Alternate Lyrics

As I've mentioned before, the Symphony Chorus is working on Michael Tippett's secular cantata A Child of Our Time. In it there is a very challenging chorus with the following lyrics: "Burn down their houses! Beat in their heads! Break them in pieces on the wheel!"

This presents a problem. In order to learn the intervals and rhythms in this tricky piece, we need to practice it a lot on our own time. However, some of us have expressed concern about the wisdom of going around singing those words.

So Amy Kaiser, our chorus director, put out a call for alternate lyrics. Here are the submissions that resulted. I think they're priceless. See if you can guess which one I submitted!

1. Learn how the rhythms
Beat in your head,
Bounce to the music on your heels.

2. Burping my baby,
Cradling his head,
Too many peaches for his meal!

3. Gingerbread houses
Gingerbread men
Break them in pieces for a meal

4. Split the banana
Scoop the ice cream
Shake choc’late sprinkles over all

5. Open the boxes
Take out the eggs
Break them in pieces in a bowl

6. Turn on their browsers!
Tweet 'til they're dead!
Make them do FaceBook 'til they yield!

7. (Several verses and coda)
Log on to Facebook!
Count all your friends!
Think about quotes to make them smile.
And keep them guessing!
Make smart remarks!
Try to be cle-ver-er than they!
Tell us your status!
Tell us what you think!
Like!
Comment!
Waste time! Waste time!
On the web, on the web.

Personally, I like #6 best. But really, don't take that as a clue.