The Counting Song (a demo)

This is a light little tune with some playful lyrics.

To me it has the feel of a little show tune, something that could be part of a musical. I felt this even before I realized its mysterious connection to such.

When I wrote the line “jump through hoops or do the hoopty-do,” I was sure I had made up a word, “hoopty-do” (not to be confused with “whoopty-doo,” a phrase signifying something lacking in importance).

In this song, hoopty-do is meant to be some soft-shoe shuffle or silly dance step.

But in googling “hoopty-do” before claiming to be a neologist (one who makes up words), I found 1) a 1950 polka called Hoop-Dee-Do and 2) a long-running Disney musical by that same name at its Fort Wilderness campsite in Orlando. The song was apparently quite popular, as Perry Como and Doris Day recorded it the same year, 1950.

In playing off the word “hoops” and writing hoopty-do, I imagined some little dance step, though certainly not a polka. While some may say I obviously once heard, even if there is no conscious memory, “Hoop-Dee-Doo,” I like to think it’s more mysterious. It’s the universe’s way of distributing song fragments. In this case, perhaps even recycling some.

My favorite part of the song is the second bridge, where the singer gladly anticipates being told how high to jump by concluding with “who’d have thought love would teach a man how to fly.”

I hope you enjoy this fun little song.

           The demo above is just me and my guitar

The Counting Song

one two three four five six seven
I’m counting on getting to heaven
with you; you know it’s true

I can be such a clever fellow
write songs like some write letters
cause I’m singing to you; only you

one two three four five six seven
there’s no mistaking my intention with you
there’s nothing to see through

I’ll jump through hoops or do the hoopty-do
turn back flips if you want me to
walk through fire and that pouring rain
anything, babe, you just need to say it

cause I would like nothing better
than for us to get together
dancing; to a brand new tune

one two three four five six seven
I’m counting on getting to heaven
with you; you know it’s true

I may not have a lot of money
but gold and silver never bought much loving
so baby, what say you

you tell me how high to jump
and I’ll ask you to look up
in the sky as I’m sailing by
who’d have thought love would teach you how to fly

I can think of nothing better
than for us to get together
singing; a new melody
that goes like this:

one two three four five six seven
we’re counting on going to heaven together
you know it’s true
just say you do
do-do-do-do-do

 

 

 

 

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