Can’t Do It Wrong / My Life Is So Cuckoo

Song Notes

There are times when all the crises happening in the world, close in and far away, seem too much to deal with, and I start feeling crazy with the longing to help and make a difference and get it all solved, not to mention getting my own life all “solved.” At one such time, I remembered some words of Esther Hicks, the conveyer of the Abraham material; “You’ll never get it done, and you can’t do it wrong.” It seemed like a great antidote to the perfectionist belief that I “should” or we “should” be able to get everything “fixed.” It helped me remember that everything is in an excellent, evolving process of trials and errors and the learning, growth and adaptation that come from them. These two songs sort of co-evolved from all this ruminating, the one answering the other, and reminding me to relax and forgive myself while I “keep on keeping on.” Teaching suggestions: “My Life Is So Cuckoo” is a little too complex harmonically to teach to a group without considerable practice time. It works best to get a small group of singers together and get it learned and polished before you try to combine it with “Can’t Do It Wrong” as it’s done on the CD. The latter song, (“Can’t Do It Wrong) is easy to have a lot of fun with in a group, all on its own. It’s good to get three distinct groups separated from each other to start with. Teach one group the “Never Get It Done …”engine first, then show the higher voices how to start the “You Say You Love Me” section right after the first section sings, “Oh No!” Then teach the “Get It, Get It” gang their two harmonies, and how to start right after they hear ..”and can’t” from the “never get it done” guys. Once they’re rolling, they just keep their pattern going. It will never match up again in exactly the same way, but it seems to always work anyway. Once all the parts are up and running, start the “sing and mingle” and enjoy the fun! This latter song was inspired by listening to the music of the Baka pygmies of Central Africa, with their multi-layered parts jumping and nudging around each other. It can sound a bit cacophonous, but folks seem to really enjoy it, throwing in little spontaneous dips and jumps on the “Oh No’s” and “I Do’s”.