The Sounds of Jungle Love "Wet-Nurse, Wet-Nurse" was the very first song I wrote, back in about 1972 when I was in grade school. The song made no sense, but it was fun to play and write. One time, my mom and stepdad were driving home from picking up the day's beer supply. That, of course, was the last thing on their mind. Instead, I was standing outside on the sidewalk with the song sheet in my hand. They were driving very fast. When they caught sight of me holding the sheet, they slowed down and pulled over, and came out to listen. So did many of the other patrons of the nearby bar. We sang and played and laughed about how silly the song was. People had a good time. Today, nearly a decade later, when someone hears the song, they think I'm singing about them. To most folks, it's a silly song about my high school days, and it makes them very uncomfortable, so they change the subject very quickly. If you're the song's target audience, don't go to places where the song might be heard. I've had a lot of fun making up this "silly" song. But when I play it for people who are in my immediate vicinity, they almost always understand it, and laugh. That said, it never gets any easier to tell strangers why I'm singing about them. But maybe that's not really the goal. Maybe I'm not really trying to sell a song at all. Maybe I'm just having fun, putting it out there, and letting other people do the same. One thing's for sure: I find it very difficult to explain the meaning of this song, or why I wrote it in the first place. All I can say is that this song has been a lot of fun to write. It's given me a wonderful perspective on how the simple things in life make us feel good and make us smile. And maybe the more I say about it, the more fun the song gets. If I play it, and someone is in the audience, how will you react? [To play the song, click the "play" button in the audio player below.] Song Analysis There are lots of fun little details and interesting words in this song. Let's look at some of them: Who's My Baby, Who's My Baby? My dad was an old-fashioned dad. He'd yell, "Who's my baby, who's my baby?" and come running toward the nursery when we were all snoozing in our beds, or otherwise occupied. (Years ago, someone would have given him a swift kick, and we'd get some big words and a spanking.) Sometimes, when Dad called, my sisters and I went straight out to him. So, "Who's my baby, who's my baby?" is both a call for help and an invitation to play. (P.S. Some folks say, "Dad's got his heart in the right place, but I'd prefer he stay home a little more often, if he's not going to put us back in the nursery.") In those days, when Dad would come to take us out of bed, the one thing we all did was scream. We tried to make the most noise possible to wake ourselves up. Then Dad would ask us, "Who's my baby, who's my baby?" We'd all look at each other, and say, "Me!" Then, off we'd go to do something. Sometimes, Dad's yell would get a baby's mother out of bed, too. "Who's my baby, who's my baby?" The sound of Dad's call on a summer night, the sound of laughter, helped many a baby make it through its first night of life. At the end of my dad's yell, when we were all ready to go, we'd say, "Who's my baby, who's my baby?" Then, all four of us would answer, "You are!" If you're a single dad, this little snippet of song might help a young baby understand that when Dad does come get him, that's great. But it's not as great as what Dad does all day. Who's My Daddy? Do you have a hard time remembering who your dad is? Well, if you've read through this song, you've seen that I'm using your dad as an example of a very good boy. Dad's always good, and he's very kind to his family and friends. He might not be the best at sports and he might not know everything there is to know. And Dad sure is not perfect. But he'll do the best he can to help you out with your homework. When Dad's home, Dad likes to do what Dad likes to do. And Dad always will be there for you. I wonder why anyone would ever try to replace Dad. That's a great role model. How about you, Dad? Daddy's a pretty good guy, so let's give him a shout-out. There is no one else that can do what he does, and do it so well. So, shout, shout, shout! Who? Who? My daddy's not a "he." Daddy's an "it." An "it" is any human who is not female. And I hope you're pretty much okay with that. My dad is an "it" who loves me, a lot, and I love him, too. And Daddy's just as good as anyone else's daddy! There are lots of good daddies out there. Daddy makes sure I get milk and cookies and whatever else is fun, but I've always wondered why it's the only person who gets to be called a "daddy." There are other daddies out there. I don't mean to sound rude. It's just that I'm a little confused and curious about daddies. They have to be different from mummies, don't they? But I don't want to make it sound like my daddy is like a mummy. In some ways, he is much more than a mummy. He has hands that hold me and help me learn to tie my shoes, to read and write, and do all the other things a mommy can help me do. (Of course, they have to do a very good job to do as well as my own wonderful mommy.) And he's pretty great when he's in the bath. I don't mean that he's so great that he likes to take baths—no. He's really, really good at taking baths. It's kind of fun, being in a nice warm bath with a "daddy." We look at each other for a long time, and just enjoy each other. That's nice, you might be thinking, but how about the other daddies? Don't they ever get to take baths? Well, I'm not so sure. I'm pretty sure that my daddy would be okay with me calling him a "daddy" in general. So, who's my daddy? Why, you are. Isn't that wonderful? Do you agree with this song about daddies? The Paw Print Game Sometimes, when we're playing, Daddy might play a game with me and a toy bear. The bear's called Teddy, but not really a teddy bear. The bear is a bear with paws. It has paws so I can give it a handshake, like he wants me to do. Then, when I start to give Teddy a paw, sometimes I'll leave out a little part of the paw, and sometimes I'll leave out most of the paw. And then I look to see if there's a paw print on Teddy's tummy. I like to check for a paw print so I know that Teddy likes me. This song is about making a song about a very, very small paw print on Teddy's tummy. In real life, this is not a little thing. It's a very big thing, indeed. (And if Teddy doesn't want me to do something to him, or doesn't like what I'm doing, it's usually a really big deal, too.) I don't know how other daddies feel about this game. Maybe you think it's okay. Or maybe you think it's not okay, and you don't want your son to play that kind of game. But if you don't want your son to do it, or your daughter to do it, that makes you a bad daddy! What are you so worried about? Daddy will take a bath, and Mommy will get you a drink of water, okay? And don't worry about a thing. We'll play lots of other games that are much more fun. This song is short and sweet, but I hope it makes you think. And more importantly, if you don't want your child to play the paw game, I hope you teach your child a game that's even better, so she can still have fun. The Barefoot Walk When we've gone barefoot in the grass, I walk a certain way. It's a walk that's always fun, just like the song says. It's easy to sing and easy to remember. I know it