Parade

Josie Aalsma is a sophomore at Herron High School. She wrote and recorded "Parade" as part of a summer songwriting internship.

My song "Parade" is centered around the Oaks Academy and the yearly Spring Fling Parade, which I took part in for eight years. This parade allows elementary school kids and middle schoolers alike to parade down the street in colorful costumes and beautiful dresses and ties in front of their parents and friends in a big end of school swing dance party.

I was brainstorming ideas over what to write about, relating to the Fall Creek area and Oaks Academy, when Kyle Ragsdale, our very close friend and neighbor, brought up the idea of the parade. He’s an artist, so it makes sense he would come up with one of the most colorful and paintable moments of the Oaks' school year. Every year, we expect rain, but it never comes, and every time it turns out to be amazing. It brings up so many happy memories from my great experience at the Oaks and the area around it.

The saying repeated six times throughout the song, “we create, we dream, and we dance,” just sums up how much joy it gives the students to perform in a parade in costumes showing what they’ve learned to everyone. They can dress up to be flamingos, kings, monks, etc. and dance their hearts out with their community. The middle schoolers can swing dance to the music, without being embarrassed, because everyone else is doing it, too. It’s an amazing part of the year that deserves to be sung about.

Lyrics:
Partners line up arm in arm, hoping for the sun
Ready to dance their way through the crowd, looking for someone.
We create, we dream, and we dance.

Loop de loop, step touch step, run, run through the sun.
Loop de loop, step touch step, run, run til you’re done.
The rain's not here yet.

Colors, costumes, families cheering, smiling for the fun.
Hoping to catch the tiniest glimpse of their costumes little one.
We create, we dream, and we dance.

The chorus repeated.

Pink flamingos, kings and queens, fly by my side all night.
Dancing on the very street that brings the children from their sleep.
We create, we dream, and we dance.

The chorus repeated.

The dresses circle round fancily, while the boys in ties keep step.
The bricks behind, and the trees so fine, blend in with all the colorful people.
We create, we dream, and we dance.

The chorus repeated.

All together:

Rain, rain, go away, come again soon (repeated).
Bum bum bum, bum bum bum, bum bum bum (repeated).
Loop de loop, step touch step, run, run through the sun.
Loop de loop, step touch step, run, run til you’re done.

We create, we dream, and we dance.
We create, we dream, and we dance.

The rain's not here yet.

End.