The Colors of my Rainbow

There is a cassette tape that I used to LOVE as a kid. I've always loved rainbows (including a very special painted wooden one that used to sit in my window sill until I moved out of my childhood home when I was 18 years old.) And this tape is called The Colors of my Rainbow by Joe Wayman. It's a very strange, yet pleasant collection of songs about colors. Luckily, this tape still works, and Jason's car has a cassette player! So I stole the tape from my parents. (Like the silly moose! Okay, you'll have to read the lyrics to the first song to have any idea what I'm talking about. Coincidentally, my nickname used to be Moose! Lol! But I digress...)

I introduced this lovely little gem of music to my children one day and they love it now as much as I used to. And I still love it. It's one of the few tapes that I really really REALLY don't mind putting on for my kids in the car. I know almost all the words (barring those I can't understand and never had the lyrics to.) Jason even bought me a cassette tape converter thingy specifically to put these songs on my computer before the cassette stopped working. I know that's a simple thing that he did for me, but it was incredibly thoughtful. He's pretty awesome like that. :)

But before he bought the converter, I searched and searched and searched the internet for any trace of these songs and I couldn't find them. If you search the full title AND the name Joe Wayman, you can find a bit of information on it. I found this awesome photo:

But you can't find the lyrics anywhere. I found a lot of people searching for it just like me. I'm not the only one that LOVED these songs apparently. I seriously wish this guy would have made more music, because I really like it way better than all the other children's music out there. It's actually thought provoking and interesting!! Heaven forbid! One website described it this way:

"Songs about colors, and more than that, songs about feelings, hopes, dreams, and fears to open doors to creative writing, oral expression, imagination development, and self-concept. For primary grades."

And I believe them. My mother says she bought this tape at a gifted children seminar thing for my brother. (Yes, he was gifted, and I certainly wasn't, but I got along just fine with my stolen tape!) So for the sake of humanity, I am posting the lyrics here and hoping someone somewhere will have an easier search than I did. This is for all you Joe Wayman fans out there! I feel you, man! (And if you ever come across this, Joe, please write to me and let me know. And I know that sentence rhymes; I sang it in my head to the tune of Stolen Rainbows.)

The Colors of My Rainbow

by Joe Wayman

 

Stolen Rainbows

Once upon a time

in ancient days gone by

days were bright, especially bright.

I will tell you why:

‘Cause every single day

had rainbows in the sky.

The rainbows they were everywhere,

all around on every hand.

You could always see them pouring

all their colors on the land.

The rainbows changed the dullest day

from gray and made it grand.

And then one day a silly moose

decided they should not be loose.

Grabbed a bag and stuffed them in.

Tied it tight without a grin.

Hid them in the basement too.

The people saddened through and through.

The world had grown quite bleak

All the colors dark and weak

Smiles had disappeared

much worse than had been feared.

With rainbows sadly locked away

what could brighten up the day?

There was a chance though it was slim

that in that basement dark and grim

rainbows might just find a way

to wiggle out and flood the day

with colors of the brightest hue,

red and yellow, green and blue.

And so they found a tiny crack

and one by one sneak from that sack.

When one gets away

it leaps across the day

and brings back hopes and grins and smiles

and warms our hearts for miles and miles.

So when it thunders on a rainy day

cross your fingers in a special way.

Hold your tongue just right

and I can safely say

another rainbow, colors bright,

might just get away.

Rainbows, rainbows, rainbows, rainbows,

rainbows, rainbows, rainbows, rainbows.

Rainbows shining brightly.

Rainbows dancing lightly.

Rainbows, rainbows, rainbows, rainbows,

rainbows, rainbows, rainbows, rainbows.

Rainbows shining brightly.

Rainbows dancing lightly.

Rainbows, rainbows, rainbows, rainbows,

rainbows, rainbows, rainbows, rainbows.

Sonata in Orange - Okay, transcribing this song was a labor of love. It took me forever because the words are so random and the song goes by pretty quickly. I will never know all the words to this song. No one will. Ever.

Jangle wrangle waggle sank

Garbage gaggle haggle clank

Sniggle giggle wriggle shank

Pickle fickle trickle crank

Jiggle joggle goggle toggle

Not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

Invisible divisible excitable complete-able

Original convincible trivial replete-able

Contemptible digestible invincible conceivable

Not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

I decided I would try a little French.

I searched the Spanish language too.

German, Dutch, and Portuguese

Italian, Greek, and Japanese

And not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

Juggle rug and shifter snifter

Regal turkey dimple drifter

Curly burly boasted toasted

Turn and burn and churned and roasted

Mountaintop chocolate drop

Not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

Pomegranate peppermint

Roller skate exaggerate

Kangaroo and *pikachu

Cooperate and operate

Contaminate reverberate

Incinerate dinner plate

Not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

The Eskimos I thought must have a word,

a word that you and I have never heard.

I traveled to the frozen waste.

They told me there with all due haste

they didn’t have a word that rhymed with orange.

Sneaky beaky fluffy drum

Creaky leaky muffy pup

Freaky cheeky huffy stop

Jumble bumble humble hop

laughable giraffe-able

But not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

Connectable reject-able defensible insensible

reparable unbearable

Jelly beans are shareable.

Obsequious innocuous dubious incredulous

And not a word will ever rhyme with orange.

Somewhere I am sure there is a very simple word,

a word that rhymes with orange easily.

But ‘til I hear that word, that one I haven’t heard

I’ll have to write a song about a

(**Overlapping)

a prune

a cumquat

pickle

how about a partridge

banana

onion

a fig

broccoli

pineapple

a doorknob

a bowl of cereal

a horny toad

*I’m about 99% sure this song does NOT say pikachu since Pikachu wasn’t a thing back in the day, but I can for the life of me figure out what else this word could be.

**There’s no way I picked out all the overlapping words here.

Sound of Gray - Seth, Kai, and I got into a very detailed conversation about friction while we were driving home from gymnastics one day because of this song. I had to explain that most of the things in this song do make a sound, even though we can't hear it. I think Seth was pretty excited about this concept.

Can you hear the sound of a very gentle rain?

Can you hear the raindrops running down the window pane?

Can you hear the stars as they gently fade away?

If you can and if you could then that’s the sound of gray.

Listen to the feather when it lands upon the floor.

Listen to the knocking when there’s no one at the door.

Listen to a snowflake as it gently hits the ground.

And if you can and if you could then gray would be the sound.

Can you hear the fog when it creeps along the street?

Can you hear a kitten landing softly on its feet?

Can you hear a shadow as it quickly slips away?

If you can and if you could then that’s the sound of gray.

Can you hear the sound of a dying butterfly?

Can you hear the tears when a ladybug cries?

Can you hear the sadness when a friend goes away?

If you can and if you could then that’s the sound of gray.

Listen very closely to all the simple sounds,

the little ones, the tiny ones. They’re hiding all around.

Listen to the secret sounds of every single day.

And if you can and if you could then that’s the sound of gray.

Blue is Glad - Seth's favorite song.

Did you ever hear of blue blue Monday?

Did a friend ever say that she was blue?

When they’re down and out, people sometimes pout

and say they’re sad and feeling kind of blue.

I wonder why they say that blue is sad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad, glad, glad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad.

Bright sunny days with skies so blue.

Let’s take a picnic, just me and you.

Sit in the sun, sing a song or two.

A picnic is the color of blue.

Bright blue eyes on a baby brand new,

a brand new baby at your house.

The color of his eyes when he’s brand brand new,

smiling smiles like brand new babies do.

I wonder why they say that blue is sad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad, glad, glad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad.

Coming home from school in the kitchen just for you

muffins from the oven with berries so blue.

Blueberry pies to light up your eyes.

Pies are the color of blue.

If you decide it’s time to go a fishin’

Get up and get along and stop your wishin’.

Find a lake so blue, fishin’ ‘til you’re through.

Fishin’ is the color of blue.

I wonder why they say that blue is sad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad, glad, glad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad.

I wonder why they say that blue is sad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad, glad, glad.

Blue to me’s a color that is glad.

Recipe for Red

First you take a great big pot,

a pot that holds an awful lot.

Put it on a great big stove

and heat it ‘til it’s nice and hot.

When you’ve done what I have said,

you’ll end up with the color red.

Yes, of course, that’s what I said:

I have a recipe for red.

First you need the desert sun,

the crash of cymbals, more than one.

Blast of trumpets for your ears.

Tiny dash of sudden fear.

Throw in seven signs for stopping,

a rusty hatchet tired of chopping.

Add a bad mosquito bite.

Fourteen people in a fight.

It’s getting closer. Don’t you see?

Red’s the color it will be.

It’s not quite done; of that I’m sure.

Think it needs a little more.

A cup of sunny sunburned noses.

Three old worn out fire hoses.

Add the fire engine too.

Mean and nasty pirate crew.

Dash of fireworks from the sky.

A hot and spicy pepper pie.

Tiger in an iron cage.

Just a touch of purple rage.

It’s getting closer. Don’t you see?

Red’s the color it will be.

It’s not quite done; of that I’m sure.

Think it needs a little more.

A ladle full of broken bones.

Several large and ragged stones.

A last and lonely train caboose.

A dragon proud and on the loose.

Stir in lots of summer heat.

An August sidewalk for your feet.

One explosion, not too big.

An angry cat without a wig.

It’s almost there. It’s almost right.

Let it boil through the night.

It isn’t stew you’ll have. Instead,

inside you’ll find the color red.

Raggy Baggy Black Sack

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Darkness deep inside.

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

nighttime I can’t hide.

Every day I wait until

the sun sits down upon the hill,

open up my bag so black

and pull the darkness from my sack.

For I’m the keeper of the night.

I pour out darkness. I douse the light.

Without the darkness that I keep

you’d never lay you down to sleep.

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Darkness deep inside.

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

nighttime I can’t hide.

After hours filled with light

I chase the sun and bring the night.

I pour out darkness and I sing,

“It’s time to sleep.  It’s time to dream.”

Bones get weary. Time to rest.

We need to sleep, so I suggest

you close your eyes and bide the night.

The night’s as friendly as the light.

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Darkness deep inside.

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

nighttime I can’t hide.

When the world has rested deep in sleep

I’ll gather up the dark and keep it

deep inside my midnight sack.

Wake up! Wake up! The light is back.

I’ll keep the dark another day

inside my sack, all tucked away.

And when it’s time to rest, my friend,

I’ll pour the night back out again.

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack,

Raggy baggy black sack.

I Hate Green - Seth, my 5 year old philosopher, needed to have a long discussion with me about why the guy in this song has to LOVE or HATE ALL green things. We decided on the parallel universe theory where there is no way to not group all things of a color together. I love talking to Seth. He's a riot!

I hate green. I hate it!

I hate green. I hate green.

I hate everything that’s green.

Never liked a single thing that’s green.

Green is spoiled. Green is old.

Green is mildew. Green is mold.

It’s last week’s sandwich you just sold.

Oh, how I hate green.

Green’s a lizard down your back.

Green’s a snake in your lunch sack.

Green’s a bug you squashed quite flat.

Oh, how I hate green.

I hate green. I hate green.

I hate everything that’s green.

Never liked a single thing that’s green.

Green is spinach on your plate.

You gotta eat it. That’s your fate.

Eat it fast and it won’t last.

Oh, how I hate green.

Green, green, broccoli, beans,

and cabbage name a few.

Cabbage smells ***pe al pew.

Oh, how I hate green.

I hate green. I hate green.

I hate everything that’s green.

Never liked a single thing that’s green.

Your face is green when you get sick.

Green apples make you sick so quick.

Goo is green and kind of slick.

Oh, how I hate green.

But wait a shake. Back up a bit.

Grass is green and here I sit

looking up at leaves so green.

I guess I don’t hate everything that’s green.

I love green. I love green.

I love everything that’s green.

I love every single thing that’s green.

***No idea, really.

Urple Purple - Here is a link to listen to this creepy mess! Seth was actually afraid of this song for a while, but Kai wasn't, so Seth cowboyed up a bit so he didn't seem weaker than his younger brother. I've never liked purple really, so this song speaks to my soul.

(About one minute of creepy noises.)

Urple Purple, round, a lump.

Something like a jungle stump.

Never moves. It never jumps.

It never laughs. It only lumps.

Purple is a creature darkly

hidden far away and starkly,

staunchly, steadfastly glum.

A sickly rich and sour plum.

Urple Purple, soft and fat.

Something like a Cheshire cat.

Always velvet. Always royal.

Mumbles, bumbles, moans, and boils.

Don’t be jolly. Purple’s not.

It sits there in a private spot.

It’s vain and oh so very proud

and wrapped up in a heavy shroud.

Purple is a private shade.

It’s never laughed and never played.

To me, I’d rather dream of pink,

for purple makes me sad I think.

Urple Purple, round, a lump.

Something like a jungle stump.

Never moves. It never jumps.

It never laughs. It only lumps.

(About one minute of creepy noises.)

Mellow Yellow ****Coat - Kai's favorite song.

(One, two, three, four)

Curiosity killed the coot, that very mellow yellow coot.

Curiosity killed the coot, that very mellow yellow coot.

Now a secret was a thing that the coot just could not stand.

He simply absolutely had to know.

He was crafty. He was sly. He was sneaky and he tried

everything that he could try, and so

when someone had a secret that coot would simply hide

high or low but always very near,

someplace inconspicuous where you would not suspect

but someplace where he knew that he would hear.

Curiosity killed the coot, that very mellow yellow coot.

Curiosity killed the coot, that very mellow yellow coot.

And then he would wait. For hours he would wait

patiently until somebody told.

Then he’d jump and shout. The secret, it was out.

His curiosity was uncontrolled.

One day he hid inside a banana that he spied

to listen to the monkeys tell their secret.

But the secret that he heard was his last and only word.

“We love bananas,” was the monkeys’ secret secret.

Curiosity killed the coot, that very mellow yellow coot.

Curiosity killed the coot, that very mellow yellow

very dead coot.

****I think Joe meant “Coot” instead of “Coat”, but the tape says “Coat” so I’m rolling with it. :)

Brown’s the Saddest Color - This is one of my favorite songs because I love the message that it's okay to be sad, and that things will turn around, and that feeling sadness is normal!

Brown’s the saddest color I have ever felt,

by far the saddest color behind my eyes.

Brown is so unhappy. It’s wistful and it sighs.

Brown’s a happy smile turned upside-down.

Deep inside you when you’re down,

you think the world has all turned brown.

You feel that nothing bright can come your way.

And if someone took your colors and washed them all away,

you might feel they washed them away to stay.

But feeling brown will not last. Feeling brown will not stay.

If you’re feeling brown, if you’re feeling down, it’s okay

to feel that way.

Brown’s the saddest color I have ever felt,

by far the saddest color behind my eyes,

behind my eyes.

Rainbow Reprise

This is simply a mix of all the other songs, so I’m not going to post the lyrics here. (A girl can only type the word “rainbow” so many times no matter how much she likes rainbows, ya know?) My kiddos think this song is hilarious because it sounds like someone is changing the song over and over. They tell me I'm changing the song, and when I act insulted, they laugh even harder. Is there any question as to why I love this music?