Dr. Seuss

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Dedicated to the child in all of us - Thanks, Theodor.

"What's the Story, Dr. Seuss?"

Words & Music by Daniel J. Paolini

What fun to curl my tongue around,
The rapping rhythm and the sound,
Of consonants and vowels so loose,
They must have come from Doctor Seuss!

Doctor Seuss, I want to know.
How do you make your stories grow?
How do you choose the words you use?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?

The Grinch, the Cat, of course, his hat,
The ham and green, the eggs I’ve seen.
They make me laugh, almost to tears,
While bringing smiles to my ears.

Doctor Seuss, I want to know.
How do you make your stories grow?
How do you choose the words you use?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?

I tuck my children into bed,
While wondering just what I said.
It sounded right, but yet – not quite.
Who cares! It makes a great "Good Night".

Doctor Seuss, I want to know.
How do you make your stories grow?
How do you choose the words you use?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?

<<Flute Solo - Instrumental Bridge>>

But now we mourn our Theodor,
We’ll miss his stories, books and more.
But wait! It isn’t such a mess…
While there’s no more – there is no less.

Doctor Seuss, I want to know.
How do you make your stories grow?
How do you choose the words you use?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?
What's the story, Doctor Seuss?

Genesis

I wrote the poem, "God Reads, too" in September, 1991, after Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) died. I was trying to explain his death to my then almost five year-old son, Daniel. The poem consisted of the words that make up the four verses (before a few minor tweaks) without the common chorus.

In May, 2000, I finally decided to set this to music, after my two daughters kept bugging me about it. Because of the nature of the chorus, "God Reads, too", a poignant poem, becomes "What's the Story, Dr. Seuss?" a musical celebration.

I could not envision a song about Dr. Seuss without an accompanying Island band, hence the steel drums. If you are curious about the time signature, it was chosen specifically for sounding "right, but yet, not quite."

It is one of my favorite mixed meters: alternating measures of 4/4 and 2/4. Depending on what part of the arrangement you are focused, it may sound 3/4, 6/4, 2/4 or even 5/4.

That ambiguity, and the tension caused by the alternating short measures, seems to me to be the ideal musical setting for a song about someone who wrote with "consonants and vowels so loose."

BE FOREWARNED! Since setting this to music, my two daughters won't stop asking me to play it so they can sing it.