Musinique

Over the River and Through the Wood | Xmas Sing-a-Long
The Lyrical Literacy podcast explores a festive adaptation of "Over the River and Through the Wood," transforming Lydia Maria Child's 1844 Thanksgiving poem into a Christmas journey. This reimagined version retains the beloved sleigh ride to grandmother's house while introducing rich holiday imagery—twinkling lights, holly-adorned doors, hanging stockings, and the peaceful glow of church bells. The adaptation creates an immersive Christmas experience through eight verses that follow travelers across snowy landscapes toward the warmth of family celebration, capturing both the physical journey and the spiritual essence of the Christmas season.
Over the River and Through the Wood 
Over the river and through the wood  To Grandmother's house we go  The sleigh is packed with gifts and cheer  For Christmas lights are aglow  Over the river and through the wood  The carols and songs we hear  The melodies ring as the joy they bring  Fills hearts with Christmas cheer  
Over the river and past the trees  The starry sky shines bright  The warmth inside and the Yuletide tide  Make this a holy night  Over the river and through the snow  The holly's on the door  We gather around where the joy abounds  With Christmas love in store  
Over the river and to the fire  Where stockings hang with care  With stories to tell and the midnight bell  The Christmas spirit's there  Over the river and through the snow  The Christmas tree stands tall  Its twinkling lights in the frosty night  Bring joy to one and all  
Over the river, the sleigh bells ring  Their music fills the air  With laughter and cheer we draw ever near  To Christmas memories fair  Over the river, the church bells chime  Proclaiming peace tonight  We lift up our song as we ride along  To greet the holy light
 
#LyricalLiteracy #ChristmasClassic #OverTheRiver #HolidayTraditions #WinterJourney #SleighRide #ChristmasCarol #FamilyGathering #HolidaySongs #PublicDomainAdaptation
Origin:
"Over the River and Through the Wood" was originally written by Lydia Maria Child in 1844 as "The New-England Boy's Song about Thanksgiving Day." Published in her book "Flowers for Children, Volume 2," it depicted a sleigh journey to grandfather's house for Thanksgiving. Child was an American abolitionist, women's rights activist, and author. The poem was later set to music and became a popular holiday song. Over time, many adaptations shifted the focus from Thanksgiving to Christmas, as seen in this version which replaces harvest themes with Christmas imagery while maintaining the cherished sleigh ride framework.
 
Mayfield Kinghttps://open.spotify.com/artist/6vpw3aw6hEJRPHgYGrN3kX?si=_WzqjRRwSQa5AtEUEjyv4whttps://music.apple.com/ca/artist/mayfield-king/1846526759https://mayfield.musinique.com
 
 

Over the River and Through the Wood | Xmas Songs (Nik Bear)
 
The Lyrical Literacy podcast explores a Christmas adaptation of the beloved American poem "Over the River and Through the Wood." Originally written by Lydia Maria Child in 1844 as a Thanksgiving poem, this Christmas version transforms the journey to grandmother's house into a festive sleigh ride filled with holiday imagery. The adaptation weaves together traditional elements like sleigh bells, holly, and stockings with the spiritual essence of Christmas, creating a warm narrative of family gathering and seasonal celebration. Nik Bear Brown's reimagining preserves the nostalgic charm of the original while enhancing its yuletide relevance, making it perfect for holiday gatherings and Christmas storytelling traditions.
 
Over the river and through the woodTo Grandmother's house we goThe sleigh is packed with gifts and cheerFor Christmas lights are aglow
Over the river and through the woodThe carols and songs we hearThe melodies ring as the joy they bringFills hearts with Christmas cheer
Over the river and past the treesThe starry sky shines brightThe warmth inside and the Yuletide tideMake this a holy night
Over the river and through the snowThe holly's on the doorWe gather around where the joy aboundsWith Christmas love in store
Over the river and to the fireWhere stockings hang with careWith stories to tell and the midnight bellThe Christmas spirit's there
Over the river and through the snowThe Christmas tree stands tallIts twinkling lights in the frosty nightBring joy to one and all
Over the river, the sleigh bells ringTheir music fills the airWith laughter and cheer we draw ever nearTo Christmas memories fair
Over the river, the church bells chimeProclaiming peace tonightWe lift up our song as we ride alongTo greet the holy light
 
#LyricalLiteracy #ChristmasCarol #OverTheRiver #HolidayTraditions #PublicDomainAdaptation #ChristmasClassic #FamilyGathering #WinterWonderland #SleighRide #HolidaySongs
 
Humanitarians AI https://music.apple.com/us/artist/humanitarians-ai/1781414009 https://open.spotify.com/artist/3cj3R4pDpYQHaWx0MM2vFV https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC5PUIUdDRqnCoOMlgoAtFUg https://humanitarians.musinique.com https://www.humanitarians.ai/
Over the River and Through the Wood
Rewritten or adapted by Musinique's resident poet, Nik Bear Brown (https://www.musinique.com/nikbearbrown)
Historical Background:"Over the River and Through the Wood" was originally a Thanksgiving poem written by Lydia Maria Child in 1844, titled "The New-England Boy's Song about Thanksgiving Day." It was first published in Child's book "Flowers for Children, Volume 2." Child was an American abolitionist, women's rights activist, and novelist who also wrote popular cookbooks. The poem was later set to music and became a popular holiday song, with many variations adapting it for Christmas rather than its original Thanksgiving theme. The song describes a sleigh ride to visit grandparents for a holiday celebration.
Original Version:The original poem/lyrics by Lydia Maria Child are in the public domain and can be found in many traditional songbooks and historical archives. The original version speaks specifically about Thanksgiving and mentions grandfather's house rather than grandmother's. Many adaptations exist, making it one of the most flexible holiday songs in American culture.
 
 
 

Cuphead | Lyrical Literacy Project
Lyrical Literacy Project because sometimes get a kid in engage in reading, singing and learning involves making a simple song about her favorite video game.
Check out the good work that the Lyrical Literacy Project does here https://www.humanitarians.ai/lyrical-literacy
The Cuphead song was cut short to fit the YouTube shorts formet here the full song hereor here https://podcast.humanitarians.ai/or here https://podcast.musinique.com/
The Lyrical Literacy podcast delivers timeless stories and poems through the science-backed power of music. Music, poems and stories are exercise for the brain. Each episode presents carefully selected fairy tales, myths, poems, and lullabies from around the world, enhanced through innovative audio techniques based on neuroscientific research.
Developed by Humanitarians AI, this research-based program leverages the fact that music engages more brain regions simultaneously than almost any other activity, creating multimodal learning experiences that target specific cognitive and linguistic skills. Our unique approach combines traditional storytelling with strategic musical elements to maximize comprehension, retention, and neural connectivity in developing minds.
Each production is meticulously crafted using humans + AI. AI-assisted techniques to optimize pacing, musical accompaniment, ideation, and emotional resonance—all designed to foster deeper language processing while maintaining high engagement levels. Perfect for parents, educators, and children seeking content that entertains while developing critical literacy foundations.
#Cuphead#CupheadGame#StudioMDHR#MugmanAndCuphead#RunAndGun#CupheadMusic#1930sAnimation#LyricalLiteracy#MusicAndReading#LiteracyThroughMusic#EducationalMusic#HumanitariansAI#MusicForLearning#NeuroscienceOfMusic#StorytellingWithMusic#AIAssistededucation#MultimodalLearning#CognitiveDevelopment#CupheadLyrics#GameMusicLiteracy#LearningThroughGaming#MusicalStorytelling#ReadingSongs#GameBasedLearning

The Caterpillar Spins  - Studio Sessions (Nik Bear)
Nik Bear Brownhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0hSpFCJodAYMP2cWK72zI6?si=9Fx2UusBQHi3tTyVEAoCDQhttps://music.apple.com/us/artist/nik-bear-brown/1779725275https://nikbear.musinique.com

Pretty Little Cavalinhos | Lyrical Literacy Lullaby
This Lyrical Literacy Lullaby presents a melodic bilingual reimagining of the classic lullaby "All the Pretty Little Horses." The arrangement weaves together the traditional English verses with Portuguese lines ("Todos os lindos cavalinhos"), creating a soothing multicultural soundscape. The expanded lyrics paint vivid imagery of magical horses with "silver saddles" and "golden reins," carrying listeners through dreamy landscapes "where fireflies and dream seeds blow." This gentle composition bridges cultural traditions while maintaining the comforting essence of the original lullaby, making it perfect for both children's bedtime and language learning.
Origin
"All the Pretty Little Horses" is a traditional American lullaby that likely originated in the Southern United States during the 19th century. Some musicologists believe it may have African American origins, possibly sung by enslaved mothers to their children. The song became widely known through folk music collections and has been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. This adaptation preserves the core melody and opening verses of the traditional lullaby while expanding it with Portuguese translations and original verses that enhance the dreamlike equine imagery of the original.
Hush a bye don’t you cryGo to sleepy little babyWhen you wake you shall haveAll the pretty little horses
Painted ponies black and grayTails like clouds that drift awaySilken manes and dancing hooves
Hush a bye don’t you cryAll the pretty horses flyTodos os lindos cavalinhosDurma agora sem chorarVai sonhar meu docinho
Silver saddles golden reinsSoftest winds through windowpanesYou shall ride in morning lightWith horses glowing pure and whiteThrough the fields where willows growWhere fireflies and dream seeds blowAnd if you weep the stars will swayThe moon will hum your fears awayA lullaby for sleepy heads
Sleepy headsHush a bye don’t you cryAll the pretty horses flyTodos os lindos cavalinhosDurma agora sem chorarVai sonhar meu docinhoHush a bye don’t you cryAll the pretty horses fly
 
#BilingualLullaby #LyricalLiteracy #PrettyLittleHorses #PortugueseEnglish #MulticulturalMusic #ChildrensSongs #DreamyLullabies #MusicEducation #FolkMusic #SleepyTimeMusic #HumanitariansAI
 
Humanitarians AI
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/humanitarians-ai/1781414009https://open.spotify.com/artist/3cj3R4pDpYQHaWx0MM2vFVhttps://music.youtube.com/channel/UC5PUIUdDRqnCoOMlgoAtFUghttps://humanitarians.musinique.com

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot (1915)
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" was first published in the June 1915 issue of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, and later included in T.S. Eliot's first collection, "Prufrock and Other Observations" (1917).
This poem is considered one of the most important works of modernist poetry. Eliot actually wrote the poem between 1910 and 1911 while he was a graduate student at Harvard, but it wasn't published until several years later with help from Ezra Pound, who championed Eliot's work.
The poem represents a dramatic shift in poetic style, featuring a fragmented narrative structure and the internal monologue of its anxious, indecisive narrator. It's known for its memorable opening lines and the recurring themes of social anxiety, isolation, and the difficulties of communication.
 
S’io credesse che mia risposta fosseA persona che mai tornasse al mondo,Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.Ma percioche giammai di questo fondoNon torno vivo alcun, s’i’odo il vero,Senza tema d’infamia ti rispondo.
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
 
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.
 
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.
 
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
 
And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
 
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.
 
And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair —
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin —
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
 
For I have known them all already, known them all:
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
               So how should I presume?
 
And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
               And how should I presume?
 
And I have known the arms already, known them all—
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)
Is it perfume from a dress
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
               And should I then presume?
               And how should I begin?
 
Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ...
 
I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
 
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet — and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.
 
And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it towards some overwhelming question,
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—
If one, settling a pillow by her head
               Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;
               That is not it, at all.”
 
And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
               “That is not it at all,
               That is not what I meant, at all.”
 
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.
 
I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
 
Shall I part my hair behind?   Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
 
I do not think that they will sing to me.
 
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
 
Nik Bear Brownhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0hSpFCJodAYMP2cWK72zI6?si=9Fx2UusBQHi3tTyVEAoCDQhttps://music.apple.com/us/artist/nik-bear-brown/1779725275https://nikbear.musinique.com
 
 

Sacred Emily by Gertrude Stein, 1913 (Spoken Word Nik Bear)
 
Argonauts  That is plenty  Cunning saxon symbol  Symbol of beauty  Thimble of everything  Cunning clover thimble  Cunning of everything  Cunning of thimble  Cunning cunning  
Place in pets  Night town  Night town a glass  Color mahogany  Color mahogany center  Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose  
Loveliness extreme  Extra gaiters  Loveliness extreme  Sweetest ice cream  
Page ages page ages page ages  Wiped wiped wire wire  Sweeter than peaches and pears and cream  Wiped wire wiped wire  Extra extreme  
Put measure treasure  Measure treasure  Tables track  Nursed  Dough  That will do  
Cup or cup or  Excessively illigitimate  Pussy pussy pussy what what  Current secret sneezers  Ever  Mercy for a dog  Medal make medal  Able able able  
A go to green and a letter spoke a go to green or praise or  Worships worships worships  Door  Do or  Table linen  
Wet spoil  Wet spoil gaiters and knees and little spools little spools or ready silk lining  Suppose misses misses  Curls to butter  Curls  Curls  Settle stretches  
See at till  Louise  Sunny  Sail or  Sail or rustle  Mourn in morning  
The way to say  Patter  Deal own a  Robber  A high b and a perfect sight  Little things singer  Jane  Aiming  Not in description  Day way  A blow is delighted
 
Nik Bear Brownhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0hSpFCJodAYMP2cWK72zI6?si=9Fx2UusBQHi3tTyVEAoCDQ
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nik-bear-brown/1779725275
https://nikbear.musinique.com
 

No More Pharaohs No More Kings Let My People Go
 
If you refuse to let them go I will send a plague of frogs on your whole countryThe frogs will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bedInto the houses of your officials and on your people and into your ovens and kneading troughsThe frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials
They build their thrones on broken backsLet my people goBut we the many will push backLet my people go
If you won't let them go then knowThe frogs will rise from down belowThey'll fill your bed and block your doorIn ovens bowls and every floorThey'll leap upon the kings and cooksFrom gold tiled halls to hidden nooksThis is the warning loud and lowLet my people go
Thus saith the Lord bold Moses saidLet my people goIf not your power shall lose its threadLet my people goNo crown no law that steals the breadLet my people goWe rise for justice not for dreadLet my people go
If you won't let them go then knowThe frogs will rise from down belowThey'll fill your bed and block your doorIn ovens bowls and every floorThey'll leap upon the kings and cooksFrom gold tiled halls to hidden nooksThis is the warning loud and lowLet my people go
From border wall to banker's gateLet my people goThe people's voice will liberateLet my people goWe are manyThey are fewLet my people goNo more PharaohsNo more kingsLet my people go
 
Mayfield Kinghttps://music.apple.com/gb/artist/mayfield-king/1846526759
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vpw3aw6hEJRPHgYGrN3kX?si=_WzqjRRwSQa5AtEUEjyv4w
https://mayfield.musinique.com
 
 

Twas the night before Christmas (Mayfield)
 
’Twas the night before Christmas all through the houseNot a creature was stirring not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with careIn hopes that St Nicholas soon would be thereThe children were dreaming so snug in their bedsWhile visions of sugar plums danced in their heads
Oh ‘twas the night the magical nightWhen the world held its breath under silver moonlightThe snow fell soft the stars shone brightOh ‘twas the night the Christmas night
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatterI sprang from my bed to see what was the matterAway to the window I flew like a flashThrew open the shutters and lifted the sash
Oh the moon on the snow it shimmered so clearAnd then I saw him the man of the year
With a sleigh full of toys and eight tiny deerAnd a jolly old driver who brought Christmas cheerNow Dasher now Dancer now Prancer and VixenOn Comet on Cupid on Donner and Blitzen
Oh ‘twas the night the magical nightWhen the world held its breath under silver moonlightThe snow fell soft the stars shone brightOh ‘twas the night the Christmas night
Down the chimney he came his fur trimmed with sootA sack full of treasures from head to his footHis eyes how they twinkled his dimples so merryHis cheeks red as roses his nose like a cherry
And he laughed with a belly that shook like jellyA right jolly elf so warm and friendly
He didn’t speak a word but went straight to his workFilled all the stockings then turned with a jerkHe laid a finger aside of his noseAnd up the chimney with a nod he rose
Oh ‘twas the night the magical nightWhen the world held its breath under silver moonlightThe snow fell soft the stars shone brightOh ‘twas the night the Christmas night
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sightHappy Christmas to all and to all a good night
Oh ‘twas the night the magical nightWhen the world held its breath under silver moonlightThe snow fell soft the stars shone brightOh ‘twas the night the Christmas night
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sightHappy Christmas to all and to all a good night
 

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Newton)
 
Twas the night before Christmas all through the houseNot a creature was stirring not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with careIn hopes that St Nicholas soon would be thereThe children were dreaming so snug in their bedsWhile visions of sugar plums danced in their heads
Oh twas the night the magical nightWhen the world held its breath under silver moonlightThe snow fell soft the stars shone brightOh twas the night the Christmas night
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatterI sprang from my bed to see what was the matterAway to the window I flew like a flashThrew open the shutters and lifted the sash
Oh the moon on the snow it shimmered so clearAnd then I saw him the man of the year
With a sleigh full of toys and eight tiny deerAnd a jolly old driver who brought Christmas cheerNow Dasher now Dancer now Prancer and VixenOn Comet on Cupid
Down the chimney he came his fur trimmed with sootA sack full of treasures from head to his footHis eyes how they twinkled his dimples so merryHis cheeks red as roses his nose like a cherry
And he laughed with a belly that shook like jellyA right jolly elf so warm and friendly
He didn’t speak a word but went straight to his workFilled all the stockings then turned with a jerkHe laid a finger aside of his noseAnd up the chimney with a nod he rose
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sightHappy Christmas to all and to all a good night
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sightHappy Christmas to all and to all a good night