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From the 1994 cassette, Making Tracks to the Library, no longer available.

lyrics

I had the summer blues with nothing much to do.
All day I'd watch TV. Then a telegram came for me...

It said, "Traveling home through Bangladesh. Am shipping you my brand new pet.
Please take good care of Jake until I arrive."
It was from my off-beat uncle, Clyde, so Mom and I were not a bit surprised
by the size of the crane that came and left Jake's cage on our front drive.

And Jake and I were soon making tracks to the library
so I could learn exactly what he ought to eat.
People all were staring like they never see
a four hundred pound gorilla walking down the street.

I took a look to see what the computer could find, but Jake ran directly to the five nine nine's.
He grabbed a bunch of books and tossed them over to me.
At first I couldn't believe my eyes, then the titles he selected made me realize
that somehow somewhere someone must've taught Jake how to read!

The books he wanted were
Goodall's Guide to Grooming Gorillas,
Recipes For Baking Bananas,
Hominoids and Monkeys I Have Known,
Apes Baboons and Chimps as Party Guests,
Secrets to Success With Simians,
How to Feed the Primate in Your Home.

We took our stack to the checkout desk. The librarian started to say, "No pets..."
But Jake began beating his chest and he flashed her his teeth.
I told her that to me it didn't seem so hard to see that all he wanted was a library card.
Jake took a step or two toward her, and she hastily agreed.

And lots of people were making tracks to the library
just to get a gander at Jake and me.
The news crews put it on live TV -
a gorilla checking books from the library!

Well, every single morning at the crack of dawn, Jake and I were waiting on the library lawn
to trade in the books we'd read for a whole new batch.
By the time Uncle Clyde arrived from overseas, Jake and I were library celebrities.
I even started teaching Jake how to write so he could give out autographs.

I made my Uncle Clyde promise me that wherever Jake went he'd have books to read.
I begged Jake to keep on practicing so he can write to me someday.

Until then I'm making tracks to the library
'cause every single day I get the urge to read.
My good friend Jake must've got me hooked.
I'll spend the rest of this summer reading library books.
My good friend Jake must've got me hooked.
I'll spend the rest of my life reading library books!

credits

from Reading Songs Volume I: Blast Into Books, released November 11, 2011
Monty Harper

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Monty Harper Stillwater, Oklahoma

Monty Harper is a children's musician in Stillwater, OK. He performs for elementary schools and libraries, helps kids write their own songs in workshops and residencies, does informal science education, and writes songs for clients.

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