I was really enjoying seeing how this particular song changed in different versions. The first version was "Mama mama, can't you see /What the army's done to me," sung to one of those army marching tunes. From "army" to "baby"---it works both ways. And although these hand-clapping songs are sung almost exclusively by girls, the "--what the army's done to me" is obviously harking back to, or imitating, or perhaps an actual army lament, which would have been sung primarily by boys/men. But women are the ones whose lives are wrecked (or at least thrown WAAAAAY off course) when an unplanned baby comes around at the wrong time, so that adaptation makes a lot of sense ... though when a seven-year-old or a ten-year-old is singing either verse, she's probably not thinking about that. I used to sing "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" without even realizing I was spelling anything, let alone what I was spelling.
no subject
I was really enjoying seeing how this particular song changed in different versions. The first version was "Mama mama, can't you see /What the army's done to me," sung to one of those army marching tunes. From "army" to "baby"---it works both ways. And although these hand-clapping songs are sung almost exclusively by girls, the "--what the army's done to me" is obviously harking back to, or imitating, or perhaps an actual army lament, which would have been sung primarily by boys/men. But women are the ones whose lives are wrecked (or at least thrown WAAAAAY off course) when an unplanned baby comes around at the wrong time, so that adaptation makes a lot of sense ... though when a seven-year-old or a ten-year-old is singing either verse, she's probably not thinking about that. I used to sing "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" without even realizing I was spelling anything, let alone what I was spelling.