Sing A Song

So we did Fright Fest again yesterday – but this time it was just me and Lexie. With the exception of the little argument over whether or not she would ride the Demon (an upside down roller coaster I have FOREVER been trying to get her on), we had a really great day. Oh, and she DID go on the Demon. After I told her that if she didn’t, she would be grounded for a month and that ALSO meant no trick-or-treating. But I only said THAT because she had told me the night before that if I let her sleep in my room that she would definitely go on the Demon, so she slept in my room, and then tried to back out of her end of the bargain when we got to Fright Fest. I explained to her that that was the same as outright LYING in my book, and I don’t tolerate liars. Then I threatened her, as stated above, and obviously it worked. And? After the first time, she liked it so much, she wanted to ride AGAIN. And AGAIN. Who says mom doesn’t know best?

Anyway. While we were waiting in line for one of the rides, she casually commented that she knew how to sing a song in Japanese. Surprised, I said, “Really?” And she started to sing in what I guess was Japanese. The tune sounded familiar, and I stopped her to ask what song it was. “Yankee Doodle,” she replied.

“‘Yankee Doodle.’ You learned how to sing ‘Yankee Doodle’ in JAPANESE?” By this time, a woman standing in our vicinity started laughing. And so did I. But Lexie didn’t get the humor.

“Yeah, so?” she said belligerently, and started singing again.

“Lexie,” I said, trying to stop my snickering. “It’s not that I don’t LIKE your song, it’s just that, well, I can’t imagine people singing ‘Yankee Doodle’ in Japan.”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s a pretty AMERICAN song. It’s like singing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ in French.”

This comment got an eye roll and a heavy sigh. “So, I guess this means you’re going to write about me in your blog again, huh?” she asked.

Smart kid. But I’d really like to know if that song she was singing actually WAS ‘Yankee Doodle’ or was a big Japanese joke on American kids. Because if I was a kid and could speak another language, you can bet I’d have a lot of fun with it. Like making them sing “I’m a geeky little girl” or something and telling them it’s ‘Yankee Doodle.’ Heh. Maybe I’ll have Lexie sing slower next time and attempt to translate online. Because if it IS a joke, I don’t want her to keep singing it.

But who knows? Maybe the Japanese sing ‘Yankee Doodle,’ too. Why? I have no idea. Come to think of it, I have no idea why Americans sing it either. The lyrics in English are dumb enough. Not a very talented lyricist, I’ll tell you that much. Why stick a feather in your cap and call it macaroni? And when they say “with the girls be handy,” what EXACTLY are they implying? Was Yankee Doodle a ladies’ man or something? I guess some things are best left unanswered. Just sing it, and don’t ask questions. In English OR Japanese.

Whatever.