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Little Owl

from Here Comes the Train by Mr. Ben

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about

I started writing this song as a lullaby about animals going to sleep at the end of the day. I wrote an owl verse and a mouse verse before my partner pointed out those animals are *nocturnal.*

....so I started over, with the owl waking up as the forest goes to sleep, ready for a night of hunting, and telling other little creatures to be careful out there. We did think about adding possum and raccoon, but the rhyming scheme didn't work.

I am not sure this is a "kids' song" per se anymore – the lyrics are a bit complicated. It's also decidedly *not* a lullaby anymore, and has that gritty southern blues sound to it, which I realized is a serious nod to the amazing Rhiannon Giddens, who has this just incredible set on Austin City Limits you should check out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=omcxTHq4nmY.

* the trumpet solo was meant to sound like a blues harmonica – I play the former but not the latter, but tried to play and process it in such a way that it would at least be hard to identify for a bit.

lyrics

Hey there little owl
Keep your sense sharp
Hey there little owl
The light's begun to warp
Hey there little owl
You only just awoke
The darkness of a winter night
Will hide you in its cloak

Hey there little mouse
The sun has gone away
Hey there little mouse
It's the closing of the day
Hey there little mouse
Make your movements fleet
The darkness of a winter night
Will hide your little feet

Hey there little fox
Blend in with the snow
Hey there little fox
Be careful who you know
Hey there little fox
Try to tread cautiously
The darkness of the winter night
Will keep your movements free

Hey there little owl
Sat atop your nest
Hey there little owl
The forest is at rest
Hey there little owl
Preen your feathers soft
The darkness of the winter night
Is calling you aloft

credits

from Here Comes the Train, released April 7, 2023

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about

Mr. Ben Hamilton, Ontario

Mr. Ben is a Hamilton-based kids musician and educator. His first album, the Bumblebee EP, was released in 2011 shortly after opening for Fred Penner.

Since then, he has released 5 full-length studio albums & an album of lullabies, and is poised to release a 6th record in the spring on 2023.

He plays regular monthly shows in Dundas as well as making the circuit of summer and fall festivals.
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