So… maybe you have noticed this before but… songs rhyme.
And if you’ve ever looked at a printout of song lyrics, the words are broken into funny lines, you know? That’s called “poetic line.”
So. When you’re singing a song… that’s poetry!
I sing to my boys a lot. Not that I am a great vocalist – I am an alto who prefers to harmonize because my range is limited! How’s that for a description?
We sing everything from lullabys to Patch the Pirate to the States & Capitals song and Bible songs.
But what my boys have been asking me to sing most often at bedtime is a little ditty my youngest calls, “Dig-Dig!”
We’ll snuggle up in bed, and I’ll start singing Rock-a-Bye or Jesus Loves Me. He’ll put his hand over my mouth and say, “Stop! Stop!” When I stop he whispers, “Dig-Dig!”
And he won’t let up until I sing it. Dig-Dig is a song I made up myself on the spur of the moment one night when the boys started asking for songs about planes, tractors, excavators, and blimps. (Yes, blimps. They drew their inspiration from their transportation wall stickers!).
So, my point today is: songs are poetry.
Thanks to my experience with the Music Together program, I’m pretty confident at slinging together impromptu song lyrics on just about any topic – most of the time I can even get them to rhyme but if I don’t – who cares!
I generally don’t make up my own tunes, but borrow from familiar children’s songs.
Dig-Dig is sung to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. Don’t ask why – when I make up songs, I just randomly pick a tune and start throwing words at it. Figuratively speaking. I don’t think very hard about it at all. The boys love anything I say or sing – isn’t that a great age?
Sing to your children – it’s just like singing a poem to them! Create your own song-poems out of nothing – it’s easy and fun!
And without further ado, here’s the Dig-Dig song lyrics:
There was a guy who loved to dig
He dug and dug all DAY-O!
Dig-Dig-Dig-a-Hole
Dig-Dig-Dig-a-Hole
Dig-Dig-Dig-a-Hole
He dug a hole all DAY-O!
He dug a hole so very big,
He dug a hole all DAY-O!
Dig-a-hole-so-BIG
Dig-a-hole-so-BIG
Dig-a-hole-so-BIG
He dug a hole so BIG-O!
He dumped the dirt into a truck
He dumped the dirt away-O!
Dump-the-dirt-away
Dump-the-dirt-away
Dump-the-dirt-away
He dumped the dirt away-O!
The truck it hauled the dirt away
It hauled the dirt away-O!
Haul-the-dirt-away
Haul-the-dirt-away
Haul-the-dirt-away
It hauled the dirt away-O!
And then the digging was all done
He dug a hole all DAY-O!
Digging-was-all-done
Digging-was-all-done
Digging-was-all-done
He dug a hole all DAY-O!
I think I’ll probably get a Grammy for that or something. In the “Trucks and Tractor Songs” category. But… if your little boys ever ask you for an excavator song? Now you’ll be well prepared!
Have you ever made up songs for your kids? Do you remember any lyrics? Share some below!
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Trisha W.
Friday 17th of October 2014
What a cute song and a good memory for your boys.
Trisha W.
Friday 17th of October 2014
What a cute song and a good memory for your boys.
Cynthia Lee
Friday 17th of October 2014
when I taught poetry for our homeschool co-op, I started out with songs. And for that particular age group, ( teens ), we explored a lot of hip hop. yes, songs are definitely poems.
Cynthia Lee
Friday 17th of October 2014
when I taught poetry for our homeschool co-op, I started out with songs. And for that particular age group, ( teens ), we explored a lot of hip hop. yes, songs are definitely poems.
Jen @ Growing in Faith
Friday 17th of October 2014
My Dad always made up songs when I was growing up....he has a gift! But that's rubbed off onto me. So when I'm at their house, I'm always singing to their dogs, or if my nephew is there, he gets my songs. :) But he seems to like them, and Dad is always singing songs too!
It just makes the house so much fun!