Puff the Magic Dragon gets a makeover.

Frankly it doesn’t scan either (that sort of thing really annoys me)
They could have tried
“Dragons live for ever
But not small girls and boys “
? ? ?

Always thought this song was a metaphor for cannabis!

Yes exactly Maw, as I said. So why not change the song to Jackie and Jillie throughout? And anyway, surely this is a breach of copyright?

Actually, just checked and the book is credited to Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, the original songwriters, so no copyright infringement there. Very surprised at the scanning issue though in that case!

cavewoman I loved that song until dear BIL told me that and laughed when I said I always used to sing it to the DC!

I think they made a short film as well Bathsheba

sorry, I should have posted that above - I still like the song and I don't think it's true anyway!

Haha, doesn't matter if it is true to be honest - a three and a half year old isn't going to make the connection!!

I've just found this in the Wikipedia article on PTMD:

In an effort to be gender-neutral, Yarrow now sings the line "A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys" as "A dragon lives forever, but not so girls and boys

Oh well, definitely no copyright issues then. But this does indicate that the book has been incorrectly printed - it shouldn't have included the word "little".
Still don't like it though

cavewoman I was told that too.

What next? My younger sister used to bawl her eyes out whenever she heard this on the radio!

^ . metaphor for cannabis . . ^ - it can join Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, then. I always thought the characters in the Magic Roundabout was on something strong, too.

were

This was one of the few songs I could both sing and play on the guitar for younger siblings. We all got a bit choked when Puff's "green scales fell like rain" as he mourned the loss of his friend who had grown up.

The song is about Jackie Paper, who is a he. Jackie could be a girl but "girls" doesn't rhyme with toys. It annoys me a wee bit as you wouldn't change Miss Muffet to Master Muffet in a book because you'd have to double up the pictures and it wouldn't scan.

On the other hand, my dgds sing "she" for Dr Foster when they go for the big splash and sometimes Little Girl Blue or One for the Master and One for the Dame and One for the Little Girl who Lives Down the Lane.

However, the lassies are descended on all sides from shepherds and hill farmers (male and female) who were jointly offended when one of the wee shepherdesses came home from school singing Baa Baa Skinny Sheep. Have You Any wool?

A protest was lodged and accepted by the school. It was pointed out that, however much the original version may give today's PC adults a problem, a skinny sheep could be a sign of something far wrong-but-fixable, ranging from neglect to disease to a very bad dose of untreated worms.

Not really something you'd celebrate in song.

I'm not sure what kind of sheep they sing about now in that class, but I sure hope the adjective scans better.

There was a much later performance of Puff by Peter Paul and Mary where they included the words ‘not so little girls and little boys’ in the lyrics, but only the name Jackie Paper. We used to have an LP of early PP&M, and the song included the lines
“Together we should sing it, it's just a children's song
And if you do not know the words - you'd better learn them!” - the last four words not sung but spoken rather menacingly!?

There was a much later performance of Puff by Peter Paul and Mary where they included the words ‘not so little girls and little boys’ in the lyrics
I just cannot work out how those words could have been sung to the tune - the scanning is so far out, even worse than "not so little girls and boys". It must sound ridiculous!

Elegran the magic roundabout lot were high as kites, even Brian

Bathsheba I had to listen to it a couple of times, but it does scan.

It does scan.

What's the problem?

Elegran the magic roundabout lot were high as kites, even Brian
I used to enjoy it!
Created by Eric Thompson, father of Emma Thompson.