The Wizard of Oz

I first mentioned the Wizard of Oz in my Bath time posts. Here is the story of how it became a part of the routine.

One day I was sitting in the big, fluffy chair with the girls in my lap. They were about four months old. I don't know why, but I think when you spend too much time with kids, you start to have a running soundtrack in your brain of kid-like voices. And when those kid-like voices begin to merge together with your thoughts, they turn into songs, or begin to merge with the music lyrics in your brain.

So, for whatever reason, I began to sing the really high part of the song "Munchkinland Sequence" from the Wizard of Oz:

       
         The house began to twitch

         The kitchen took a switch

         Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da.....DA!!! 

         da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da....The wicked witch!

But, as it turned out, I didn't know all the lyrics. But the girls began to crack up at me! I kept singing this part over and over, trying to figure out what the heck I was supposed to be singing. And all the while the girls were giggling, and laughing. So I decided to use my trusty I-phone, and download the darn song directly so that the girls could listen to it first hand. While they listened to it over and over, and laughed, I listened to it over and over so that I could learn the words. It was the mutual benefit society.

Thus began the love-affair with the Munchkinland Sequence song. Pretty much from four months up until 9 months or so, we would play it at least once a day, if not more. It would usually calm them down if they were hitting a wall at the end of the day, or it would distract them if they were becoming bored or frustrated. It would give them something to do if we were driving in the car, and it would be a source of exercise when we were at home (dancing to all the parts).

Upon becoming obsessed with the song I realized a few things:

1)The lyric writing of the song is absolutely brilliant - the use of intra-syllabication rhyming in the verse "Which is not a healthy siiiiii-CHU-ation for the wicked witch!" is something I have not seen very often. It is very clever!

2) The play on words is very fun - lots of which, witch stuff going on.

3) The lyrics are actually quite morbid - "It landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch, which is not a healthy situation for, the wicked witch!" And "We thank you very sweetly. For doing it so neatly. You killed her so completely, that we thank you very sweetly!"

4) I learned a new word! AVER - I never knew what that morbid munchin was saying when he said, "As coroner, I must aver, I thoroughly examined her..." So I looked it up. It means to affirm, with absolute confidence.

5) Each little munchkin that comes along has a different action or voice, and I ended up using the girls to act out all the parts. Abigail was always so little, that I would have her get up and dance during the Lullabye League. And Annabelle, my little chunky monkey, would be the Lollipop Guild. My friend Stephanie gave me a hard time about this, so I ended up switching the roles after a while (ha!). Of course, it's a moot point now that they are walking around. The girls both weigh the same!

6) Beyond all that, the different munchkin voices are a total crack-up to imitate throughout the song. I am particularly good at the coroner. And I am not so bad at the mayor either.

Many people in my family (Kay-teeeee!, Aunt Jeanette!) who also appreciate the Wizard of Oz got in on the action during various family dinners, and at Christmas time. And last Thanksgiving, the girls actually got to watch the Wizard of Oz for the first time on DVD, and hear and see the Munchkinland Sequence for themselves. They were pretty young, but they were still mesmerized!

Anyway, we are all sick of it now, but it was fun while it lasted!