from the mouths of tots

By Todd Stadler · Tuesday, August 6, 2002 11:12pm

Talk at work today turned to odd quotes from co-worker Sue's three-year-old son (no I haven't gone soft - this stuff is genuinely humorous ... to me).

She first told a story of the stray cat in the neighborhood, who has been dubbed Sweet Kitty from Corny Spot. When asked where "Corny Spot" is, the child responded it was in San Francisco, California. Which makes sense, really.

But more importantly, I think that "Sweet Kitty from Corny Spot" would make an excellent song title. Maybe some kind of blues tune, or hot jazz.

Of course, the lyrics themselves would deal with crude sexual metaphors, but isn't that always the way?

But the boy's endearing lyricism didn't end there. Oh no.

He was also noted to have said, "The sunset! The sunset! I wish to be eaten by it!" early one evening. Just hearing that, I was floored.

I mean, here he is, three years old, and he's not only mastered the passive voice, but taken a serious stab at metaphor, or surrealism, or whatever the heck he was thinking. I have no idea.

Suffice to say that that line will appear in the next (which is to say the first) song I release. Maybe the song will be about all sorts of things that eat me ? sunsets, tires, giant ironic cookies, angst, uncertainty, doubt, fear ... oh, wait.

All of this reminds me of Girlfriend Julia's youngest sister's chant as a 2-year-old of, and I will put this in block quotes for extra emphasis,

Super baby, on the world!
Ooyeah, ooyeah, ooyeah, ooyeah!
Rainbow order on the housetop!

I mean, really, who needs mind-expanding drugs to write lyrics when you can just walk into the closest nursery and steal ideas from kids who not only haven't learned how not to talk nonsense, but also haven't learned anything about copyright law! Sweet!