The Sound of Music Songs

These songs were written on a whim from some SBM FB posting request. The titles were actually made up in jest but since they was requested as songs, I wrote them out just for fun (thanks, Lay Lian). Hope it resonates, and have fun singing along. ;-)

Eatchapchye

(Sung to Edelweiss)

Eatchapchye, Eatchapchye
Every lunchtime you''ll see me
Sweet and sour, heavy or light
Just one dish won't fill me
Kung pow chicken, you are nice to know
Nice to know forever
Eatchapchye, Eatchapchye
Stay good-and-cheap forever!

Eatchapchye, Eatchapchye
Many dishes to choose from
Steamed or fried, stewed or diced
Stacked so nicely with white rice
Tapow or eat there, whatever the choice
Don't forget the chilli
Eatchapchye, Eatchapchye
Save money to marry!

- by TC Lai *Chap chye is mixed rice, or "geng jai fun" - economic rice - in Cantonese, a popular kind of food stall in food centers or kopitiams in Singapore where many dishes are cooked up for selection, often eaten with white or brown. Cost? Between $2 - $3. Some serve up plain white porridge as well. The vegetarian stalls would also have fried beehoon as an option.


So Long, Kway Teow
(Sung to So Long, Farewell)

There's a sad sort of clanging from the wok in the stall
And the plates from the kitchen too
And there at the tables is a sad customer
That's getting up to say, "Mai retire, eh sai bo, eh sai bo?"
Fed-up Ah Pek he tells us but firmly he's decided so
To say goodbye to you

So long, farewell, I won't fry your stupid kway teow
I love to go and sit down for awhile
So long, farewell, you and your phototaking
Shoo shoo, siam siam, mai come and charp me
I'm glad to go, find a retirement home to die
I'm stiff, I cough, I always have to pee
My son, he say he doesn't want to take over

So long, farewell, I won't fry your stupid kway teow
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
GOODBYE!

- by TC Lai *some words are in the Hokkien dialect. Kway teow is thick/flat, white vermicelli noodles.

Go-Reng-Mi
(Sung to the tune of Do Re Mi)

Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
What you need is Indo-mie
What you get is go-reng-mi
Go-reng-mi, go-reng-mi
The first three things just happen to be
Indo-mie, sauce chilli
Cook for three minutes till ready!
Let's see if I can make it easier

Zhou, is rice, a very wet rice
Muay, is you crying into zhou 
Mee, is tame unless with gems
Far, is a stall you never tried
So, is pastry with charsiew
La, is spicy till can cry
Teh, a drink with prata bread
That will bring us back to... 

Dough, is bread, to make your own
Deh, you eat you never pay
Mee, again, you'll put on weight
Fart, is you not giving me face
Sow, is trotter in vinegar
La, is lala that you joot
Teh, a drink you must tarik
That will bring us back to dough! (Dough, dough, dough...)


Dough leave me fart so loud till dog smell me, so don't!  

- TC Lai *Note: Zhou is porridge, muay is plain watery porridge

A Fave Wanton Mee

(Sung to Bee Gees' First of May)

When I was young the wanton mee was fine
We used to eat while mommy/daddy pay;
Now we are tall and go to another stall 
The wanton mee seller he passed away

And so for a while, we ate noodle instant-style
Our memory like our taste faded away
Of that olden style we could not fathom how
Until someone recooked  from yesterday

So I am glad and neighbours are not sad
That the wanton mee is not that bad
And I recall the day I wasn't tall
When the wanton mee was perfect, see

So don't be sore the charsiew look a bore
The taste is fine and the soup's divine
The price is right won't give you a fright
And you won't choke as the wanton is quite shiok

When I was young the wanton mee was fine
Do do do do do do do do do.....

A Child Was Told

Share a happy tear and make a wish, a child was told
Because this flower rarely opens

It chanced upon your being here
And sought to show you its fleeting beauty

So bless with it your soul, my dear dear child
That you and it may be in space-time entwined

That when the flower does indeed perish shortly
Your soul its beauty be thus be made divine

And reborn a part of you once more will be, the child was told
In another place in another time

When again someone smiles upon the same flower so
Your karma will be enriched a thousand times

The End - by TC Lai

Peas in a Pod

Peas in a pod, peas in a pod

We are both peas in a pod

Married too long

Singing the same same song

We are both peas in a pod

Folks say we look alike

Walking the same same stride

We are both peas in a pod

Hope to live, hope to die

Embracing in same same desire

We are both peas in a pod