Sing a silly song for a writer's group - With Guest blogger, Ester de Boer

Thank God May is almost over!!! What a mad ride in the centre of a spin dryer of a month! There's a stereotype that says that, in order to create, every writer (or artist) needs that haven from the rush and pressure of life- a little cave of solitude. I, personally, thrive on the squash and energy of a crowd. This month, however, has been all squash, rush and chaos- and- shizmik! I am all out of energy!

So when Saturday arrived, I just wanted to have a really chilled out writing session with my friends. Please please please... let's keep this cheerily shallow and silly, huh? Cos I'm really not up to taking anything serious right now!


It could be the after affect of dancing to the Wiggles all week in the Preppy room (while all the kids stood, staring at me as if to say “wow... poor Miss B has finally lost it!”) but I had the sparky little notion that we could have a go at song writing.

I arranged two piles of papers- one with the names of songs, the other with well known fairy tales. We chose from both piles, and then set about rewriting the stories to the melodies of the songs.

Megan composed the story of the Three Little Pigs to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle; Jacqui sang a dramatic glam-rock Red Riding Hood to Bohemian Rhapsody “It's the WOLF!... wolf wolf wolf wolf … mamamia let me go!” (can't quite remember how it went now, but you get the gist!); and Verity sang a great “We Will Rock You, Cindy!” (Cinderella).

I drew out that sweet, timeless classic, Bluebeard, and fit it to the tune of The Lonely Goat-herd (as in “High on the hills was a lonely goat-herd... yodeleyi yodeleyi yodeleyi-hoo!”) from The Sound of Music.
 So here goes – feel free to sing along:


Once far away was a pretty girl who
hadn't had a date for a year or two
her folks set her up with a weird divorcee
saying “he's a freak, but hell- he's well to do!”


He showed her her room at the top of the tower
-designer clothes and diamonds with a hundred shoes...
Then turned to her sternly, his face a-glower
“Here's the deal – I tell you what to do!


“Under the castle's my secret man cave
where I keep my secrets.” (She replied “Oh, my!”)
“If you go in there, you'll cause me great rage.
If you disobey me you will die!”


                        But she bored of her life as a housewife
                        Yearned for adventure – to be free
                        Crept down into her husband's man-cave
                        And to her horror she did see...
 
Hanging on a meat-hook all skinned and gutted
were the butchered bodies of his former wives.
She knew from village gossip the divorces were messy
But for their disobedience they'd lost their lives!


She thought, “this guy's whacked! Better put the key back!”
But the key was covered with the victims' blood.
Though she doused it in bottles of stain remover,
the evidence remained- it wouldn't budge.


This lovely tale has cradled many a shivering child to sleep over the centuries. (Strange how Disney hasn't made an animated film yet...)

Thanks Ester, for hosting our writer's group. It was a fun challenge, that made us think of how we could fit the story into the melody of the song. It had us in fits of laughter, as well as sitting in amazement (well me anyway), hearing what everyone came up with. 

So give this activity a go at your next writer's group, or when you just need to wind down and have some fun. Let me know what you come up with.  

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