Little Red

I love so many different kinds of music,but one of my all time favorite albums is Joni Mitchell's Blue. Last year while listening to the song Little Green with my mother I told her the story behind the song,and she said "Oh you should sing it to Ruby,but change it to little red." Well,it took me a while to sit down and write it,but I did:

Little Red

Born with the moon in (Ruby's astrological sign)

Choose her a name she will answer to

Call her red,like ladybeetles and the little wagon we'll pull

Call her red,just like the crimson jewel

Little red,sometimes you can break the rules

EAT CAKE BEFORE DINNER AND DON'T WIPE YOUR SHOES! (Deviating from the tune original tune,this line will be more boisterous!)

Little red,be a gypsy dancer (my favorite line because to me it means-be free and do what makes you happy)

Just a little red,like the flame always burning in our hearts for you

There are so many things to share,with you,our little love,Ruby Claire

Just a little red,like scarlet begonias and the harvest sunset

There'll be strawberry cream,and life will be just a dream

And we'll be there,to comfort our little Ruby Claire

When your balloon floats away,and it just isn't your day

Little red,sometimes it will come down again

I wanted to keep the lyrics simple,and I didn't want to put sorrowful lines in it. For the end,where Joni's song says "sometimes there'll be sorrow" I wanted to come down to a child's level of "sorrow". I thought about what made me feel sad when I was small-I remembered the sinking feeling in my stomach when my Dad told me to hold on tight to my balloon so it wouldn't fly away,but I couldn't or wouldn't, so it did.

My illustration is very greatly inspired by an illustration from one of my favorite children's books for the very young,Emily's Balloon by Komako Sakai.

More "little red" posts to come....

Comments

[Varenia]

what a beautiful song for little ruby!

[lunemalo]

It seems as if, endless as those weeks and months waiting for Ruby may be, there still is room for such wonderful gifts from you to her... Somewhere there is or will soon be a little girl who'll make her way to you...

[Kathleen]

Have you seen the 1956 french movie "The Red Balloon"? If you haven't it's about a boy and the red balloon that befriends him. Although it's made half a century ago in a foreign country it transcends language as there is very little dialog. It's quite charming and if you have Comcast Cable I recommend watching it on IFC Films on Demand. My daughter loves it.