rinemb - Posted - 02/08/2017:  11:38:28

I have been committing "Puff the Magic Dragon" to memory for a kids program.  Peter Yarrow wrote the song, based on some recall of his friend (Leonard Lipton) typing the original poem on Peter's typewriter at Cornell, in 1958.  That original piece of paper was lost. When Peter called Leonard to offer a share of the royalties, Leonard mentioned there was a final verse, but he could not recall it, only that eventually another child showed up and Puff came out of his cave once again to enjoy his new playmate.  Thus it would have been a happy song and not the sad song most took it to be.

Your turn to write or help write the new final verse, to make it a happy song.  Warning, this verse should be considered public domain, eh.

attached is my song sheet with fairly typical chords:

 

 

 

rinemb - Posted - 02/08/2017:  12:09:03

First attempt:

one moonlit night it happened, another child arrived

Puff awoke and gave a roar, at the baby's first big smile

Soon they were playing together, high in their favorite tree

Puff and Pat would trip the stars and gaze down on the sea. Oh....

trapdoor2 - Posted - 02/08/2017:  13:07:58

one moonlit night it happened, another child arrived

And from his cave, old Puff roared out that he had just survived

He could not stand without a cane, he'd been so long asleep

The rotten kid never looked at him, he had no USB...

Puff's interface was manual and he wasn't on TV

Without an app or similar crap he wasn't sure he'd be

No little kid would want to play with a dragon bold

So Puff stepped on the kids' X-Box and dove back in the sea...

mike gregory - Posted - 02/08/2017:  13:46:47

Pus, the magic drainage,
Ran behind the knee.
And everybody told young Jack,
To see a good MD.
Then one night it happened,
He rotted off his leg.
Now little Jackie Paper,
Has one carved from a peg.

================
Oh, wait!
You want a HAPPY verse.

Well, I'll think up something.
I've had THIS one around for years.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 02/08/2017:  13:47:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by trapdoor2

 

Puff's interface was manual and he wasn't on TV

Without an app or similar crap he wasn't sure he'd be

No little kid would want to play with a dragon bold

So Puff stepped on the kids' X-Box and dove back in the sea...

 

---

OK, ok. That didn't quite rhyme properly at the end. I hit send before I proofed it.

Replace third line with: "No modern kid would want to play with such a dragon he"

rinemb - Posted - 02/08/2017:  15:46:11

Some of these suggestions may not make into cute little kids program...But they are fun reading.

mike gregory - Posted - 02/08/2017:  21:31:03

The story seems a sad one,
When two friends drift away,
But children grow, and then, you know,
There comes another day.

As long as there are children,
As long as there are friends,
The names might change a little,
But the story never ends.

OM45GE - Posted - 02/09/2017:  03:40:12

Jackie's grandson Jimmy, came to Honah Lee

And shouted into the cave, Puff, won't you play with me?

With a mighty rumble and a fearless roar

Puff came out to frolic in the autumn mists once more

OH.....

rinemb - Posted - 02/09/2017:  06:44:49

quote:

---

Originally posted by mike gregory

 

The story seems a sad one,

When two friends drift away,

But children grow, and then, you know,

There comes another day.



As long as there are children,

As long as there are friends,

The names might change a little,

But the story never ends.

---

rinemb - Posted - 02/09/2017:  06:45:08

quote:

---

Originally posted by OM45GE

 

Jackie's grandson Jimmy, came to Honah Lee

And shouted into the cave, Puff, won't you play with me?

With a mighty rumble and a fearless roar

Puff came out to frolic in the autumn mists once more

OH.....

---

rinemb - Posted - 02/09/2017:  06:58:24

quote:

---

Originally posted by mike gregory

 

The story seems a sad one,

When two friends drift away,

But children grow, and then, you know,

There comes another day.



As long as there are children,

As long as there are friends,

The names might change a little,

But the story never ends.

---

A tiny edit, maybe? 

The story seems a sad one, when  two friends drift away

But children grow and then you know, there comes another day

As long as there are children, as long as there are friends

The names may change as does the land, but the story never ends.

mike gregory - Posted - 02/09/2017:  08:45:10

 If it's going to be part of YOUR presentation, change it to whatever YOU want.

I already changed it to gangrene and an amputation.

It's called "The Folk Process"

Look at the older "Raggle Taggle Gypsies", where the song is based on the FACT that Johnny Faa was hanged for seducing the wife of a nobleman, and the much later "Whistling Gypsy Rover", where the lady is not the WIFE, but the DAUGHTER, and the gypsy is not REALLY a vagabond wanderer, but "lord of these lands all over"

Or, for a MAJOR lyric re-do, look at the very ANTI-military "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye", where a veteran of the wars is described as

"Ye haven't an eye, ye haven't a leg,

You're an eyeless, boneless, chickenless egg.

 And you'll have to be put with a bowl, for to BEG!

 Johnny, we hardly knew ye."

Same tune was turned into the very PRO-military "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"

"The men will cheer, the boys will shout,

 The ladies, they will all turn out

For the big parade

When Johnny comes marching home!"

(Note that I changed "and we'll all be gay" to "For the Big Parade", since the current climate does not allow anyone to predict that anyone else will become gay.)

ALSO note that one of my many brothers, for his OWN performance, once changed "TURN out", to "PUT out", much to the delight of the returning veterans in HIS audience.)

rinemb - Posted - 02/09/2017:  11:57:23

quote:

---

Originally posted by rinemb

 

First attempt:

one moonlit night it happened, another child arrived

Puff awoke and gave a roar, at the baby's first big smile

Soon they were playing together, high in their favorite tree

Puff and Pat would trip the stars and gaze down on the sea. Oh....

---

My explanation and thoughts...to be PC Yarrow started singing the line ..."a dragon lives forever, but no so little boys"  to "a dragon lives forever, but no little girls and boys".  So in keeping gender neutral or questionable (like Jackie Paper) I named the kid "Pat" and the Puff and Pat thing go together.

though I do think the original intent of the poem and song is about kid growing up and moving on to older kid interests etc.  I did try to keep the mystery of it being a drug song debate by using words  and phrases like "high" in their favorite tree...and "trip" the stars and gaze down on the sea.  t

The rest of the stuff tries to honor the lore of their being the missing last verse to make it happy again. 

(Hey, Mike, sorry to edit your wording...I am looking at this as a group effort to deconstruct, reconstruct and a song writing therapy.  And we can all use or lose would we choose.)  Brad

mike gregory - Posted - 02/10/2017:  06:38:23

I thought my response was carefully calculated to ENCOURAGE you to edit my wording.
Nothing for you to be the LEAST bit sorry about.

Keep on picking, keep on grinning, and keep exposing the youths and youthettes of our nation, yea, of the WORLD, to the glories of Banjo.

rinemb - Posted - 02/10/2017:  06:57:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by mike gregory

 

I thought my response was carefully calculated to ENCOURAGE you to edit my wording.

Nothing for you to be the LEAST bit sorry about.



Keep on picking, keep on grinning, and keep exposing the youths and youthettes of our nation, yea, of the WORLD, to the glories of Banjo.

---

Great, I would not want to upset anyone on an exercise such as this, again thank you for sharing your lyrics and wit.  I figure as the topic dies out, I will review all of the suggestions and poetic offerings and construct a final verse...to use when I sing it to younger kids.  After all, Yarrow did same. as with many folks songs of cloudy origin. 

thanks, brad

brewerpaul - Posted - 02/10/2017:  06:59:15

quote:

---

 

---

My explanation and thoughts...to be PC Yarrow started singing the line ..."a dragon lives forever, but no so little boys"  to "a dragon lives forever, but no little girls and boys".  So in keeping gender neutral or questionable (like Jackie Paper) I named the kid "Pat" and the Puff and Pat thing go together.

 

---

The song isn't gender neutral, since it says "A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys".  I didn't get around to writing an extra verse, but I was thinking of something along the lines of

Jackie coming back years later, bringing his daughter (or grand daughter) to play with Puff. I liked the idea that girls would love to play with dragons too.

mike gregory - Posted - 02/10/2017:  07:04:30

"Good morning! You must be Puff.

My Grampapa told me a LOT about you!"

-Jaqueline Paper-

rinemb - Posted - 02/10/2017:  07:19:58

quote:

---

Originally posted by mike gregory

 

"Good morning! You must be Puff.

My Grampapa told me a LOT about you!"

-Jaqueline Paper-

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whew, I saw that pic and had an immediate rush of "feel good".   Funny how that stirred those pleasant memories to me of all those years we read stories to our daughters. thanks