We all do it, you know: make sense of something unknown by basing it on what we do know. This is how, I think, all learning takes place.
But sometimes we make mistakes.
My Uncle Ron, raised as he was on Long Island in the 40’s and 50’s, had never seen a one-horse open sleigh. Have you?
And so it made perfect sense to him that the words to the song were these: “Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse slogan sleigh.”
I can’t really speak to his knowledge of slogans, but he was about five years old at the time, and advertising slogans and political slogans abounded, I am sure.
My father, whose name is Richard, was convinced that the pledge of allegiance went like this: “…and to the Republic, for Richard stands, one nation, under God, indivisible….”
He was, after all, Always Standing when he said it.
Today we were listening to Simon, a local radio station whose slogan, interestingly, is “We play everything.” This is quite a claim, and I, for one, can’t say that they’ve proved this in my hearing. But they do play “Funky Town,” a tune with which most of you, I’m sure, are familiar.
I can’t say I understand the words, but the chorus goes like this: “Won’t you take me to… Funky Town? Won’t you take me to… Funky Town? Won’t you take me to… Funky Town? Won’t you take….” I think you get the picture.
Emma Grace was very pleased when Simon played this song. It’s one she likes. It has a definite Groove to it, and she was dancing in her car seat in the back of the van. “Mommy! We know this song!” she said. And “Mommy, they play this song in Shrek!“ (and I’m not sure I love the movie Shrek and I’m Not At All Sure I’m glad she’s seen the movie Shrek, but what’s done is done). And “Mommy, those are violins!” And she’s right about that: there are violins in “Funky Town,” and I am Completely Sure that I’m pleased she can recognize them.
She danced all the way home from church to “Funky Town.” She had a ball.
It wasn’t until we got home and she was getting ready for bed that I learned of her assimilation regarding those… um, odd, lyrics.
She was singing very quietly to herself: “Won’t you give Neptune… a guitar!”
Nice.
