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Wiggle Worm
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight

When the bass is thumpin'
Don't you want to jump in
Let the music be your guide
Get up off the sofa
Like a supernova
Come on and shake your behind

There is nothin' to it
Anyone can do it
Listen to the sound of the band
If you want to try too
Move the way that I do
Follow me and clap your hands

Chorus:
I've got ants in my pants
Call me a wiggle worm (you can't deny it)
I know a thousand dances
Anyone can learn 
If you try it

Let's start with the monkey
Now we're gettin' funky
Like Tarzan on a jungle gym
It's all in the timing
Kind of like you're climbing
Now it's time to take a swim

Go forward like you're reachin'
We're all at the beach and
Slinky smooth like a sea otter
Now let's do the backstroke
You don't need a raincoat
Hold your nose and go underwater(Chorus)
Are you ready to try some of those dances? All right, here we go!
Air Guitar
Belly Dance
Waltz
Disco
(Chorus)

How 'bout Chubby Checker
Dancin' to the record
Everybody do the twist
You can ask your grandma
Dancin' with your grandpa
They'll tell you it goes like this

So if you're old or little 
Or somewhere in the middle
Let the music be your guide
Get up off the sofa
Like a supernova
Come on and shake your behind

Do the Pony!
Raise the Roof
Funky Chicken
Hand Jive
Hula
Now Kick!
Pogo
Spin Around

For help with some of these dances, check out these movies: Twist (1993) directed by Ron Mann, Hairspray(1988) directed by John Waters, The Blues Brothers (1980) directed by John Landis.

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Everyone's an Artist
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight


The opening two lines - "If you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing" is a saying from Zimbabwe. 

Chorus: 
If you can walk, you can dance
If you can talk, you can sing
You’ve got the power to create anything
That you feel 
Let your spirit shine through
And I believe, I believe in you

It’s not about who’s smartest or if you’re a girl or guy
Everybody is an artist, all you have to do is try 
From the little bitty baby to the oldest living man
If you are human, you can, you can, you can! (Chorus)

With a pen and paper you can draw a lot of lines
With some paint or crayons you can make a nice design
You can build it out of wood or make it out of clay
You can do it now, today, today, today (Chorus)

Every living person has a story that is true
No one else can tell it, there is only you
Everyone has music in the beating of their heart
You gotta let it out, it’s art, it’s art , it’s art! (Chorus)

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Welcome to our Classroom 
copyright 2003  by Tom Knight and Mihal Elman
Music by Tom Knight
Lyrics by Tom Knight and Mihal Elman

Teacher's Voice:
Welcome to our classroom
It’s great to be here with you
I don’t love you yet, but I will soon
Everyone’s so different
We all have things we need
There’s so much I dream of doing before June
And I plan every day
But I love those magic moments
When learning happens unexpectedly
Mistakes are opportunities
Trust your curiosity
Trust your curiosity

Kids' voices:
When’s recess?/ Do I have to?
I forgot my homework
I don’t get it
I wish she was my friend
I know that/ I’m good at
Can we learn about that?
Wow that’s so cool
Can I go to the bathroom?
Is it time?/ Is it time
Can we do it again?
Am I getting smarter?
Can I get a drink of water?
He budged/ That’s not fair!
I understand
How can we find the answers?
I just hope the teacher likes me

Bridge: 
We will learn about the world
Notice things big and small
Learn respect through 
Understanding
Be responsible for all
I believe in you
You can count on me
We’ll take care of each other
In this community
I believe in you
You’re getting smarter … every day

Welcome to our classroom
I think we're gonna like it here

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In Our Band
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight
This song was inspired by the traditional song, "Mama Don't Allow," but that song doesn't do justice to Mamas, and I wanted to use different instruments. Feel free to add your own verses. 

- OK, are you guys ready to record?
- Let me just finish tuning. 
- The guitar's not going to be very loud anyway.
- Hurry up. The tape's ready to roll.
- It's already rolling. We just have to start.
- Oh.
- I'll start.
- No, I'm supposed to start.
- OK, I'll count it off.
- Not too fast.
- Shh. Here we go.
- 1, 2, 1, 2, 3,4

We've got a guitar in our band 
We've got a guitar in our band
When I play these 6 strings
Everybody starts to sing
We've got a guitar in our band 

We’ve got a bass player in our band
We’ve got a bass player in our band
When she plays the stand-up bass
She makes a really funny face
We’ve got a bass player in our band

We’ve got a drummer in our band
We’ve got a drummer in our band
When she plays the drums real hard
Dogs start barkin' in the back yard
We’ve got a drummer in our band

We’ve got a piano in our band
We’ve got a piano in our band
When he plays on the keys
Everybody goes Ooooo eeeee!
We’ve got a piano in our band

We've got a lead guitar in our band
We've got a lead guitar in our band
When he plays his guitar
He thinks that he’s a rock ‘n’ roll star
We've got a lead guitar in our band

We’ve got a chicken in our band (What?)
We've got a chicken in our band (A chicken?)
She likes to dance and flap her wings
If she had lips then she would sing
We've got a chicken in our band

-Wait a minute! We didn't vote on this in our band meeting. No one said anything about a chicken.
- I know, but I thought we'd try her out and see how she sounds. 
And she does the chicken dance really well.
- I'm sure. But how much do we have to pay her?
- She works for chicken feed. 
- Well, so do we.
- Be quiet! Here comes the solo section!
Guitar! Bass! Drums! Piano! Lead Guitar! Chicken! Everybody!

Everybody has a part in our band
Everybody has a part in our band
You can't do it by yourself
You've got to get your friends to help
Everybody has a part in our band
Cha Cha Cha!

- You know what this song really needs?
- What?
- One of those egg shakers. 
- A shaker egg?
- Yeah.
- Good idea. But which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

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Have You Seen My Egg?
copyright 2002 by Tom Knight

I asked my mother, Have you seen my egg?(2x)
She said, Does that egg make noise?
I think it's with your other toys
What's so special about your egg?

I said, well ...
It's a shaker and it shakes
I just love the noise it makes
It goes chicka chicka chicka cha cha
Sounds just like a maraca
I've just got to find my shaker egg


I asked the farmer, Have you seen my egg?(2x)
He said, The only eggs I'm pickin'
Are the ones that come from chickens
What's so special about your egg? 
(chorus) 

Let's take it slow...
(Slow Chorus)

I asked the chicken, Have you seen my egg?(2x)
She said, I scritch and scratch 
But this one egg just won't hatch
I think this must be your shaker egg

I said, Yay! (Chorus)

Now I finally found my shaker
I looked around the farm and found the chicken was the taker
Now I finally found my shaker egg

A version of this song can be heard on an interactive video by Tamar Frieden. www.toddlerstango.com

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Climb that Beanstalk 
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight


Leaf by leaf
Branch by branch
You can do it, but you gotta take a chance
You never know until you try
Follow your dream, reach for the sky

Chorus:
So Come on Jack / Climb that Beanstalk
You can do it if you don’t give up
Oh, Come on Jack / Climb that Beanstalk
Pretty soon you'll be dancin' on the top 

Look! Here comes Jill!

Who can say what you will find
Maybe a giant with breakfast on his mind
But then again, I’ve been told
You might find a harp of gold

So Come on Jill /Climb that Beanstalk
You can do it, don’t give up
Oh Come on Jill/Climb that Beanstalk
Pretty soon you'll be dancin' on the top 

Bridge:
I remember when you were small 
Look at you now, you've grown so tall 
I won't tell you what you should do 
But if you slip, I'm here to catch you

Seek your fortune and remember
Gold is good but friends are better
You may not need to go too far
There might be magic in your backyard

So Come on, come on /Climb that Beanstalk
You can do it, don’t give up
Oh Come on now/Climb that Beanstalk
I can see you dancin' on the top

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I Love the Dark
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight

I love the dark, that's the time when stars are twinklin' in the skies
I love the dark, when you can hear the sweetest lullabies
I love the dark, when the crickets sing a tune
Underneath the moon in the month of June
I'm mesmerized by the dancing fireflies
I love the dark and don't you love it too?

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Introduction to the Blues
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight

Woke up this mornin' thought I'd play me some blues 
Maybe write my own song, I got nothin' to lose 

First you sing a line, then sing it again 
The third line is different and it rhymes in the end

In between the words, the guitar does its thing
It fills up the spaces when nobody sings

Sometimes you stop and sometimes you go
Sometimes it's fast and sometimes it's slow
Once you get a pattern, it repeats and repeats (and repeats)
Once you feel the rhythm, tap your feet to the beat
(Let me hear you now)

Blue is a color and it's a feelin' too
When you're feelin' so sad you don't know what to do
When you got the blues, the skies are all gray
But when you're playin' and singin', the clouds go away
(Chase those clouds away now)

Listen to the blues, Oh what a sound
When you're at the end, then you turn it around

Well well well Woke up this mornin' thought I'd play me some blues
Maybe write my own song, I got nothin' 
I got nothin'
Oh I got nothin to lose

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Shake Shake Shake (The Earthquake Song)
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight
Thanks to Dr. Alexandra Moore, Visiting Associate Professor, Geological Sciences, Cornell University

The surface of the earth is always changing
Mountains and valleys rearranging
That's because the earth is covered up with giant plates
And when they rub together we get earthquakes

Chorus:
Shake, shake, shake, shake it baby
The ground looks solid but it's wavy
It's the motion of a mountain's birth (Boom, Boom, Boom)
But I've got rhythm in my soul
So when the ground rocks I roll
I surf on the surface of the Earth

If you wonder how big these plates are
Some are as big as our United States are
They are always moving, but they're moving really slow 
About as fast as our fingernails grow (chorus)

Sometimes when a plate has moved a lot
It opens up a crack we call a hot spot
Through that open vent molten rock will start to flow
Kids don't get too close to the volcano (chorus)

I surf on the surface of the Earth

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Adventures of a Water Drop
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight 

Let's start/ at the top
I'm a little water drop

I'm a little drop of water 
In a great big salty sea
The sun is getting hotter
Oh no what's happenin' to me?

I feel I'm being lifted
Right up into the skies
Evaporation's started
And now I'm startin' to rise

It's cold up in the air
In this fluffy cloud
Condensation joins us
But there's a lot of drips in this crowd

So now I think I'm falling
You can call me rain
Or precipitation
That's my other name

Chorus:
Oh Water
Life-giving water
Like a wheel turning 'round
Every drop 
When it reaches the top
Falls down to the ground

What was I/ explainin'
Oh yeah / I was rainin'

I fall onto a mountain
Almost at the top
I'm always flowing downhill
Wherever I may drop

I slip into a stream
That's the path I take
After many miles
I jump into a lake

I think I'll hang out here
But wait what is that wall?
I'm heading for the edge
And down the waterfall!

And now the river's got me
But this is not the end
Soon I'll reach the ocean
And start all over again (Chorus)

If you / Want me
Look in the deep blue sea

I'm mostly in the ocean
That's where I am found
But I could be frozen solid
Or hiding underground

And every living thing
Needs water to survive
Animals plants and humans
Depend on it for life

There's a limited supply
Of water we can drink
If we are not careful
It'll all go down the sink

So keep all the pollution
Pesticides and such
Away from our clean water
Thank you very much! (Chorus)

It's raining it's pouring
The old man is snoring

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The Birthday Waltz
Melody: Merry Widow Waltz by Franz Lehar
Lyrics: unknown
Arrangement copyright 2003 by Tom Knight

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
We love you
Happy Birthday and may all your dreams come true
When you blow out the candles
One light stays aglow
It's the love light in your eyes 
Where'er you go

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Rockabilly Goats Gruff
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight

You've probably heard the traditional story of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff, but you may not have heard of Rockabilly, a wild, guitar-driven music that had its heyday from 1955-1960. Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the young Elvis Presley were a few of the famous singers who defined the style. When I needed an authentic Rockabilly sound for this tune (and "Shake Shake Shake"), I was lucky enough to get the Rochester NY trio of Bobby Henrie and the Goners to back me up. Hit it!

Well, there were 3 billy goats who liked to rock and roll
They were 3 wild boys who were out of control
They wanted breakfast, there was nothin’ in the fridge
So the three billy goats had to cross that bridge

Chorus:
Rockabilly goats all day long
Rockabilly goats sing this song
Rockabilly billy goats like to play rough
Rockabilly goats gruff

Well the little billy goat crossed the bridge trip trop
When up popped the troll who said, "You'd better stop!"
The goat said "Baaa, I'm not scared of you!
I'm crossing this bridge, Nanny Nanny Boo Boo!" (Chorus)

Rockabilly billy goats struttin’ their stuff

Well the middle billy goat was the next to cross
When up popped the troll who said, "I’m the boss!"
The goat said, "The only boss of me is my mama,
And you’re not her so you can eat my pajamas!"
(Chorus)

Rockabilly billy goats callin’ his bluff

Well the big Billy goat was the next in line
And up popped the troll like he did the last time
The big goat said, "Well bless my soul!
You can't stop me I was born to rock and roll!"

Rockabilly billy goats lookin’ kinda buff

Well if you wonder how this little story ends
The troll joined the band and now they're all friends
You can hear the music from the top of that hill
I bet you five dollars they're rockin' there still

Rockabilly music they can't get enough

Oh Snip snap snout
This tale’s told out

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Peace in Twelve Languages
By Tom Knight
copyright 1988 American Publications and Recordings

Paz (“pause”) Spanish
Paix (“pay”) French
Peace English
An (“on”) Korean
Siochain (“sh-Kaan” Gaelic (Irish)
Friede (“free-deh”) German
Shalom Hebrew
Salaam Arabic
Amani ("Ah-mah-nee") Swahili
Santeepop Thai
Heiwa (hey-ee-wah”) Japanese
Hoa Bihn (“hwah-ah-bin”) Vietnamese

These are the names of 12 of the cabins at an International Summer Camp in Virginia where I was a counselor in 1986. www.globalyouthvillage.org
A slightly different arrangement is available for choral groups from Hal Leonard Publications. Guitarists note: I used an open G tuning. From Low to High: D-G-D-G-B-D. I played 2-note chords dulcimer style on the 4th and 6th string, or the 3rd and 6th string. 

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Everybody Makes Mistakes
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight and Mihal Elman
Music by Tom Knight
Words by Tom Knight and Mihal Elman

Chorus:
Everybody Makes Mistakes
All along the way to success
And everybody makes mistakes
Even when they’re doing their best

Nobody’s perfect
There’s so much we don’t know
Making mistakes
Is the way we learn and grow
Remember a juggler
At the beginning, she drops the ball
When you were a baby
Before you walked you had to fall
(Chorus)

Sometimes it happens
You mess up what you do
And then accidentally
You create something new
I was playing guitar
And some notes came out wrong
But I liked how it sounded
And now I’ve got a new song(Chorus)

Bridge:
Don't be afraid to try something new
Be patient with yourself when you do
You can learn more if something's harder
Making mistakes ... can make you smarter

Give yourself a break
Everybody makes mistakes

It can take courage
To make a friendship strong
It shows that you care
When you admit you were wrong
And when you forgive
Yourself and your friend
Arguments fade
And now it's fun again
(Chorus)
Even when they're doin'
Even when you're doin'
Even when we're doin' our best

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Spin Spider Spin
copyright 2003 by Tom Knight


Like the web the spider can spin
Sparkling with dew
Life is like a wheel that turns
What's old becomes new

Chorus:
Spin Spider Spin
All around and back again
'til you get to where you begin
Spin Spider Spin

As the world is spinning around
The sun lights the sky
Then the moon and stars take a turn
Until the sunrise (Chorus)

Our little planet circles the sun
The seasons go by
Winter Spring and Summer and Fall
A year of our lives (Chorus)

From a seed a plant will grow
It lives, then it's gone
But on the ground some seeds stay behind
The circle goes on (Chorus)

The tide goes out, the tide comes in
A kind of a dance
From little bugs to giant giraffes
People and plants (Chorus)

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Thank you to:
Chris Somerfeldt for inspiration and support in a multitude of ways, improving practically every song, Mihal Elman for showing me what a great teacher is like, and contributing her songwriting skills, John Simon, Joe Gaylord, Linda Stout, Patti Witten and the rest of the Water Street Songwriters, Beth Wolf for the chicken and other imaginative ideas, Alex Moore for reminding me that everyone is a scientist too, Leslie Kurzweil for help figuring out kids' vocal range, Sue Seeley for some cool dance moves, Tamar Frieden for the shaker egg idea, Jennifer Monter for validation on my "Mistakes," Alex Specker for loaning the Fender Amp, and Joyce and Richard Knight for helping me set up my life as an artist.

Musicians
Tom Knight - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar on "Water"
Doug Robinson - electric and upright bass on all tracks except "Shake" and "Goats," guitar on "Dark" and "Artist"
Bill King - drums on all tracks except "Shake," "Goats," "Artist," and "Egg." Hand drums on "Peace." Ice Chest with tin can and jingle bells on "Blues."
Molly MacMillan - piano and keyboards
Ray Zajac - hand drums and percussion, drums on "Egg," and snare drum on "Water."
Dee Specker - backing vocals
John Simon - backing vocals and troll impersonation
Lesley Greene - flute, backing vocals on "Spider"
Joe Gaylord - guitar on "Blues" and ukulele on "Spider" and "Wiggle"
Chris White - cello on "Spider" and "Classroom"
Mer Boel - violin
Dan Veaner - Celtic Harp
Mike Vitucci - electric guitar on "Band" and "Wiggle"
Steve Codner - trumpet and trombone
Peter Forlano - tenor and soprano sax
Scott B. Adams - slide guitar on "Mistakes"
Tommy Whittle - harmonica

With Special Guest Appearance by Bobby Henrie and the Goners:
Bobby Henrie - electric guitar on "Goats," "Shake," and "Artist."
Jim Symonds - drums on "Goats," "Shake," and "Artist."
Brian Williams - bass on "Goats," "Shake" and bass inspiration for "Artist."

Kids Chorus - Directed by Janet Galvan
Sarah Estes-Smith
Aisha Farley
Thandiwe Farley 
Elena Galvan
Violet Goncarovs
Kristen Nozell
Melissa Nozell
Miriam Nussbaum
Golda Rosenfield
Brandon Van Loon
Additional kids' vocals on "Egg": Courtney Adams, Kiersten Adams, Chelsea Gable

All Songs copyright 2003 by Tom Knight, published by Moon and Sixpence Music, ASCAP, except "Peace In Twelve Languages" c 1988 by American Publications and Recordings
All Songs written by Tom Knight except: "Welcome to Our Classroom," Music by Tom Knight, Lyrics by Tom Knight and Mihal Elman.
And "Everybody Makes Mistakes," music by Tom Knight, Lyrics by Tom Knight and Mihal Elman
And "The Birthday Waltz," Melody: Merry Widow Waltz by Franz Lehar, Lyrics: unknown, Arrangement c 2003 by Tom Knight

Produced by Tom Knight and Scott B. Adams
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Scott B. Adams
Orchard Park Recording, Ovid NY

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