Hi Folks — Got this question over the transom (well, Internet) yesterday. Got me thinking/humming/blogging!
Dear Free-Range Kids: I’ve been thinking about “Let Me Fall” and wondering what other songs might be out there that speak to the Free-Range Kids movement, on both the serious side & more lighthearted ones. Might be a fun question to pose to your blog!
I just looked at my “Believe in Me” playlist I put together. Maybe some of these?
Visions of a Sunset
Imagine
Cole’s Song
May It Be
Beautiful Boy
Rainbow Connection
Bein’ Green
The Last Unicorn
Steward of Gondor (“Home is behind, the road ahead…)” — Kerrie
Well, I’m ashamed to say, the only songs I know on this list are the ones sung by John Lennon. But if you folks have other tunes to add to this list, please do! — Lenore
44 Comments
Never be ashamed of knowing your John Lennon!
Modest Mouse, “Float On”. To me this song is about making the most of what comes in life instead of freaking out – and of looking for the positive in moments of what might otherwise be thought of as failure.
Sorry, Lenore- the songs & their artists/albums are:
Let Me Fall- Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam (also Josh Groban)
Visions of a Sunset- Boyz II Men, Mr. Holland’s Opus
Imagine- Lennon
Cole’s Song- Julian Lennon, Mr. Holland’s Opus
May It Be- Enya, LotR: Fellowship of the Ring
Beautiful Boy- Lennon
Rainbow Connection- Kermit/Henson, The Muppet Movie
Bein’ Green- Kermit/Henson, Sesame Street
The Last Unicorn- America, The Last Unicorn
Steward of Gondor (“Home is behind, the road ahead…)- Billy Boyd, LotR: Return of the King
Big Things Too – from Veggie Tales / Dave and the Giant Pickle
Pete Seeger has some great songs about kids going off on adventures by themselves. Try these:
Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase – A child convinces his father to take him on a bear hunt and then gets lost in the woods.
Sam The Whaler – A boy joins the crew of a whaling ship as a cabin boy.
“I, Huckleberry, Me” from the Big River soundtrack.
This Land is Your Land (“I’ve roamed and rambled . . .)
On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
Dar Williams, “When I Was a Boy”
The entire “Free to Be You and Me” album.
Oh my gosh, I would listen to the “rainbow connection” when I was a kid over and over and over again. “Why are, there so many, songs about rainbows…” Oy, I’m going to cry. I just LOVED that song.
Climb every mountain, ford every stream…
(apologies for having earwormed the entire thread)
‘Country Road take me home’ John Denver.
Also from The Muppet Movie- “Movin’ Right Along” – Kermit and Fozzy are on a road trip – what better sort of free range is there.
I have almost an entire month’s worth of music on my computer. When the lead singer of The Knack passed away in February, I started thinking about how many old songs celebrated things that with today’s zero tolerance mindset about watching someone or younger relationships would never be played.
My Sharonna – The Knack
Too Young – Nat King Cole
Sweet Little Sixteen – Chuck Berry
You’re Sixteen – Burnette, Johnny / Ringo Starr
Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes / The Beatles
I’ll Get You – The Beatles
I Saw Her Standing There – The Beatles
No Reply – The Beatles
Run For Your Life – The Beatles
You Better Run – The Rascals / Pat Benatar
Younger Girl – The Lovin’ Spoonful
Layla – Derek & The Dominos
Youngblood – Leon Russell
Dancing Queen – ABBA
Hanging On The Telephone – Blondie
One Way Or Another – Blondie
My Best Friend’s Girl – The Cars
I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick
I Don’t Like Mondays (based on a 1970’s school shooting) – The Boomtown Rats
Photograph – Def Leppard
Because Of Me – Robert Cray
Wrap It Up – Sam & Dave / The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Similar Features – Melissa Etheridge
There are just too many to list so I chose a variety that many people may be familiar with.
Beach Boys.
Stand by me (film and song)
how has Puff the Magic Dragon not made it on here? Peter, Paul, and Mary. Actually – that whole album: Peter, Paul, and Mommy.
Also the Really Rosie album has good songs – One Was Johnny comes to mind.
We’re Going To Be Friends – the White Stripes: it’s all about kids doing things themselves.
🙂
“Already gone” by Sugarland. The first verse:
My mama mapped out the road that she knows
Which hands to shake, and which hands to hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury, ready to roll
SHE KNEW THAT I HAD TO GO
And hang out, make lots of noise
And lay out, late with a boy
MAKE THE MISTAKES THAT SHE MADE
‘Cause she knew all along
I was already gone
One of my favorite songs: about going with your feelings and doing what feels right and finding out it was all a big mistake but totally worth it.
Because the best things in life can come from your mistakes if you are allowed to make them. Isn’t that how we got penicillin and Silly Putty? And letting our kids follow their hearts and make mistakes is what is Free-Range.
Only Human —Billy Joel (ie Fail is the New Succeed)
This one’s for the Girls — Martina McBride
I hope you dance — Lee Ann Womack (living might mean taking chances but they’re worth taking..)
Teenagers, kick our butts — Dar Williams
and..
Letting go – Suzy Boggus
Warning by Green Day
Metallica, “Dyers Eve”
http://darklyrics.com/lyrics/metallica/andjusticeforall.html#9
(warning: naughty words)
Peter Alsop!
“whipsmart” by liz phair. i will never get tired of that song or its message.
In high school a friend turned me on to classical music and when I got to college I discovered Celtic & Klezmer music so my tastes have never quite run to anything you’re likely to ever hear on the radio. Still, if you’d like to take a chance on some uncommon songs that fit this thread, you could do worse than listening to any of these:
Dougie MacClean – Rite of Passage
Ed Miller – The Prince of Darkness
Silly Sisters – Somewhere Along The Road
Kathleen Farley – Ready For The Storm
Stan Rogers – The Mary Ellen Carter
Leslie Fish – Hope Eyrie
One of my favorites, and I didn’t see it here (if it was posted I apologize for missing it) is “Look to the Rainbow” from the musical Finian’s Rainbow
In case you don’t know the song, these are the lyrics:
Look to the Rainbow Lyrics
On the day I was born,
Said my father, said he.
I’ve an an elegant legacy
Waitin’ for ye,
‘Tis a rhyme for your lips
And a song for your heart,
To sing it whenever
The world falls apart.
Look, look
Look to the rainbow.
Follow it over the hill
And the stream.
Look, look
Look to the rainbow.
Follow the fellow
Who follows a dream.
Follow the fellow,
Follow the fellow,
Follow the fellow
Who follows a dream.
‘Twas a sumptuous
To bequeath to a child.
Oh the lure of that song
Kept her feet runnin’ wild.
For you never grow old
And you never stand still,
With whippoorwills singin’
Beyond the next hill.
Look, look
Look to the rainbow.
Follow it over the hill
And the stream.
Look, look
Look to the rainbow.
Follow the fellow
Who follows a dream.
Follow the fellow,
Follow the fellow,
Follow the fellow
Who follows a dream.
Pete Seger’s “Little Boxes” is an awesome song to sing with kids. And I love to sing Jim White’s “Turquoise House” with the kids. My favorite part:
If you say your prayers at night,
If you comb you hair just right,
You might not feel like you’re in hell,
But then again you might.
I also like singing the old country standard “Oh, Bury Me Not.” Johnny Cash did a great version of it. The guy is dying and begs his friends to not bury him “on the lone prairie,” but . . .
“Oh bury me not . . .”
And his voice failed there,
But we took no heed,
To his dying prayer.
In a shallow grave,
Just six by three,
We buried him there,
On the loan prairie.
I have boys, so Man of LaMacha is a favorite in our home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKTX_BuD0w
Upside Down by Jack Johnson
(from The Curious George movie)
some lyrics…
Who’s to say
I can’t do everything
Well I can try
And as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren’t always just what they seem
Hear is a song- Jack Johnson (if I could change the world) the best song ever.!!!!!!! GREAT for a movement in advocacy!!!!!!! Keep spreading the word
got Play?
The only one I can think of that isn’t already mentioned is Puff the Magic Dragon.
Ev – Sadly I’m the only Man of la Mancha fan in my house but maybe if I show my boys that video they’ll change their opinion. And then maybe I’ll be allowed to listen to the soundtrack when they’re home.
First one that came to mind for me has already been mentioned, “I hope you dance,” by LeAnn Womack:
“I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path with least resistance
Livin’ might mean, taking chances, they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake but it’s worth making
Don’t let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more that just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance”
That about sums it up, for me. I’m considering caligraphying (I have no idea if that’s how it’s spelled) and framing it for my son’s wall.
The post just above mine, by Laura, left out the key part. After “When you get the choice to sit it out or dance” the last four words are “I hope you dance.”
But what I wanted to share is a poem called “Spring Morning” by A.A. Milne (the fellow who gave us Winnie the Pooh). For me, this speaks very eloquently of what childhood is supposed to be, and used to be, and isn’t any more.
Where am I going? I don’t quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow–
Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow–
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.
Where am I going? The clouds sail by.
Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.
Where am I going? The shadows pass.
Little ones, baby ones, over the grass.
If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,
You’d sail on water as blue as air,
And you’d see me here in the fields and say:
“Doesn’t the sky look green today?”
Where am I going? The high rooks call:
“It’s awful fun to be born at all.”
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
“We do have beautiful things to do.”
If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You’d lean on the wind when the wind came by,
You’d say to the wind when it took you away:
“That’s where I wanted to go today!”
Where am I going? I don’t quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow–
Anywhere, anywhere. I don’t know.
Impossible Dream from Man of LaMancha has always been one of my favorites.
I also second I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack! Obviously a song written by a mom to her child!
How about “Little Bird” by Annie Lennox?
I look up to the little bird
That glides across the sky
He sings the clearest melody
It makes me want to cry
It makes me want to sit right down
And cry, cry, cry
I walk along the city streets
So dark with rage and fear
And I, I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
I wish I had the wings to fly away from here
But my, my I feel so low
My, my, where do I go?
My, my, what do I know?
My, my, we reap what we sow
They always said that you knew best but
This little bird’s fallen out of that nest now
I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed so
I’ve just got to put these wings to test
For I am just a troubled soul
Who’s weighted…
Weighted to the ground
Give me the strength to carry on
Till I can lay my burden down
Give me the strength to lay this burden down
Down, down, yeah
Give me the strength to lay it down
But my, my I feel so low
my,my,where do I go?
my,my, what do I know?
my, my, we reap what we sow
They always said that you knew best but
This little bird’s fallen out of that nest now
I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed so
I’ve just got to put these wings to test
Various bits I like on themes of dealing with loss or change; making adjustments; moving on; making one’s own life; and taking responsibility
Various Artists
Sloop John B
Rush:
Cinderella Man
Roll the Bones
The Big Wheel
Time Stands Still
Freewill
Afterimage
Between the Wheels
The Analog Kid
Scars
Available Light
Cowboy Mouth
How Do You Tell Someone
Gordon Lightfoot
Sit Down Young Stranger
Billy Joel
My Life
You’re Only Human (Second Wind)
These are by no means the most common themes in popular music, but they are there.
‘Bicycle race’ by Queen, maybe?
‘I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like’
And definitely ‘We’re going to be friends’ by the White Stripes:
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Fall is here,hear the yell
back to school,ring the bell
brand new shoes,walking blues
climb the fence,books and pens
I can tell that we’re going to be friends
Walk with me,Suzy Lee
through the park and by the tree
we will rest upon the ground
and look at all the bugs we found
then safely walk to school
without a sound
Well here we are,no one else
we walked to school all by ourselves
there’s dirt on our uniforms
from chasing all the ants and worms
we clean up and now its time to learn
Numbers,letters,learn to spell
nouns,and books,and show and tell
at playtime we will throw the ball
back to class,through the hall
teacher marks our height
against the wall
And we don’t notice any time pass
we don’t notice anything
we sit side by side in every class
teacher thinks that I sound funny
but she likes the way you sing
Tonight I’ll dream while I’m in bed
when silly thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphbet
and when I wake tommorow I’ll bet
that you and I will walk together again
cause I can tell that we’re going to be friends
Me and Bobby McGee (probably not exactly the right message, but the first freedom song I think of).
The Middle, by Jimmy Eat World can also be quite empowering.
The Flirtations:
Everything Possible
There’s something inside so strong
Secret o’ life
Dar Williams, “You’re Aging Well.”
Why is it that as we grow older and stronger
The roadsigns point us adrift and make us afraid?
Saying ‘You never can win.’ ‘Watch your back.’ ‘Where’s your husband?’
I don’t like the signs that the signmakers make.
So I’m gonna steal out with my paints and my brushes.
I’ll change the directions — I’ll hit every street.
It’s the Tinseltown scandal, the Robin Hood vandal,
She goes out and steals the King’s English.
And in the morning you wake up and the signs point to you.
They say “I’m so glad that you finally made it here.
You thought nobody cared, but I did, I could tell.”
And “This is your year.”
And “It always starts here.”
And “Oh, aren’t you aging well?.”
Also see her song “The Babysitter’s Here.” While her stuff is aimed a little older than toddlers, I think it’s very good and accessible for a wide range of ages.
Funny that this came up on the blog this week – I was just at a concert last week and the local singer/songwriter played a song that I thought could be a bit of a Free Range Kids anthem!
“No kid ever disappeared and if they did we’d never hear
The sordid details of their deaths never landed on my doorstep
I was taught to be polite, how to eat and sit upright
But I was left alone to fight and figure out if that felt right
I think we got the richer lives when we played around with knives
I think we led safer lives when we played around with knives”
http://www.johnmann.ca/music-7.html
Beautiful Day – U2
Montana – Venus hum
Hayling – FC Kahuna
Everybody’s Free (to feel good) – ?
Oh !
Wake Up, Stop Dreaming – Wang Chung
Walk Tall by Ziggy Marley and Paul Simon.
My 6 and 3 year old know this song by heart. When they slip and skin a knee they look at me and say: “I know, I know, even when we fall…We gotta get up!”
Fantastic Song and was recently a free mp3 download at AMZ.
Here’s a quick sample of the lyrics…love the last verse:
Walk tall, walk tall
Even if you fall get up
Stand tall, stand tall
Even if you fall get up
(Repeat)
Life is a lesson that we must learn
If you play with fire you might get burned
If you worry too much
You gonna get stressed
So brush off the dust
And lift up your chest
[Chorus]
Everyone creeps before they walk
Everyone cries before they talk
There comes a time you gotta be strong
So pick up your feet and sing this song
[Chorus]
Don’t you worry ’bout how it looks
Not everything was written in a book
Some things you learn as you go
But here’s one thing you already know
Chorus
Nothing is ever gonna keep me down
I jump over hurdles I’ll come around
And if at first I don’t succeed
I’m gonna try it again
Till I get what I need
good day all!
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