

Sticky and sweet. And so good to eat
There’s nothing like PB&J. Hey! Hey! There’s nothing like PB&J.

PB&J, Hey! Hey!
On bread or on toast. I love it the most
There’s nothing like PB&J. Hey! Hey! There’s 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!
It’s drippin-drippin-drippin-drippin everywhere!
[Dee-lish...and very messy!]

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.]

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
I’d feed it and love it
Oh, how I would love it
But I can’t get my folks to agree

Cause the pet that I want is a chimpanzee
And the name that I’d 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 I’d be
With my own chimpanzee
But I can’t get my folks to agree
[...followed by an insect, a marsupial, and a fish!]

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? I’m right to ignore.
I’m different because I don’t sleep anymore.
[...and many, many more reasons.]

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.

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.

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!"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 “I’m 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 “I’m 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 b’hind 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, Pobba’s first grandchild