sing, sing a song, sing out loud

i was never one of those girls who had her whole life planned out in the beginning. i didn't have any good idea of what my wedding was going to be like (the first one, or the second one)...i didn't really ever think of whether i wanted a son or a daughter, or if i wanted kids at all...i played with baby dolls when i was a kid, but i don't think i ever fully understood why (i think i just did it, 'because everyone else did')...it certainly wasn't because i thought a lot about babies when i was younger, even though i had two younger brothers.
but, the one thing i did think about, quite a bit in fact, was what songs i would want to sing and play for my kid if i ever did have one. through the years i compiled a growing list in my head, and unfortunately, i never wrote them down.
now, i have this baby who absolutely loves it when i sing to him...and i can't remember the words to any of those songs i used to compile in my head. so, from the beginning, i sang to him the only songs i knew the words to. 'ain't no sunshine', 'want a little sugar in my bowl', 'my baby just cares for me', 'i'll fly away', and 'all my little words'.(and of course, his namesake song, 'harlan' by freakwater) now, harlan just doesn't care for normal children's songs...he prefers the more adult stuff.
so far his favorites are the bill withers and the nina simone songs. he adores nina simone.
(i don't know what that means)

so, here's a list of other songs i've come up with that i would like to sing to him that i think he will very much enjoy as he grows:

- 'octopus's garden' by the beatles
- 'fido, your leash is too long' by the magnetic fields (insert various magnetic fields songs here, examples; 'absolutely cuckoo', 'chicken with it's head cut off', 'wi' nae wee bairn ye'll me beget', etc, etc..take out the 'curses', of course)
- 'god bless the child' billie holiday
- 'five feet high and risin'' johnny cash
- 'mocking bird' tom waits
- 'old rattler' traditional
- 'mama tried' merle haggard
- 'in the aeroplane over the sea' neutral milk
-'59th st bridge song' simon & garfunkle (of course)
-'the young new mexican puppeteer' tom jones (ha, kidding...i don't want the kid t have nightmares, puppets are creepy)
and there are the usual suspects: cat stevens, joni mitchell, woody guthrie, the kinks...you know, the classics.
right now, though, i'm listening to yves montad and harlan has completely quieted down. maybe he's into the frenchies.

there are countless others, i can't think of right now. i think i'll just randomly write them down in this blog as i think of more, and if any of you out there have any suggestions, please feel free to help me out. add some songs, i'll see how harlan likes them.