Category Archives: songbook for kids

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Yeah, I’ve got a sneaky way of saying things. Not every word or sentence I write. But certainly in some key places. Including places like books and music for kids. There are others who use this tactic for more sinister reasons?

The difference between me and them is I just told you about my sneaky way.

And actually, the sinister crowd is getting bolder these days. They realize there’s no real reason to hide or disguise their despicable deeds. Because even the Christian community has decided that you’re not supposed to judge.

That’s not only non-biblical, it’s a nonsensical destructive message/mantra.

I’ll tell you right now that if you’re a “judge not” person, either from a Christian or secular perspective, you should probably avoid buying any of my books and/or music. Especially the ones for kids. Because I can’t imagine you’d like the way I encourage kids to use their brains the good Lord gave them. And that’s because I encourage them to ask God (and trust Him) to help them make better choices, decisions, and judgments.

I’ll include the lyrics to one of the songs in my Bedtime Buckaroos lullaby songs collection that has a very subtle example of my sneaky way. See if you can figure out what and where it is in these lines:

The Silver Horse

In a night where colors drifted
Through the air on threads of light,
And the sounds of darkness shifted…
Came an incandescent sight.
All the creatures of the prairie
Were as still as they could be,
But it wasn’t something scary
As they all would clearly see…

The Silver Horse with diamond eyes…
It flew across the turquoise skies
And landed with a mighty force
And stars shined on the Silver Horse.

There were whispers in the gold wheat
And some rumors in the rye,
But the creatures all got cold feet
When it came to asking why…
Any horse with such a shimmer
Would be in this humble place.
But their hope began to glimmer
Just by gazing at the face…

Of The Silver Horse with diamond eyes…
That flew across the turquoise skies
And landed with a mighty force
And stars shined on the Silver Horse.

Then a tiny prairie sparrow
Flew up on the horse’s head.
It was nervous to the marrow,
But still here is what it said…
“Why would such a stunning creature
Choose to grace us with its light?
We don’t have one glowing feature.”
And the horse said “Cause it’s right.”  © 2012

Get the book with the secret link to the songs when you click or tap the link below:(https://www.amazon.com/Bedtime-Buckaroos-Sing-along-color/dp/B0898WLZ5L)

If you’re not ready to buy anything, you should subscribe to my Tony’s Rhyme and Reason Daily Devotional. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

Daily Devotional

Stay tuned,

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Elara lived in the star-island village of Millezza (pronounced milletsa, with the accent on the et). I’m sure you never heard of her or her hometown. Because they’re located at the Northwest corner of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Of course, I know you’ve heard of the Milky Way Galaxy.

After all, anyone who lives on planet Earth knows our entire solar system is contained within the Milky Way Galaxy.

I’m just sayin’ you never heard of Elara or Milletsa. Let’s leave it at that. Yeesh.

Anyway…

Elara had a passion for bouquets. But her bouquets were made of the stardust she gathered during her walks through the Millezza Meadows. After she collected her celestial clippings, she’d take them back to her stardust studio to arrange them.

Every little speck shined and shimmered beyond imagination. And far beyond the color spectrum you and I can see. But, to Elara, it was all quite normal. She had been creating her bouquets for thousands of years.

So, it was all in a day’s work.

And, on one of those days, a space traveler, named Evan, landed in Millezza Meadows just as Elara was about to head home with her daily finds. You and I might think that was mighty strange. But Elara had entertained other travelers before. So, she had sort of come to expect visitors once in a while.

As it turned out, Evan was a writer. And he fancied himself to be a musician, too. And he loved to travel through the Milky Way Galaxy writing songs and stories about the stars and the heavens.

Elara invited him to join her for dinner. And without hesitation he simply said, “Excellent.”

That evening, when he arrived at her bungalow, Evan was delighted to see the wide variety of bouquets in lead glass crystal vases. One glowed a deep indigo blossom from within and its edges were dusted with silver like iridescent stardust. Another one shined like a deep, rich violet neon sign. It had tiny threads of luminous gold weaving all around. And it reminded him of a cosmic dawn he had passed through on his travels.

But one stood out from the rest.

Not because of bright colors. In fact, maybe it stood out so much because of the absence of bright colors. And Evan couldn’t take his eyes off it. It drew him in like a cosmic funnel of enigmatic joy. Translucent shards of white light floated, counterclockwise above the crystal vase. But an unseen force held them in their orbits.

Evan felt the irresistible urge to reach out and touch the lights. And as he did, the tiny shards danced across his fingers and around his hand. And they glowed even brighter and lit up his face in full spectrum light.

Elara could see the bouquet’s effect on Evan. So, she told him how the stardust in that arrangement came from the purest and most distant reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy. And she explained how the shards of light had the power to fill creative, inquisitive minds with knowledge and wisdom and stories. It was almost as if they tapped into the mind of the Creator of the cosmos. And she told Evan she believed they actually did.

Then, much to his surprise, she gave him the bouquet.

And once again, without hesitation, Evan simply said, “Excellent!”

Elara carefully packed the Milky Way Bouquet into a box made of Millezza Meadows mahogany. And Evan put it carefully on board his ship. He understood that he had found something and someone as bold and boundless as the heavens he loved so much.

She understood how much she was giving away.

And they both understood how the gift would be a bridge between their hearts and minds.

Now you know the story behind the tenth song on the Lullabye Bye collection of lullaby songs for kids. And every word of it is as true as your best mid-winter dream.

By the way, you can hear a sample of “Milky Way Bouquet,” as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection, here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)

Then, don’t stop to pick any bouquets. Just jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. And I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. There’s a link, in the book, to download all the songs?

So, download your Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

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OK, you’ll enjoy this story much more if you use your best Irish or Scottish accent as you read. Even if you read it to yourself and you don’t read it out loud. You’re already doin’ it. Aren’t ya? Yeah, the way that power of suggestion works is a mystical phenomenon.

And speakin’ of a mystical phenomenon.

Have you ever heard of the Blue Celtic Cloud?

Some say it’s not just a vapor. Not just part of the sky. And some will swear the Blue Celtic Cloud is even more than just a mystical phenomenon. They’ll swear it’s a living, shimmering “entity” that floats above the verdant highlands and rugged coastlines of Eire.

In fact, I heard a story about it. And I’ll share the story with you now. Word for word.

(by the way, your accent is delightful)

Anyway…

Rhiannon, a young druidess, was the guardian of the aforementioned Blue Celtic Cloud. She had inherited this sacred duty from her grandmother, Maeve. And Maeve had whispered tales of the cloud’s power into Rhiannon’s ears ever since she was a child.

Maeve told her the Blue Celtic Cloud was no ordinary puff of vapor. Not at all. Because it contained the dreams and hopes of the Celtic people. And it could transform those dreams and hopes into healing rain to nourish the earth and all who with open hearts to music.

And one crisp morning, during the last few days of Spring, as a mist kissed the heather-covered hills, Rhiannon felt a drop of water on her forehead. The Blue Celtic Cloud was swirling with a luminous energy. Even as the rest of the world was quiet and still.

Emerald greens, rich purples, and sunlit golds shined from within.

So, Rhiannon chanted ancient incantations she learned from her grandmother. And the Blue Celtic Cloud descended and surrounded her in a soft, glowing mist.

A gentle rain began to fall. But the strange thing about it was that Rhiannon didn’t get wet. Because the rain fell directly into her heart. Or at least it felt that way. And she could also feel the dreams and hopes of the Celtic people as beautiful music also found its way to her heart. And, without even realizing it, the song made her smile.

It sure was a whimsical, wonderful mystical phenomenon. But sadly, Rhiannon had no one to share the song with. So, she sang it to the Blue Celtic Cloud. And she asked the Cloud to send it to someone, someday, some way, who could and would pass it on to others.

And the Blue Celtic Cloud promised to do just as she asked.

Finally, hundreds of years later, the Cloud found an unsuspecting, but willing, songwriter to write down the words and compose the song.

And that’s how the ninth song on my Lullabye Bye collection of lullaby songs for kids came about. Cross my heart and hope to fly.

Listen to a sample of “Blue Celtic Cloud,” as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)

And it shouldn’t take a mystical phenomenon for you to jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. And did I mention, there’s a link, in the book, to download all the songs?

Well, there is. So, download your Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Amelia sat by the window. And the soft glow of the evening sunset shined warm shades of orange and yellow across the nursery. As twilight settled on the crib, she hoped tonight would be different. Because her baby, Lily, had struggled with sleep for a week.

But Amelia decided to try something new. She she gathered her ukulele, her songbook journal, her favorite pen, and her favorite chair into her favorite corner of her favorite room.

And in that soft glow of the evening sunset she wrote a lullaby.

And she started out by softly humming to herself until she found a melody that felt good. And she knew she had to keep it simple so Lily could easily recognize it each night. Naturally the song had to be personal. So, she thought about their times together.

Amelia’s love for minor keys took her to the first and second lines of the lullaby. As she pictured herself holding Lily next to her heart, she wrote:

“Yes, my love, I DO adore you.
Hear my heart. It’s beating for you.”

Then, she thought about how those special one-on-one moments would only go on forever in her own mind. Lily wouldn’t remember them. But SHE would. So, she wrote:

“Private memories we will keep.
But, for now, fall fast asleep.”

Next, Amelia wanted words to help Lily feel safe and loved. So, she wrote the next 4 lines:

Leave the world and cares behind you.
I’ll make sure they cannot find you.
You’ll be safe in slumber deep…
So for now…fall fast asleep.

Two verses were done.

And, almost like a gift from God, the chorus flowed right out of her.

Amelia added one more verse. Then, she rehearsed the whole lullaby a few times so she could tweak the words and melody until it felt just right.

And, as she gently rocked Lily to sleep, in what was left of the evening sunset, she sang the new lullaby. Lily’s little mouth opened into a cute yawn, and her little blue eyes hid behind her eyelids closed. And Amelia felt a more peaceful connection to her baby than she’d ever felt before.

So, as you might imagine, that new lullaby became their nightly ritual. And the one special song to help Lily Fall Fast Asleep into sweet dreams.

OK. Just so you know, I’m actually the one who wrote the song “Fall Fast Asleep.” There might be a mom named Amelia who wrote a lullaby for her daughter, Lily. But any relation or similarities to them, found in this story, are purely coincidental.

Listen to a sample of “Fall Fast Asleep,” as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)

Then, before you fall asleep, jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. By the way, you’ll find a link, in the book, to download all the songs. AND they’re included in the cost of the book. For absolutely no dinero, yen, rubles, dolares, or any other kinds of moolah.

Download your Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

What’s with all these hypnic jerks who bug you just when you’re drifting off to sleep. How incredibly rude! And embarrassing. Sort of. Maybe it’s just me.

Have you ever had to deal with ’em as you’re drifting off to sleep?

I mean, can’t they get your attention before that point? Because that’s the part of sleep that puts the La La in La La Land. That moment you relax and start drifting…off…to…slee

Where was I?!

Oh yeah. Those hypnic jerks. Turns out that’s the name somebody gave to those twitches or sudden jerks that happen right when you’re drifting off to sleep. I experience them once in a while. Thankfully I haven’t had to deal with one in public.

But it still feels weird. Even in private. Because it’s almost like your brain got some sort of electrical shock but only passed the twitching jerk to your muscles. No electricity.

I read somewhere that when you sleep soundly, your body is basically paralyzed. And they said that, for the most part, even during the most active dreams your muscles stay relaxed and still. And if someone watched you at that time they wouldn’t even be able to tell.

But, apparently, there’s also this thing called “brain battle.”

You’ve probably heard of R.E.M. sleep. No, not the 80’s band. The rapid-eye movements during sleep time. During that time your eyes can “follow” the activity you dream about. For example, you see an airplane fly by in your dream. And your eyes follow it across the sky.

Rapid-eye movements, in your dream world, escape the normal sleep paralysis. And they show up in the awake world. If you’ve ever seen a sleeping person’s eyes move, you got to watch them as they dreamed.

But then the brain battle part happens when hypnic jerks come to town. Those movements don’t reflect what’s going on in your dream. In other words, just because you dream of riding a bike, it doesn’t mean you’ll start to move your legs in circles. In fact, those jerks seem to be evidence that your motor system can still control your body, a little bit, as sleep paralysis starts to kick in.

So, it appears to be that the part of your system that helps you sleep sometimes sort of battles your system that helps you stay awake.

Well, aren’t you the complicated little creation?

But guess what’s NOT complicated. The simple instrumental lullaby called “Drifting Off.” Listen to a sample of it, as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection, here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)

Science shows these lullabies can help you get rid of the hypnic jerks. Remember, trust the science. It’s just good science.

Then, jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. By the way, you’ll find a link, in the book, to download all the songs. AND they’re included in the cost of the book. That makes ’em, shh, eff are E E.

Download your copy of the Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now. And enjoy the experience with your kids or grandkids tonight.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

I remember learning the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer way before I “went to school.” Naturally, I didn’t get the full meaning of it, at the time. Because I was a little kid. I just loved the sound of the rhyme.

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”

Did you ever learn that one? And when I say “one,” I gotta add that I didn’t realize there were several versions of that little poem. Here’s the famous version I learned.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

After I got older I started to think of that one as a little bit morbid. Or pessimistic. So, when I found this next version, I immediately liked it more.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
Angels watch me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.

Not that dying in my sleep, and going to be with the Lord in Heaven is morbid or pessimistic. Quite the opposite. But that first version still seems pessimistic to teach to a little kid who’s just getting started in life. You can see that, right?

And this third, longer version, takes it a step further.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch and one to pray
And two to bear my soul away.

No, I’m gonna go with the second version. Because it’s filled with hope for a new day. But I guess I’m just a hopeful romantic. Or, in this case, hopeful optimist. Of course, I’ve read the ending to the bestselling book of all time. So, I know there’s massive logic to feeling optimistic. And it’s nice to lie down to sleep that way.

But, believe it or not, some kids don’t wanna lie down to sleep.

Gasp! Can that be true?! Yes. And I hear tell that some of them fight nap time with all their might. I know older people think, “Fight nap time? Why?!” But put yourself in a kid’s place. They’ve got a whole world of brand new things to learn. And sleep just robs them of time to do that.

I wrote a song about a kid who doesn’t wanna lay down to sleep. And when you read or hear the three verses, you can almost see a little kid who’s fighting sleep with all he’s got. He thinks he has good reasons, too. And you almost can’t argue with his logic. But he’s also losing the battle of mind over nap time.

That’s why the chorus says:

Now I lay…lay me down,
Blink and wink, my dreams come and take me.
Now I lay…lay me down,
If I’m gone too long, come and wake me.

So, I referenced two famous bedtime poems in the chorus.

I’m sure you could easily see the connection to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. But did you notice the “nod” to another famous one, when I said “blink and wink?”

Anyway…

Listen to a sample of “Now I Lay Me Down,” as well as all the other songs in the Lullabye Bye collection here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV4pKjLJWgg)

Then, after you have a nice nap, jump on over to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop to get your special kids their very own Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. By the way, you’ll find a link, in the book, to download all the songs. AND they’re included in the cost of the book. That’s called Fuh-Ree.

Download your copy of the Lullabye Bye book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop right now.

Stay tuned…

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Tony Funderburk Posted on by

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Forrest Gump” you might remember seeing a feather dance around him and his surroundings at the bus stop. Of course, I’m sure you’re all savvy enough to know that little feather didn’t make all those moves all on its own. Right?

I read an interesting description for how they made that feather dance.

According to the transcription for a video, it went something like this:

“You could use a man in a green suit to puppeteer the feather. But Mister Green can’t fly. And so the feather  sequence was done by first filming the entire shot without the feather. And then filming a  feather on a wire in front of a blue screen and then superimposing and animating its position on top of the footage. However, aside from it needing to make reflections on a car, or on a wet pavement, the feather still needed to transition from superimposed to real. And this is where vFX came in handy. On the original plate they lent a real feather against Tom Hanks’ shoe which was then digitally painted out. Then, by using a cg feather, they were able to  make the transition from blue screen feather to cg feather and then finally animate it to fall and be crossfaded into the real feather.

If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t know what I’m talking about, check it out. And you’ll get a visual feel for an instrumental song included in the Lullabye Bye collection. I didn’t have that scene in mind when I put the music together. But after I read that description of how they did it, it fit kinda nicely.

Feather Dance is one of four and a half instrumental lullaby songs.

And it has soft, plucky sounds dancing around to the rhythm of somewhat subdued percussion. So, it’s just right for little ears to take in as little eyelids get a little heavy.

Oh, and if you wondered why I said four and half instrumentals, you should get yourself a copy of the Lullabye Bye coloring, drawing songbook. Because hidden somewhere in the book is a link to download all the songs. And they’re included in the cost of the book. So that makes ’em Fa-Ree.

You can download your copy of the book in the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop.

Or you can hold off till you get to know me better. And you can do that a lot faster when you jump on the The TRUTH. Join the growing band of believers who enjoy my books, daily rhymes, songs, and videos about the Rhyme and Reason and power of God’s love.

Stay tuned…

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