I first started capturing her storytelling using the video mode on our digital camera, around about April, but she soon refused to let me film her. So I tried writing her stories while she told them, using pen and paper. That lasted for only a few stories too, before she caught on. Since then, I've been recording her using a mini MP3 recorder, which is pretty unobtrusive, and transcribing the audio later. She then objected strongly to this as well... Nowadays I use a combo of MP3 and video to record her before transcribing. I only manage to record a fraction of the stories she tells. I always have a backlog of stories on the recorder that still need transcribing, as it's impossible for me to keep up with her. To help new readers, I've marked my favourite stories with a star (*), so at least you have somewhere to start if you don't know where to begin. Don't forget to check the older archives too - there are some gems in there as well!

Thursday 14 June 2007

Fairytales rehashed, 2007-06-11

Here's an original spin on some standard fairytales ;-). She was using a book of fairytales as her storytelling prop. Sadly, the recording came out with a lot of background hiss, so a few long sections and some shorter ones were pretty indecipherable. Still, I think there is enough to enjoy anyway, so.. enjoy!

Oh it empty, SO…
Aaaand, so they do it (indecipherable)
Properly.. have when they do this (indecipherable)
And why the friend picture, and both saw the little baby threw the key
So, they TOOK them to the place where the mommy lay down in the ocean
Where the proper picture?
We don’t step on anything
And they didn’t (indecipherable)
(long indecipherable section – too soft)
I like it in that, I like it in that
Why? That is why
(another long indecipherable section – too soft)
And they find them a little lock, a little bed
And I find them, to make my bread (singsong)
(more indecipherable stuff)
And they lived in a shoe, out in a bay
One little girl, after (more indecipherable stuff)
Met a little people
Fee fei fum I’m a smell an Englishman (chanting)
Be he alive or be he dead I’ll grind his bones to make my bread (still chanting)
And the daughter wife, carried him to the princess room
And the princess room got a hook, a bench
The princess said (whispers softly)
Munchkins, munchkins, we cannot find Jack, Jack, (singsong)
Jack and the beanstalk (singsong still)
Fee fei fum, I’m a smell an Englishman
Chee chai chum Chee chai chum (singsong)
Chee chai chum Chee chai chum (still singsong)
That, who that?
When they find…. Jack (very soft)
Boom! …. Boom!..... Boom! He says
And they free the princess, the beauty!
Cannot even find them
And they lived alone, without any bread
They lived in the woods, out in the wood
They CAN’T asked their mother
And they yelled, like the little piggy
“I’ll fiiind them” (singing softly)
Later along, later again, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!
The end, the end!
“You can’t”, asked the
Incy wincy spider (singing) honky honky honk
Inky inky inky inky inky ink (sill singing)…
Unky unky unky unky unky unky unky (still singing, more softly)
(Getting softer and slower but still singing) Unky unky unky…. I like the princess
I like the princess, I like the princess!
(Silence for several seconds)
And later along, and later again
And later along, and later again
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread
To make my bread, to make my bread
I’ll have a little girl to make my bread…
SO, and the daughter wife came to the (indecipherable)
They saw a little hook by the bench and baby said “Huh?? What??!!... I didn’t KNOW about the engine… in the back and the pack”
Engine, engine number nine, going down the party line! (chanting)
When it jump upon the track, monkey swing, back on the wind! (still chanting)
By your scalp, by you scalp, treetop, treetop swing! (still chanting)
And the magic beans heard it from somewhere
The beanstalk went for the, for, for, for the giant
And the giant did came home
Saw giant climbing down, by the broken (indecipherable)
Anybody don’t have wings… have wings
The have, might have… they might have…
Later along, and later again
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread (singsong)
To make my bread, to make my bread
A little girl to make my bread
To make my bread, to make my bread
A little girl to make my bread
(stops singsong and calls) Froggie, froggie…
Froggie, froggie…. I’m right here…
And the little pig said that he saw a horse
And the little daughter wife!
And the three little piggies got their mother to go find them
We are lost! They said, we are lost, a little lost
I saw it, they’re plenty of them, lost
The three little piggies got to run
SO, they saw the piggies, she... nobody can eat them
I think little wolf, I’m a… I’m a herbivore
I can’t eat carnivore, asked the sad little piggy
I think… row, row, row, gently down the stream (singing)
If you see a crocodile, don’t forget to scream!
Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream,
If you see a crocodile, don’t forget to scream!
(finishes the song)
AAAAHHHHH!!!!
(sings softly) row, row, row…
(indecipherable)… do what????
AHHH! This is painful!
(indecipherable)… it’s a spider!
Is she?... I know she is
I caught her!
I hold her!
(sings softly) Don’t know how I got a little bite, come and give you me and...
Don’t know! (speaking)
And there’s some frog, he have little bite in a hook (sings again)
Frog, don’t have…he have a (indecipherable)
He don’t have he just make a (indecipherable) (singing again)
The frog did bite her.. the princess..
And the princess… frog… and the king…
I don’t…
(moves far away from recorder)
You cannot catch me, you cannot catch… you cannot catch…

1 comment:

Lorraine said...

Oh my goodness; that was hilarious and delightful. I was laughing! How did she weave so many stories/songs/fairy tales together? My favorite quote was "honky honky honk." :)