Bess, Bess, Bessie, Goodbye!

It's time for a little bit of cow silliness. And who doesn't love a little bit of cow silliness?! Well, maybe it's not for everyone. Even so, we think your kids will enjoy this lively, classic old tune. "Bess, Bess, Bessie, Goodbye!" is a parody of the song "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye!" written by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, and Danny Russo in 1922. The original song tells the story of a young man who has to board a train and leave his love behind, but just can't seem to say goodbye to her. In our version, a farmer has to leave his farm for a trip to the city and just can't seem to bear leaving his dear old cow, Bessie. He promises to return soon with some hay and some kale.

While "Bess, Bess, Bessie, Goodbye!" offers lots of silly fun, there is also a great opportunity to have a lesson on the music of the 1920s, as we have put together a very authentic-sounding vaudeville band on the recording. It features a rhythm section with archtop guitar, winds, a solo violin, a ratchet, a splash cymbal, and of course, a cowbell.

The piece begins and ends with nifty cow sound effects, but your singers get to provide the cow mooing during the song where indicated. Feel free to add more if you (or they) are so inspired. You should definitely have your singers ham it up for this one. The more pantomime and overacting the better. Cow, farmer, and farm-theme costumes would also be extra fun.