Monday, August 08, 2005
The Pony Sleeps Tonight
Out of necessity, both of my kids are becoming Lyle Lovett fans. The only artist to whom I regularly listen, Lovett often rides shotgun on our travels to and from the ranch. The boys' growing attachment to Lovett has begun to surface in unexpected ways. This evening we were heading home from dinner with the First Class Playgroup, a lively gang comprised of the kids and siblings from Max's St. Luke's classroom. Tonight's gathering was hosted by the parents of Max's pal, Liam, and his little sister, Fiona. I was strapping the boys into the car when I realized that one of the children had morphed into a budding pickpocket. I confiscated the plastic thermometer from Reed and returned it to its rightful owner. By the time I made my way back to the car, Max had begun to sing: "She's my one-eyed Fiona. She's my one-eyed Fiona. She's my one-eyed Fiona. She's my one-eyed Fiona." This is not one of Lovett's better known tunes, nor one we've heard recently, but it obviously made quite an impression on Max, perhaps because he could so easily free-associate to the adorable, blond Fiona whom he knows and likes. (Surely, being "one-eyed" has no meaning for Max, a deficit that will continue unfilled for the time being.)
No sooner had I turned the car for home, than Reed began to beg for "Pony." Pony is short-hand for "If I Had a Boat," Lovett's fantasy about a solo voyage astride his seafaring horse. So insatiable is Reed's thirst for the Pony Song that the final chord has not yet faded before he is clammering for it again. To placate an insistent child, I've actually tolerated the Pony Song a dozen times in a row. Max frequently interrupts Reed's demands for Pony with his own request for the "Texas Song," a tune about a man who abandons his girlfriend on the side of the road because she doesn't understand the Texas mystique. As we drove home, the boys began to volley requests across the back seat:
"Pony!"
"Texas!"
"Pony!"
"Texas!"
"Pony! Pony! Pony!"
With words sure to transcend Reed's relentless request for a song, Max replied, "Let the pony rest, Boo."
No sooner had I turned the car for home, than Reed began to beg for "Pony." Pony is short-hand for "If I Had a Boat," Lovett's fantasy about a solo voyage astride his seafaring horse. So insatiable is Reed's thirst for the Pony Song that the final chord has not yet faded before he is clammering for it again. To placate an insistent child, I've actually tolerated the Pony Song a dozen times in a row. Max frequently interrupts Reed's demands for Pony with his own request for the "Texas Song," a tune about a man who abandons his girlfriend on the side of the road because she doesn't understand the Texas mystique. As we drove home, the boys began to volley requests across the back seat:
"Pony!"
"Texas!"
"Pony!"
"Texas!"
"Pony! Pony! Pony!"
With words sure to transcend Reed's relentless request for a song, Max replied, "Let the pony rest, Boo."
2 Comments:
At least it's a change from "Cat!"
Reed has good taste; that's one of my favorite Lyle songs, too!
Your boys are darling.
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