Now in the Vleeptron Parlour: Beautiful Child of Song!

Someone has sent me The Most Charming little-child song -- actually a duet between Poppa and Dottir -- about a little girl named Cunegonde.

Did lots of Euro-parents really name their fe-Kinder "Cunegonde"? In the 18th Century? Ever? Who was The Original Cunegonde?

Do you Europeanaissies actually have neighbors down the block or downstairs named Cunegonde?

What do any Vleeptroids think about the wisdom of naming my daughter Cunegonde? Check one:

|__| How charming! The little girl will have
such a wonderful, rich, successful life
with a name like that!

|__| If you name one of my helpless infant sisters
that, I will find you and break your kneecap
with an aluminum Louisville Slugger.

Imagine yourself Cunegonde.

I think I know how it's actually pronounced pretty darn close, and it just flies out of the mouth like butterflies singing Mozartlieder and flinging little gold coins all over the room.

I do not know if I have My Correspondent's permission to publish this beautiful song from childhood past on Vleeptron, where all the Vleeptroids can see it and learn to sing it. (I don't think that's a Bad Thing.)

But until then, click here for the tune (what an interesting choice for such a dainty and delicate little song, the Carnival Steam Calliope arrangement!), and sing along ...

Come, I am longing to hear thee,
Beautiful Child of Song!
Come though the hearts that are near thee
Around thee devotedly throng.

Come, I am longing to hear thee,
Beautiful Child of Song!
I’m longing to hear thee
Carol thy lay, Sweet Child of Song.

Come, for the spell of a fairy
Dwells in thy magical voice,
And at thy step, light and airy,
E'en cold hearts enraptured rejoice.

Come, I am longing to hear thee,
Beautiful Child of Song!

-- Stephen Foster, 1860

Matt Groening (I think he's originally from Oregon) is the cartoonist creator of The Simpsons. He also publishes a series of very odd cartoon books called "Life in Hell," featuring urban bunnies with urban problems like unpleasant landlords, and Jeff and Akbar, two short Dopplegangers who both wear a red fez (just like me) and live in an apartment and just have lots of the most irresponsible kind of fun (just like me), until their three identical red-fez-wearing nephews, Screwy, Kablooey and Ratatooie, come to stay with them for a couple of weeks. Jeff and Akbar Make Their Own Rules as they go through life the way counterfeiters make their own money: Very discreetly and quietly.

"Life in Hell" also has a running feature "Kids' Greatest Hits." Groening claims the lyrics of Every One Of These Songs is certified, authentic, truly actually sung by Authentic Children, with no coaching, no tutoring, no prodding or tampering with the witness by adults. Kids really really sing these songs all by themselves, and presumably composed them, too (although I wouldn't put it past Klaas to have taught this to some kids in a Rotterdam alley one summer night because he was bored).

This was heard on an elementary-school playground on the USA West Coast somewhere, somewhen, to the tune of "Frere Jacques":

Marijuana, marijuana
LSD, LSD
College kids are makin' it
High school kids are takin' it
Why can't we? Why can't we?