Unlike my other kids' songs/poems, this one doesn't make an overt effort to be humorous--unless you keep in mind that it's about an onion and some garlic! When I do this one in school presentations, kids really get into the story. I've always meant to ask what images it evokes--are the characters people who have funny names, or do the kids imagine an onion wearing a cowboy hat and gun? Hopefully this is one that parents enjoy as much as the kids. Rick Keane (rk8257) put this one together. He does it as a straight-up outlaw song, which, at least for me, has a wonderful tongue-in-cheek quality. It makes me want to go watch one of those old Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns.
Franky the Onion and Garlic the Kid
Arranged and performed by Rick Keane
Music by Rick Keane
Words by Jeff Mondak
Franky was a man of many layers
But his skin was paper thin
Call him yellow and say your prayers
Then warn your next of kin
Garlic never minced his words
He'd snatch your breath away
Wooing the women and rustling herds
Both were his forte
Franky the Onion and Garlic the Kid
Looking so dirty and raw
Snuck into town and away they hid
One step ahead of the law
Sheriff Blade tracked the men
Blade knew he had their scent
He'd chop them down in the end
It would be a grand event
The Sheriff heard the townfolk crying
Franky the Onion must be near
Then Blade spotted old Garlic trying
To rustle yet another steer
Sheriff Blade stood his ground
Franky and Garlic were crushed
Cheers went up from all around
As off to jail the men were rushed
Because Sheriff Blade answered the call
That dusty town was rid
Of those ruthless outlaws known to all
As Franky the Onion and Garlic the Kid