Psychologically unhealthy spinster hobbies, part 1.

It's that time of year again -- the male mallards in the pond on my street have been passionately quacking their views re: why this year's ducklings should inherit THEIR earlobes. (You don't think ducks have earlobes? You clearly don't have ducks living on your street.)

I trust that one day soon a row of paddling puffballs will appear on the water, and when they do, I shall gift their parents with a new-baby mix CD. (You don't think ducks have CD players? Geez, ya snobby urbanite -- you probably think they don't have indoor plumbing or electricity, either!)

Several years ago I sifted my music collection for baby/childhood/parenthood songs to make a mix for a friend, and since then have been forcing these songs upon friends and family as two by two they go off to try their hands at little-person wrangling. (I'm sure they'd prefer a Dr. Spock book or help with late-night feedings, but this is much more fun.)

If you have other songs for my collection please let me know. I'm mostly after positive songs, though if they're not strictly rosy on the topic of parenthood, beautiful or charming will serve as well. Eastery-springy-metaphory also works.

A Little Bit (At the Beginning) -- Joe Raposo with Patti LaBelle and the Abyssinian Baptist Choir

All the Pretty Horses -- Hem
All We Ever Look For -- Kate Bush

Annabelle -- Gillian Welch

Babies If I Didn't Have You -- Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Back Home Again -- Low

Be Careful There's a Baby in the House -- Loudon Wainwright III

Beautiful -- Paul Simon

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)* -- John Lennon
Bertie -- Kate Bush

Birth-day (Love Made Real) -- Suzanne Vega

Birthday -- Beatles

Born at the Right Time -- Paul Simon

Born, Never Asked -- Laurie Anderson

The Castle of Dromore -- Cherish the Ladies

Cheerios on the Floor -- Black Eyed Snakes

Cherry Tree Carol -- Emmylou Harris

Child Among the Weeds -- Eliza Carthy

Child of Mine -- Carole King

Circle Game -- Joni Mitchell

Come Little Children -- Donny Hathaway

Creatures of Love -- Talking Heads

Cry Baby Cry -- Beatles

Dance Me to the End of Love -- Leonard Cohen

Danny's Song -- Kenny Loggins

Diamond Day -- Vashti Bunyan

Don't Drop the Baby -- Low

Father and Daughter -- Paul Simon

First Born -- Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Freedom Hangs Like Heaven -- Iron and Wine

Golden Slumbers -- Beatles

Goodnight -- Beatles

Growing Up -- Peter Gabriel
Happy Birthday -- Innocence Mission

Heirloom -- Bjork

Here Before -- Vashti Bunyan

Hey Girl -- Donny Hathaway

Holly Up on Poppy -- XTC

How Beautiful Could a Being Be? -- Caetano & Moreno Veloso

...I Love -- Low

I Need a Nap -- Kate Winslet & Weird Al Yankovic

I Wish -- Stevie Wonder

Isn't She Lovely -- Stevie Wonder

Kiss of Life -- Peter Gabriel

Kooks -- David Bowie

Lately -- Vashti Bunyan

Little Green -- Joni Mitchell

Little Things -- Joe Raposo

Lord, Blow the Moon Out Please -- Hem
Love That Boy -- Innocence Mission

Loves Me Like a Rock -- Paul Simon

Memo to My Son -- Randy Newman

Mother and Child Reunion -- Paul Simon

Mother and Son -- Babe Soundtrack

Mother Stands for Comfort -- Kate Bush

My Darling -- Wilco

My First Child** -- Nil Lara

New Mama -- Neil Young

New Star in the Sky -- Air

Ob la di Ob la da -- Beatles

The Obvious Child -- Paul Simon

Orphan Girl -- Gillian Welch

Ovary Z's -- Geggy Tah

P. Sluff -- Geggy Tah

Pony Boy -- Bruce Springsteen

Precious -- Annie Lennox

Reaching Out -- Kate Bush

Room for the Life -- Kate Bush

Season Cycle -- XTC

Skip Rope Song -- Kate and Anna McGarrigle, et al.

St. Judy's Comet -- Paul Simon

Stay Up Late -- Talking Heads

Summertime -- Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald

Sun, Son (Shining on the Water) -- Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Surfer Girl -- Low

Sweet and Low -- Bette Midler

The Sweetest Gift -- Sade

That Was Your Mother -- Paul Simon

Things We've Handed Down** -- Marc Cohn
This Woman's Work -- Kate Bush

Then She Appeared -- XTC

To Zion -- Lauren Hill

Upward over the Mountain -- Iron and Wine

Valentine's Day -- Hem

Waters of March -- Jobim & Elis Regina or Marissa Monte & David Byrne or Basia or Anya Marina or....

Wayward -- Vashti Bunyan

Welcome into the World -- Geggy Tah

What a Wonderful World -- Louis Armstrong

When a Man Needs a Woman -- Beach Boys

When Mac Was Swimming -- Innocence Mission

When I Called Upon Your Seed -- Low

Wiggle Wiggle -- Bob Dylan

Wonderful / Song for Children / Child Is the Father of the Man / Surf's Up -- Brian Wilson

Ye Yo -- Erykah Badu

* Suggested by Sharon.

** Suggested by some dude in a Yahoo Group.