Write a Blues Fairy Tale

The Three Bear Blues by Barry Lane from the album Lane's Recycled Fairy Tales

How do you Survive Big Bad Bully Bus?

Here's a song I finished recently. It is about learning to deal with bullies without becoming one yourself. What does it mean to drive the Big Bad Bully Bus? I think it means to make choices in life instead of just reacting to blows life sends you. I used to work in prisons teaching writing. There I found many people who thought they had no choices. Their violent crimes were reactions to a wrong dealt them by a person or by society itself.

How do you survive the Big Bad Bully Bus? At the end of the song , I give a few suggestions. In the recording I sing 5 ways that DEFEAT a bully in the end but in the writing I changed it, by suggestion from my oldest daughter Jessie to "Five ways that will stop, a bully in the end."

Jessie pointed out to me that DEFEAT was bully language and you deal with bullies best when you change the game around. You stop bullies by showing who they are . Mohandas Ghandhi did this to the entire British Empire. His non-violent strategies held a mirror up to the world and everyone saw the brutality of colonialism. This stopped some pretty intense 19th century bullying.

Now, let's write about bullies. Who are they? Where are they? How do you drive your own Bad Bully Bus?



The Big Bad Bully Bus words and music by Barry Lane by Barrylane55
The Big Bad Bully Bus

The Big Bad Bully Bus is rolling into town.

It comes to pick you up,

but it often lets you down.

The big kids in the back,

are making quite a fuss.

How will you survive,

the Big Bad Bully Bus.

The drivers up front he's looking at the road.

63 kids is a pretty heavy load.

No time to look back;

no time to supervise.

The big kids in the back

are telling nasty lies.

What will you do?

What will you say?

When all the bullies come your way?

(Make bully and cowbly noises here giyaah, giyahh whip, whip...)

They start to call you names,

they laugh right in your face.

Spitballs start to fly;

they make fun of your race.

They make you want to cry;

they make you want to scream,

but if you hit'em back

you join the bully team.

We become the choices

we make everyday

and if you take the high road

things will be ok.

To be a better person,

we all must learn to trust.

Each us us must take the wheel

of our own Bad Bully Bus.

Talk to an adult,

When you get to school.

Ask a bully why,

or tell him that's not coooool.

Learn to walk away

or stand up to a friend.

Five ways that will stop

a bully in the end.

We must be strong,

We must be brave,

when all the bullies,

come our wayyyyy. ( more bully noises)

The Big Bad Bully Bus

is rolling into town.

It comes to pick you up,

but it often lets you down.

Those big kids in the back,

you know they're making quite a fuss,

but you and I are driving,

the big bad bully bus.

You and I are driving the

Big, Bad , Bully

Bus.

(words and music by Barry Lane copyright 2012)

Write about I time you encountered your Higher Self

Listen to the song by Jay Banta and Barry Lane

Higher Self

I was standing

by the school door

Waiting for the bell,

When Roger pushed me over

So hard that I fell.

I wanted to just punch him

And make him feel my hurt

but something deep inside me

sounded the alert.

1^st Chorus

Know your Higher self

Take it off the shelf

Give it room to play

Every single day

Forget about the fight

Reach for what is right

You can Teach yourself to fly

When you want to Cry.

One day in the lunchroom

Some friends were laughing loud

about the newest student

and they formed a crowd

I started laughing with them

Then saw how sad he looked.

I turned to him and said hello,

Then picked up all his books

2^nd Chorus

Know your Higher self

Take it off the shelf

Give it room to play

Every single day

Forget about the fight

Reach for what is right

Teach yourself to fly

When you want to Cry

(Bridge)

Sometimes I don’t behave

The best way that I can

Sometimes I am afraid

To lend a helping hand

But then then a little

voice comes

From somewhere deep inside

And tells me that the best in me

Doesn’t have to hide

Chorus

Know your Higher self

Take it off the shelf

Give it room to play

Every single day

Forget about the fight

Reach for what is right

Teach yourself to fly

When you want to Cry

One day I hope the World

Will listen to this song

And all the leaders think about

What's right and wrong,

They’ll sit down at a table

and talk about their fears

Without endless battles

rumbling on for years.

Chorus

Know your Higher self

Take it off the shelf

Give it room to play

Every single day

Forget about the fight

Reach for what is what is right

You can Teach yourself to fly

When you want to Cry.

You can Teach yourself to fly

when you want to cry.

copyright Barry Lane