Story Behind The Song
My niece Alison celebrated her 8th birthday with a backward birthday party, which gave me the idea for the song. Some months later, when we were cutting the album Alison sang backup in the studio. Two years later she gave a copy of the CD (called "Zag Zig", artist: Tom Chapin) to a neighbor she was babysitting for. Fast forward 15 years: the neighbor, now an editor at Simon and Schuster Books, decides to turn the song into a children's book. The book will be released in the Spring of 2015. On Atheneum for Kids.
Song Description
Note: publishing and master are controlled 100% by the authors. There is a wide variety of children's songs of this general humorous vein in our catalog. All instruments are played live.
| Song Length |
2:38 |
Genre |
Unique - Children, Jazz - Swing |
| Tempo |
Medium Fast (131 - 150) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
In High Spirits |
Subject |
Celebration |
| Language |
English |
Era |
1940 - 1949 |
Lyrics
On my birthday morning the sun was sinking low.
I put my clothes on inside out and down the stairs did go.
The house was decorated but something seemed awry.
The doorbell rang and all the gang walked in and said "Good-bye!"
At the backwards birthday party,
Where everything's out of whack.
The backwards birthday party,
The partyday birthwards back.
We ate the birthday cake first, which stirred up quite a fuss.
Then we blind-folded the donkey and he pinned the tail on us.
The treasure hunt went nowhere, but no one got depressed
'Cause I wrapped up all my presents and gave one to every guest.
Cho.
The ice cream it was hot; the candles were not.
The longer we kept partying, the earlier it got.
The clock was running backwards, struck three, then two, then one.
My party it was winding down before it had begun.
I said, "Hello, it's time to go!" and pushed them out the door
And I was one year younger than I'd been the day before.
Cho.