Category Archives: Musical

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

Nationality: Vietnamese-American
Age: 16
Occupation: Student
Residence: Villa Park, California
Performance Date: Apr 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Vietnamese

The informant first heard this phrase in elementary school in the fourth grade.  She was being teased by a sixth grader about being in the G.A.T.E. program for gifted and talented students.  The boy called her a geek and a nerd so she came back to class after recess sad and near tears.  Her teacher, Mrs. Clark, approached her and asked her what was wrong.  When she retold the story, Mrs. Clark told her, “Whenever people say mean things to you or about you, just remember: ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”  This cheered the informant up a lot and she remembered it whenever she got saddened by others’ harsh words.  Instead, she learned to take those mean words and used them to build her own character to become a stronger person.  She believes that this saying is appropriate for such situations, when sad people need cheering up after being scolded or teased, and she continues to tell younger kids the same thing, knowing that it can help them as it did her.

Unlike many would initially think, kind and inspirational words such as these are not always effective unless the person saying them makes them so.  For example, in the informant’s case, the person saying them was her teacher, someone she could trust and believe in.  Often times it takes someone else to help someone understand the importance of self-esteem and confidence.  I believe that if it hadn’t been a person she trusted who said these words, the informant might not have been as influenced by them.  Therefore, this proverb is retold by people who truly mean the words and have the intention of helping a person in need of happiness.  People, in return, want to share the happiness they experienced with others, so they share what others have shared with them.

Barney Theme Song Parody

Nationality: Filipino-American
Age: 9
Occupation: Student
Residence: Moorpark, California
Performance Date: Dec 2007
Primary Language: English

 “I hate you, you hate me, let’s get together and kill Barney, with a bazooka, and a big ol’ machine gun, boom, boom, boom and Barney’s dead.”

This is a song sung in the same tune as the song from the Barney television show that used to go, “I love you, you love me, we are happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too?”  In a way it is a play on it and mocks the cherished children’s show, which is as classic as Sesame Street and Big Bird.  However, this version is sung by slightly older children, such as the informant from Moorpark, CA, who are aware of more violent objects such as machine guns and bazookas.  The informant learned of this version of the Barney song from her older brother who was in sixth grade and had learned it from his friends at school.  She repeats it because she is at the age where she repeats everything her older brother does, no matter what it is, in order to impress the “grown ups” of how much she knows.  She likes it because she is a very lyrical person and likes to sings rhymes and tunes in the car whenever the family travels.

This is a saying often restricted to children, generally those who have grown up in the 90’s when Barney was still quite popular, who have grown older and are capable of creating such a creative and mocking rhyme.  I think that the kids retell it as a method of proving to other people and kids that they have grown up, almost a hierarchy among children.  Since the older kids know the new and different rhyme, they can distinguish themselves from the “kiddies” and “babies” who still watch Barney, the friendly purple dinosaur.  I think it is a sense of status that causes the children to spread this chant and they enjoy that feeling that they can be different from other students.

 

There are many versions of this mock barney song which can be found at http://www.amiright.com/parody/90s/barney0.shtml For example,

“I hate you, you hate me
Let’s get together and kill Barney
With tanks of water and acid he will drown
Barney escapes but he falls down”

Miss Suzie’s Steamboat

Nationality: Asian-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Marino, California
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

Miss Suzie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell (toot toot) 
Miss Suzie went to heaven 
The steamboat went to 
Hello operator, please give me number 9
If you disconnect me, I’ll chop off your 
Behind the refrigerator laid a piece of glass 
Miss Suzie sat upon it and broke her little
Ask me no more questions, please give me no more lies 
The boys are in bathroom pulling down their 
Flies are in the meadow, the bees are in the park 
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend are kissing in the DARK DARK DARK! 
Is like a movie, a movie’s like a show, a show is on TV 
And that’s all I know know know!

This is one of the many chants that is recited with a certain clapping pattern that I learned in elementary school.  Back then, many girls would say these chants during recess as a way of spending their free time.  I remember learning it from my best friend, who had learned it from other girls in her class.  Once we both knew it, we would frequently play this clapping game, whether we were at school or at each other’s houses.  It was a way of passing time when we were bored.
Looking back at my elementary school days, chanting this rhyme was extremely enjoyable.  Not only did it help ease my boredom, but it also provided me with fun.  Chanting the words with my friends made me laugh because of the words in the chant.  It implies inappropriate words without actually being inappropriate.
Remembering the chant reminds me of how much fun I had as a kid.  When I hear other kids recite these chants and play clapping games, I remember more specific memories that I had as a child.  This chant gives me a connection to my past.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget this chant because it has been implanted in my brain from reciting it so much.

Luaus

Nationality: Filipino-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Aiea, Hawaii
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Tagalog

“Luaus are gatherings that you can find and go to, especially in the touristy areas of Hawaii.  Basically, people eat Hawaiian food like lomi salmon (tomatoes and smoke salmon), lau lau (meat-like chicken of fish or pork-wrapped and cooked in taro leaves), long rice (clear-looking spaghetti noodles in a soup), poi (ground up taro made into a mush), and kalua pig (traditionally cooked in a hole in the ground).  Luaus are a time to celebrate the Hawaiian culture.  Not only is there Hawaiian food, but there’s also Hawaiian music, which is usually performed by a local band or singer from the islands.  These bands and singers perform Hawaiian songs with ukuleles and other instruments.  Also, hula dancing to slow Hawaiian songs is a popular form of entertainment.  Another type of dance, the Tahitian dance, involves women who dress up in a really big skirt and wear coconut bras and move their hips around really fast.  There are also fire dancers, usually men who spin around sticks that are lit at the ends and toss around a baton thrower.”

By living in Hawaii her entire life, my informant has been exposed to luaus all the time.  Luaus are always going on and there aren’t any specific dates as to when a luau is held.  Luaus occur in hot tourist spots like the Waikiki strip or in the countryside on the North Shore, where people hang out at the beaches.  There’s also a Polynesian cultural center at the North Shore that holds luaus for tourists.  Luaus have become so popular that they’re popular among both Hawaiian natives and tourists.  She doesn’t attend luaus whenever she wants.  People hold luaus as parties, so she goes whenever she’s invited.
    Antonette thinks that luaus are great.  She considers them as parties that she attends to see her friends and family, only everything in a luau is about the Hawaiian culture.  If anything, it’s also a cultural experience, so the main idea is to celebrate the Hawaiian culture and spread it around to others.  She likes going to luaus when she has the chance because of the food, music, performances, and dancing.  Luaus allow my informant to eat Hawaiian food because she doesn’t normally eat Hawaiian food on a daily basis.  Also, she likes some of the bands that play Hawaiian or reggae music because she doesn’t listen to that type of music often, so it’s cool and exciting to see live bands and to dance on stage with friends.
When I traveled to Hawaii on vacation five years ago, I was able to experience an authentic Hawaiian luau.  Of course, the luau was staged for tourists, but I witnessed actual Hawaiian activities, food, and music.  I can definitely see why both natives and tourists enjoy going to luaus.  I was never bored during the luau because there were so many activities going on.  The Hawaiians even allowed tourists to participate by learning the different types of dances.  In addition to observing, tourists are able to learn part of Hawaiian culture.
Everything that my informant described to me was there at the luau that I attended.  I was able to observe a very entertaining Hawaiian tradition that I think is important to maintain.  Hawaii has such an incredible and unique past, and it is extremely different from the rest of the United States.  It’s important to continue the tradition so that future generations can take pleasure in attending such a distinctive custom.

Thanksgiving song

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 22
Occupation: Student/Journalist
Residence: Los Angeles (from Palos Verdes, CA)
Performance Date: April 25, 2012
Primary Language: English

So my extended family on my mom’s side, the Russian Jew side always gets together every thanksgiving, either in TX or Ca, depending on who’s turn it is to host. And I don’t remember this at all, but apparently when I was a little kid, about 4 years old, I have 5 cousins, and all of them are older than me, and we’re all adults now, but when I was 4 years old, my cousins goaded me into putting on this little musical for the family. And so I was acting as a Turkey, and my cousins would sing, ‘What you want for dinner?’ and I’d go, ‘Turkey!’ ‘Specially in November!’ ‘Turkey!’ and every year since then, my cousins ask me, ‘Hey, Misha, what you want for dinner?’ And if I’m in a good mood, I’ll say, ‘Turkey!’

Though the song is no longer practiced, the memory of the song has become folklore in its own right, making the song a family legend of sorts in the performance of the story about the song, though not the song itself. A bit of folklore that ties the family together in a unique way that other families can’t. a way to reflect upon the past and bring family together over past traditions and heritage. This call and response-type of interaction is their own way to celebrate thanksgiving in a unique, memorable way.