Uncle Owen (Oklahoma!, Richard Rodgers / Oscar Hammerstein)

Here's a little ditty from Luke Skywalker's perspective on the day before he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, to the tune of the title song from Oklahoma!

Uncle Owen
I’m almost an adult.  I’ve earned the right to whine.
Seems all I do is sit around and wait.
Just a little latitude would suit me fine;
He confines me to a place I hate.
Place I hate.  Hope it’s not too late.

Gotta show the fellas I’m no shrinking violet.
Gotta get my license, be a fighter pilot.
Gonna leave this planet with its dreary gloom.
Lookin’ for space and freedom to zoom!
Gonna hang onto this new hope.
How can I ditch this cranky old dope?

Uncle Owen
Is a podunk and provincial pain.
I’ll go clean the droids,
But I’m annoyed
‘Cause I’ve got converters on the brain.

Uncle Owen!
He’s a grumpy, domineering guy,
And it’s hardly grand
To work his land
When my heart is set upon the sky.

Tatooine is nothing but bland,
Just a rock full of womp rats and sand.

So when I claim,
“Blech!  I hate this farming game,”
I’m also saying,
“You cramp my style, Uncle Owen.
Uncle Owen, you’re lame!”

Uncle Owen!
Can’t believe he ever was a teen.  (Uncle Owen!)
Now he always bores
And doles out chores
‘Cause he’s dull and dusty, and he’s mean!

Uncle Owen
Only thinks of mouths he has to feed,
And unlike Aunt Beru,
He has no clue
That adventure’s what I really need.

This isn’t the life I have planned.
Oh, no!  Any day now, I’m taking a stand.
Gotta fly, gotta fly, gotta fly,
Gotta fly, gotta fly, gotta fly...

So when I claim,
“Blech!  I hate this farming game,”
I’m also saying,
“You cramp my style, Uncle Owen.
Uncle Owen, you are lame!”

Uncle Owen, Uncle Owen, Uncle Owen, Uncle Owen...

Tatooine is nothing but bland,
Just a rock full of womp rats and sand.

And when I claim,
“Blech!  I hate this farming game,”
I’m also saying,
“You cramp my style, Uncle Owen.
Uncle Owen,
You’re lame!  I’m ticked, and you’re to blame!”
Uncle Owen!
Blech!

Pesky Ramona (Lady Madonna, John Lennon / Paul McCartney)

One of my favorite characters growing up was Ramona Quimby, the free-spirited girl who is the subject of several Beverly Cleary books.  Now that she's about to hit the big screen, here's a song about Ramona, based on Ramona the Brave, to the tune of the Beatles' Lady Madonna.

Pesky Ramona

Pesky Ramona, making Susan howl.
What did she expect when she aped your owl?
Crushing her creature...  It was only fair.
Stupid stuffy Sue and her boingy hair!

Thought you’d like a room apart from Beezus.
Figured independence would be fun.
Now when night arrives, your blood just freezes.
Bring on the sun!

Pesky Ramona, whiskers on your Qs.
Teacher says to skip ‘em but you refuse.

Six is no fun!
Pesky Ramona, swearing in your rage.
“Guts!” sounds simply ghoulish to a girl your age.

Fighting off the mongrel who’s attacking.
You will lose a shoe before you’re done.
Never mind the footwear that you’re lacking;
Run, ‘Mona, run!

Pesky Ramona, who’d’ve ever guessed
Life could be so tough for a pint-sized pest?

Winnie Has a Hunny Pot (Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, Norman Whitfield / Barrett Strong)

After I posted my Eeyore song to the tune of My Girl on Amiright.com, Dan Creeden suggested I try Winnie Has a Hunny Pot to the tune of Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. So I did!

Winnie Has a Hunny Pot

Throughout the whole Hundred Acres,
There are both givers and takers, yes there are.
Well, maybe this song can provide a guide, yeah.
Your pocketbook will not get bigger
If you’ve decided to hang out with Tigger.
Tigger’s gonna team up with Roo to leech off of you.

If Pooh has hunny there, he’ll share some.
Winnie has a hunny pot.
Sometimes it’s filled up, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.
Yeah, Winnie has a hunny pot.
Sometimes it‘s filled up, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.

Well, well...

Now, Rabbit likes to lock up his tools
To keep those forest-dwelling fools from his stuff.
And Rabbit once let Winnie have a small smack’rel of hunny,
But it seems a small smack’rel just wasn’t enough.
A sticky plight.
Now the bear’s never welcome when it comes time for breakfast.
Rabbit has been convinced such kindness is reckless.
Bunny wised up; his hunny’s out of sight in his home.

But go ask the bear. He’ll share.
Winnie has a hunny pot.
Sometimes it‘s filled up, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.
Yes, fortunately, Winnie has a hunny pot.
Sometimes it‘s filled up, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.

Now, now, now...

Now Piglet’s is known in the woodland for presenting balloons.
Owl distributes stories in the afternoons;
Feathered fellow does not realize folks roll their eyes.
Well Eeyore, that old donkey sure does a lot of grousing
But once helped the bird to secure decent housing.
It belonged to somebody else, but hey, I won’t tell.

Pooh Bear, he’s always such a generous guy to his friends.
Winnie has a hunny pot. He keeps it well.
Sometimes it‘s filled up, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.
Winnie has a hunny pot.
Sometimes it‘s filled up, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.
I said that Winnie has a hunny pot.
Well, sometimes it’s full, and sometimes it’s not.
His tummy’s wide; Pooh eats hunny quite a lot.
Winnie. Oh, Winnie. Winnie has a hunny pot.

Skywalker (Skywriter, Jimmy Webb)

One of my favorite moments in the Star Wars saga is the scene in Return of the Jedi in which Luke shares with Leia the fact that she is his sister.  Here's a reflection from Leia's perspective in response to that revelation, to the tune of Jimmy Webb's Skywriter. 

Skywalker

I'm sure I should be shocked at what you're telling me right now.
Even so, a part of me always seemed to know somehow.
I confess I feel a fool for kissing you, but still our love is real.

I'm a Skywalker,
Sister you never knew,
Given another name,
And at last I understand this bond we claim.
You're my twin brother.
Luke, you're forever near
Even when you are gone.
Now I don't have to regret I've fallen in love with Han.

He didn't put a lot of stock in Jedi sorcery,
But you have helped him to believe in things he cannot see.
You journey on alone, but we will keep the faith aflame till your return.

Child of Darth Vader.
That part is hard to take,
Unkindest cut of all.
Must I lose you to ensure our father's fall?
I'm a Skywalker,
Never a slave to fear.
Although I wish you could stay,
If the Force will just be with us, we will meet again...

Skywalker,
Never a slave to fear.
Although I wish you could stay,
If the Force will just be with us, we will meet again someday.

You Can Have Your Fit (You Can Have My Heart, Julie Miller)

Several months ago, I was browsing YouTube in search of videos from the new Celtic Thunder DVD when I stumbled upon Ryan Kelly's tender demo cover of singer-songwriter Julie Miller's Broken Things.  It's now ranks among my favorite of his songs, surpassing several of his Celtic Thunder solos, and has given me another songwriter to investigate as well.  Here's a reflection I wrote to her tune from the perspective of Dumbledore addressing Harry in the immediate aftermath of the Battle at the Ministry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

You Can Have Your Fit

You can have your fit,
And I hope you do.
I've too many objects;
It's time I had too few.
I don't covet your load,
And I regret I've stayed away.
When I explain it to you, I expect you'll feel
Justified in your display.

You can have your fit.
You can go on breaking things.
You can fume and cry
When your next step is clear.
For you're right to want to rage at me,
But I need to share this prophecy.
Once you've heard it, you can have your fit.

So beyond my hopes,
You are brave and true.
You had been through so much,
I simply couldn't heap
More pain on you.
But I mustn't shrink any longer
From this message I give:
You will battle him again;
Neither can survive
While the other lives.

You can have your fit.
You can go on breaking things.
You can fume and cry
When your next step is clear.
For you're right to want to rage at me,
But I need to share this prophecy.
Once you've heard it, you can have your fit.

Yes, you're right to want to rage at me,
But I need to share this prophecy.
Once you've heard it, you can have your fit.

Broken Things (scroll down to music player)

Fond of Countin' (Go Tell It On the Mountain, Traditional)

Google celebrates the Count today, so I will too, to the tune of Go Tell It On the Mountain.

Fond of Countin'

That fella's fond of countin'.
Gives him a thrill he longs to share.
That fella's fond of countin'.
He counts from eve to morn.

While other folks are sleeping,
He counts throughout the night.
He cackles "One, two, three, four,
Five, six" until daylight.

That fella's fond of countin'.
Gives him a thrill he longs to share.
That fella's fond of countin'.
He counts from eve to morn.

He looks just like a vampire,
But don't be scared away. 
He only wants to tell you
The Number of the Day.

That fella's fond of countin'.
Gives him a thrill he longs to share.
That fella's fond of countin'.
He counts from eve to morn.

Trust in Their Friend (Dust in the Wind, Kerry Livgren)

I've had Dust in the Wind on the brain lately, and that's a bad song to have firmly lodged in my head, since I can't think of any other song that I find more depressing.  Yes, it's gorgeous, but if I run across it unexpectedly, it can put me in a funk for the rest of the day.  So in an effort to get it out of my system, I've used it to write a reflection from Harry's perspective following his discovery in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that his parents were betrayed by their close friend.  Though it doesn't tell the whole story, it's still one of the most depressing moments in the series, but at least maybe now, the next time I hear the song on the radio, I will think of J. K. Rowling instead of Nietzsche...

Trust in Their Friend

They closed their door.
Only one outside it knew where they had gone.
How could he
Break the sacred contract of fidelity?

Trust in their friend.
All they had was trust in their friend.

Dad and Mum
Never would have had to give their lives for me.
Malfoy knew,
Taunting me with whispered hints of treachery.

Trust in their friend.
All they had was trust in their friend.

Now, tell me, Ron,
Do you wonder why I want to hurt this guy?
I’m sure you’d see
If you were forced to listen to your parents die.

Trust in their friend.
All they had was trust in their friend.
(He betrayed the trust of his friends.)
Trust in their friend.
All they had was trust in their friend.
(He betrayed the trust of his friends.)
Their friend.