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Ballad of Owl and Rabbit

from The Wondarium: Songs For Kids by Jeni Hankins

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    The Wondarium started with a dream. I dreamed I was combing the beach for shells with my friend Alfred then a message came through the air from his wife Sarah. She said, "The Hippopotamus says bring her back some treasures."

    The next morning, I told my dream to Alfred over the telephone who later sent a chorus to me about Hippo. But before I'd heard his chorus, I'd written two verses about her as well. Once I listened to his chorus, I realized that my verses fit in with the rhythm of what he'd already written.

    Alfred and I call this ESP (extrasensory perception) songwriting. We write a lot of songs this way. Once we realized that both of us enjoyed making up songs that would suit children, we wrote another and another and another. We didn't think about them in a methodical way; they just dropped into our minds over the course of about a year.

    What makes these songs particularly for kids? Well there's something free about them, something nonsensical, and something playful. These are things which I always loved in songs I heard on Sesame Street or on Pete Seeger records.

    Not all adults are open to a song about the virtues of string, whereas kids seem to understand. But I was pleased to meet an adult after the first public performance of these songs who said, "I know you wrote that string song for kids, but I like it too." Perfect.

    Songs for kids, songs for free thinkers, songs for nonsense-lovers, songs for socks, songs for bears, boats, beans, and hippos.

    Come one, come all. Take your chances in The Wondarium.

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of String Unraveller Demo May 2021, The American Dream (Harlis and Freda), Voice Memo Demo, I'm Letting Go of You – Kitchen Single, The Wondarium: Songs For Kids, A Body is a Delicate House, I Fell Into the Fire, The Loneliest Snowman, I Fell Into The Fire – Limited Edition Handprinted, and 18 more. , and , .

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about

Owl and Rabbit want to play country music on their xylophone in Nashville, but find their music is not well received. Luckily they meet a country singer at the fair who thinks their xylophone sound is just what her music needs.

lyrics

Ballad of Owl and Rabbit

When Owl first met Rabbit at an old county fair,
he said: “Rabbit, we’ve got what it takes:
I have round eyes and you’ve got big ears,
so just think of the team we could make.
You may be a puppet, but boy don’tcha love it,
‘cause I’m just a glove puppet too.
And if there were someone to lend us a hand,
just think of the things we could do.”

Rabbit said, “Owl, you ingenious fowl,
you know it has long been my wish
to play country music and travel the world,
so how can a poor Rabbit resist?
We’ll both go to Nashville, earn huge pots of cash –
we’ll prove just what big stars we’ve become.
With my ears and your eyes we’ll soon be certified
the first puppets to go platinum."

So Rabbit and Owl went to Studio B –
Music Row’s most fabled room.
The head of the label said: “Boys if you’re able,
Impress me with your finest tune."
“We’d love to sing for ya, and don’t want to ignore ya,”
said Rabbit, “but this microphone
ain’t no earthly use to a puppet who’s mute
though perhaps we could play... xylophone?”

Rabbit and Owl packed their bags and left town
having learned with a sorrowful heart
the unvarnished truth that there’s no country tune
that has room for a xylophone part.
But Rabbit and Owl were determined somehow
to prove the whole industry wrong.
The first country hit with a tinkly bit
is coming up next in this song...

Rabbit and Owl were back at the fair
side by side on the old puppet booth.
Their dreams had been crushed they could barely stand up
left to wondering what else they could do.
’Til a blonde country singer, who was happening by,
was struck by those ears and those eyes.
She said: “Look who I’ve found to round out my sound.
Will you two be my xylophone guys?”

So if you care put your hands in the air.
Make some noise for the xylophone guys!

credits

from The Wondarium: Songs For Kids, released December 13, 2022
Music and Lyrics by Jeni Hankins, Lulu Wall Music, BMI,
and Alfred John Hickling, Sweet Pea Music.

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Jeni Hankins London, UK

Jeni Hankins grew up in the coalfields of Appalachian in Southwest Virginia among a family of miners, moonshiners, and journalists. Her writing pulls the grit, gumption, and keen sense of observation out of that heritage like drawing water from her grandmother’s well.

In every song, Jeni’s “true sense of place shines through – old as the hills, but brand new at the same time.” ... more

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