LYRICS © 2009 by Monty Harper and Mr. Billy 1. Be Creative at Your Library Be creative at your library! Inspiration is on the shelf! Jump right in now, don't be shy baby! Grab a book and express yourself! I found a book about shapes and shading. Step by step it shows what to do. I've got my pencil. I've got paper. I'm gonna sketch a face for you. Hooray! Hoorah! I'm learning how to… draw! Chorus I found a book about fancy footwork. Step by step it shows what to do. I've got my tap shoes. I've got music. I'm gonna bust a move for you. This is my - big chance! I'm learning how to... dance! I never knew I had such Talent within me. I love a challenge and I Love my library. Chorus I found a book about props and blocking. Step by step it shows what to do. I've got my costume. I know my lines. I'm gonna stage a scene for you. It's true! It's a fact! I'm learning how to… act! Chorus Be creative at your library (repeat and fade) 2. Reading Makes Me Want to Dance Out Loud I read the book about Prancing Dancing Lily! She's a dancing cow, and she looks so silly! I read the book, me! I took it off the shelf! I read the book, me! I read it by myself! I read the book, me! Reading makes me wanna dance out loud! Like Prancing Dancing Lily! I read the book Angelina Ballerina! She's a dancing mouse; she's the best I've ever seen-a! I read the book, me! I took it off the shelf! I read the book, me! I read it by myself! I read the book, me! Reading makes me wanna dance out loud! Like Angelina Ballerina! Go, Angelina! I read the book about Dumpy La Rue! He's a dancing pig; he'll make you wanna dance, too! I read the book, me! I took it off the shelf, I read the book, me! I read it by myself I read the book, me! Reading makes me wanna dance out loud! Like Dumpy La Rue! (musical break) I read the book called Dinosaurumpus! With all kinds of dinos that thump us and bump us! I read the book, me! I took it off the shelf! I read the book, me! I read it by myself! I read the book, me! Reading makes me wanna dance out loud! Like the dinosaurs! Roar! Dance out loud! Bibliography for Dance Out Loud: Arnold, Marsha Diane. Prancing Dancing Lily. Dial, 2004. 32 p. (978-0803728233) Pre, Pri. Lily will someday be the "bell cow," leading her herd, but because her prancing and dancing only disrupts their order, she travels the world looking for the right place and dance for her. Holabird, Katharine. Angelina Ballerina. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2006 32 p. (9780670060269) Pre. Angelina loves to dance and wants to become a ballerina more than anything else in the world. Mitton, Tony. Dinosaurumpus. Orchard, 2003. 32 p. (978-0439395144) Pre, Pri. A rhyming tale of Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and even Tyrannosaurus gathering at the swamp to dance. Winthrop, Elizabeth. Dumpy La Rue. Henry Holt & Co., 2001. 40 p. (978-0805063851) Pre, Pri. A rhyming story about a pig whose passion for dancing becomes contagious 3. My Video Camera Some kids keep a journal or a drawing pad. I collect my thoughts in shots and clips. If the day is pokey and my friends feel bad, I point and shoot to change their gloomy scripts. My video camera shows the world the way it ought to be! Laughing, loving faces looking back at me! I cut out any shady parts, Focus on the sunny hearts, Make a happy movie for a YouTube world! Everywhere I go I use my camera eye to capture all the cool things that I see. Wacky witty humans are in great supply. I film the funny things they do for me. Chorus I frame a bike, a dog, a man on a jog, a kid with a comic book walking in a fog. Now I'm zooming in on something new, A squirrel, a jump-roping girl, her sister with a yo-yo going round the world. Now I'm panning all around the view, Do do, do do do do, a do do do do da do do da do! I think what I’ve been looking for is you! Yeah, you! Smile! Chorus The way it ought to be, Laughing, loving faces looking back at me! I cut out any shady parts, Focus on the sunny hearts, Make a happy movie for a YouTube world! 4. Stage Fright I'm watching from the wing. I'm thinking through my line. Now I hear my cue. This is my time. I walk out on the stage. I can feel my heart pound. I take a deep breath but I make no sound. I've got stage fright! I'm frozen up tight Like a deer in a headlight. I am not alright! I've got....stage fright! I feel dizzy in the head. I feel weak in the knee. I see many pairs of eyes All looking at me. Why are they looking at me? I'm pretty certain I'm supposed to speak. I open my mouth and make a tiny squeak. Chorus My nose itches. I can't scratch my nose. I can't move my arms! Why can't I move my arms? It's this stupid costume! I mean this lovely costume my mom helped me make! That's it - I'm a tree! I know what I'm supposed to say! Breathe! I am a tree. My leaves capture the sun's energy. I turn carbon dioxide into oxygen for people to breathe. I had stage fright. I was frozen up tight Like a deer in a headlight. But now it's alright. I had stage fright. I had stage fright. I had stage fright. I had stage fright. I had... stage fright. My mom told me I only hesitated for a couple of seconds but to me it felt like about an hour and a half! 5. Dance Dance Dance Monty does the Jello Dance. You can do it too. Just wiggle your body like Jello! Do the Jello Boogaloo! Wiggle like Jello! Dance, dance, dance! Wiggle like Jello! Dance, dance, dance! Wiggle like Jello! Dance, dance, dance! Do the Jello Dance, the mellow Jello Dance! Billy does the Monkey Dance. You can do it too. Just scratch your body like a monkey And do the Monkey Boogaloo. Scratch like a monkey! Dance, dance, dance! Scratch like a monkey! Dance, dance, dance! Scratch like a monkey! Dance, dance, dance! Do the Monkey Dance, the funky Monkey Dance! Taelor does the Robot Dance. You can do it too. Walk stiffly like a robot And do the Robot Boogaloo - beep beep! Walk like a robot! Dance, dance, dance! Walk like a robot! Dance, dance, dance! Walk like a robot! Dance, dance, dance! Do the Robot Dance, you must do the Robot Dance! Evalyn does the Kitten Dance. You can do it too. Go crazy like a kitten And do the Kitten Boogaloo - meow! Go Crazy! Dance, dance, dance! Like a kitten! Dance, dance, dance! Go Crazy! Dance, dance, dance! Do the Kitten Dance, the crazy Kitten Dance! Now tell us what kind of crazy dance you know how to do. Hey, I'm gonna try that too! Awesome! Dance, dance, dance! Cooool! Dance, dance, dance! Dance, dance, dance! Get down! Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance! Dan dan dan dan dance! 6. Rock & Roll, Read All About It Les Paul and Leo Fender, musicians and inventors paved the way toward a brand new thing. Bill Hailey kicked it off with his "Rock Around the Clock." Elvis Presley shook it up as the King. Buddy Holly and his Crickets, Chuck Berry, Little Richard helped 1950s music take wing. Rock and Roll! Read all about it! Rock and Roll! Legends that surround it! Rock and Roll! Listen to the story behind the beat! In 1962 we got The Beatles' Love Me Do. It was the shout heard round the nation. The Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and the Zombies added tones that rocked us through the British Invasion. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin helped flower power blossom at Woodstock - a rock celebration! Chorus Led Zeppelin and the Who rocked the 70s anew, while disco tried to steal the scene. Motown kept its soul, while Journey let it roll. The voltage grew with Kiss and Queen. New Wave crashed the party with Devo, Clash, and Blondie. We had a bit of everything! Chorus There was a whole new world to see when they turned on MTV. Video killed the radio star. Bon Jovi had big hair, and the ladies rocked with flair like Joan Jet and Pat Benatar. Aerosmith and Ozzy joined the 1980's party, while Van Halen re-invented guitar. In the 90's grunge was the sonic truth. In 2K Pop Rock rules the youth. There are future chapters still to sing. Who's gonna be the next be the next big thing? Could it be you? Chorus Rock and roll! (repeat and fade) 7. Don’t Look, I'm Making a Book Her dad got up one Saturday and went to check on Evalyn. He found her in the middle of a scrap heap on her bed. And when she saw him at the door, she dove to cover something up. He asked her what she had to hide. She turned around and said, “Don't look! Don't look! I'm making a book. My illustrations are colorful creations of paper and glue. My story is oh so clever. This is gonna be the best book ever! I bet you can't wait ‘til I'm ready to read it to you!” By afternoon her floor was piled with pencil stubs and paper balls. She cut and wrote and wadded up. She worked all through the night. And every time her parents came with trays of food or beverage. They heard a repetition of the rhyme she would recite. Chorus On Monday morning six o’clock her mother came to wake her up. The door was blocked from opening by an eight foot paper wall. She ran to dial 911. The firemen chopped the door away. All day they dug for Evalyn but never heard her call. Evalyn’s parents were sobbing for fear she might never be found. The firemen dug into the night without taking a rest. Then one joyful shovel broke through to the cavity under her desk. A pale face peeked out and voiced this request. Chorus 8. The Ants in Your Pants Dance Song Song If you're taking the chance to invent a new dance And you open up your rhyming dictionary. You'll find a phrase or maybe two that are very tried and true To rhyme the word dance with the eloquence of Chuck Berry. I'm not saying it's right or wrong But you’re probably gonna write another ants in your pants dance song. Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! If you wanna lose the bug, man you gotta cut the rug! Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! If you want the buggies gone, you gotta get your groove on! All across the nation, children are dancing along! Everybody dance like there’s ants in your pants! In the 1932s, there were Ants in My Pants blues. In 1973 James Brown went to town and made it funky. But those early anty ditties were never meant for little kiddies. Then in 1984 Joe Scruggs recorded one that was funny. And I'm not saying it's right or wrong But now everybody's got their own ants in your pants dance song. Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! If you want the bugs to go, let me see you shake your toe! Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! If you wanna make ‘em flee, let me see you shake your knee! All across the nation, children are dancing along! Everybody dance like there’s ants in your pants! Gary Rosen made it new, the Chenille Sisters, too. Also Daddy A Go Go, Mr. Billy, and Johnette Downing. Gunnar Madsen wrote his own. So did Mr. Saxophone. If songs were water those ants would already be drowning. And I'm not saying it's right or wrong But there must be half a million different ants in your pants dance songs! Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! If you want the bugs to stop, baby let me see you bop! Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! You wanna make ‘em disappear, then you gotta shake your ear! All across the nation, children are dancing along! Everybody dance like there’s ants in your pants! Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! Everybody's writing an ants in your pants dance song! All across the nation, children are dancing along! Everybody dance like there’s ants in your pants! 9. Belly Like a Bongo I’m gonna play my belly like a bongo. I’m gonna play my belly like a bongo. I’ll play my belly like a bongo while I sing this silly songo, And we’ll make music all day long! I’m gonna play my nose like a kazoo. I’m gonna play my nose like a kazoo. I’ll play my nose like a kazoo and I hope I don’t Achoo! I’ll play my belly like a bongo while I sing this silly songo, And we’ll make music all day long! I’m gonna play my hands like two maracas. I’m gonna play my hands like two maracas. I’ll play my hands like two maracas while I dance the Cucaracha. I’ll play my nose like a kazoo and I hope I don’t Achoo! I’ll play my belly like a bongo while I sing this silly songo, And we’ll make music all day long! I’m gonna play my arm like a trombone. I’m gonna play my arm like a trombone. I’ll play my arm like a trombone ‘til it makes my mama groan. I’ll play my hands like two maracas while I dance the Cucaracha. I’ll play my nose like a kazoo and I hope I don’t Achoo! I’ll play my belly like a bongo while I sing this silly songo, And we’ll make music all day long! I’m gonna play my ribs like a kalimba. I’m gonna play my ribs like a kalimba. I’ll play my ribs like a kalimba ‘til I’m laughing limb to limba. I’ll play my arm like a trombone ‘til it makes my mama groan. I’ll play my hands like two maracas while I dance the Cucaracha. I’ll play my nose like a kazoo and I hope I don’t Achoo! I’ll play my belly like a bongo while I sing this silly songo, And we’ll make music all day long! I’m gonna play my whole body like a band. Yes, I am. I’m gonna play my whole body like a band. Here I go. I’ll play my body like a band while the world gives me a big big hand. (clapping) Thank you I’ll play my ribs like a kalimba ‘til I’m laughing limb to limba. I’ll play my arm like a trombone ‘til it makes my mama groan. I’ll play my hands like two maracas while I dance the Cucaracha. I’ll play my nose like a kazoo and I hope I don’t Achoo! I’ll play my belly like a bongo while I sing this silly songo, And we’ll make music all day long! 10. Refrigerator Art I'm drawing a picture of my mom dressed in a super hero cape. She's making my bed with one big toe while fighting off an evil robot ape. That's refrigerator art! It stands apart! Other drawings I've done may be fancy or fun May be colorful or interesting or smart, But when it tugs at my mama's heart That's refrigerator art! There's a family word we like to use. We save it only for the best of the best. Whenever I get a great big hug that’s how I know my drawing passed the test. Chorus And when our fridge runs out of spaces we’ll find other special places. So even if my new masterpiece is hanging on the mantlepiece or tacked up at work or piled in a nook or stored in a box or bound in a book; Even if it's in a frame on the wall it doesn't change what we like to call it! Chorus It stands apart. Other drawings I've done may be fancy or fun May be colorful or interesting or smart, But when it tugs at my mama's heart That's refrigerator art! 11. Get Creative! If you want to write poems, read poetry. If you want to play music, find your key. If you want to be an actor, learn a part. If you want to be an painter, study art. Get creative! Watch your brain waves bloom and grow! Get creative! The library is the place to go! Find a recipe if you love to cook. If discovery grabs you, get a science book. Read a tech magazine if you'd rather invent. Whatever your spark is, here's a hint... Chorus No one can stop you from unlocking your imagination. Your library card is the magical key to endless inspiration. Broadway, Memphis, Hollywood! Pavarotti to Johnny B. Goode! Pottery, sculpture, ballet, rhyme; Take it all in, it won't cost a dime! Chorus 12. Somebody Dreamed a Dream Disneyland, Superman, the one horse open sleigh, Ferris wheels, parachutes, the U.S.A.; All of these, all of these came into being when somebody, somebody dreamed a dream. Webkinz World, GPS, hybrid electric cars, cellular phones, MP3s, rovers exploring Mars; All of these, all of these came into being when somebody, somebody dreamed a dream. Dream, dream, dream a dream. Dream, dream, dream a dream. Flying cars, urban farms, anti-gravity boots, robo-cooks, day glow dogs, invisibility suits; Each of these could come true if someone dreams them too; Somebody, somebody just like you. Dream, dream, dream a dream. Dream, dream, dream a dream. Dream, dream, dream a dream. Dream, dream, dream a dream. THE REST OF THE STORY Monty Harper Monty Harper began his children's music career in 1989 with a volunteer performance at his local library. He has written many dozens of songs celebrating books, libraries, and reading over the intervening two decades, and has performed for many thousands of kids and parents at libraries in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. His two most popular and award-winning CDs, Take Me to Your Library (2003), and Paws Claws Scales and Tales (2006), each focus on previous summer reading themes. Monty is the host of The Program Room, a podcast for children's librarians, and is presenting workshops on creativity for all the public children's librarians in Oklahoma and Kansas this Spring. Mr. Billy After navigating successful careers as a rock guitarist and internet marketer, Mr. Billy reinvented himself yet again in 2002. This time it was a visit to his son's classroom that opened his eyes to the rewards of singing for children. In just a few short years he became the preeminent children's act of the Green Bay WI area, performing for hundreds of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois libraries each year. Mr. Billy's 2008 Six Leg Songs CD was extremely popular with librarians nation-wide and 1,000 copies in just 30 days. Now Monty Harper and Mr. Billy are teaming up to bring you nothing short of the greatest summer reading themed CD ever! EVEN MORE... Between October 2008 and January 2009, children's musicians Monty Harper and Mr. Billy wrote and recorded 12 songs together, without ever occupying the same room at the same time. How did this strange trick of digital wizardry come about? Monty Harper and Mr. Billy's paths first crossed a couple of years ago on the Children's Music Network listserve, where their similar interests led them to speculate the possibility that they could be long lost twins. Since then they have supported one another's work in various ways, including writing and recording several songs together. Around August they found themselves doing the "psychic twin" thing once again, as they each prepared to create their own "Be Creative at Your Library" CDs. As the world can only use so many summer-library- program-themed CDs, it seemed only natural that they should team up to do one together. However, many details conspired to stand in their way. One partner lives in Oklahoma, the other in Wisconsin. One of them works on an iMac computer, the other on a Windows machine. One of them votes Democratic, the other Republican. One of them watches Lost, the other Survivor. One of them drinks Coke, the other Pepsi. They had found that perhaps they were not so "twinnish" after all. But through many emails, phone calls, and Skype sessions they managed to plan and write twelve new songs together. Through the magic of electronic file transfer, they melded their instruments and voices together. After all that effort, there is one thing they do agree on. Both are more than pleased with the results! While Monty and Billy have each produced highly acclaimed CDs on their own, working together has raised their standards of excellence. Their talents are very complementary, and so are these comments, made by each about the other: "Monty is a phenomenal children's lyricist," says Mr. Billy. "His attention to detail is maddening. And he sings pretty, too." "Mr. Billy is a killer musician," says Monty. "He works annoyingly quickly, and his arrangements are amazing." "This CD is our best ever!" they say together. There they go doing that twin thing once again! So, at least two people are impressed with the new "Let's Get Creative CD." Can we make it three? You be the judge!