music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

My friend Mary owns a stuffed dalmatian whom she named Delilah. She wanted to jump on to the Parker bandwagon, and asked me to write a song featuring Parker and Delilah. Of course, the first question out of my mouth, honestly thinking that Mary had no ready answer, was "What's Delilah's issue?" However, to my surprise, Mary was in fact ready with an answer: "She has a speech impediment." I thought this was a GREAT subject to discuss with children, so it was a done deal. Janie loved the way the song turned out so much that she successfully encouraged me to make it a last-minute inclusion on the album!

LYRICS:
Delilah the Dalmatian
Love to tell good jokes.
All the animals would laugh,
But because of the way she spoke.

See, Delilah had a big tongue
Which she used to give a big dog kiss,
But the bad thing about it
Was that it also gave her a lisp.

A lisp is a speech impediment
Where, when you try to say an "S",
It sounds just like a "TH",
And your words come out a mess.

Delilah told a joke to the other animals,
Or at least she tried:
"Why did the chicken croth the road?
To get to the other thide!!"

The animals started to laugh,
So Delilah thought that maybe
They liked the joke, but the animals said:
"You sound just like a baby!!"

Delilah ran away crying,
Desperately wanting to hide,
Until she almost hit Parker The Platypus,
Causing him to jump aside.

"Why are you running?" asked Parker,
"The sky is so bright and sunny!!"
"I'm running away from the otherth," said Delilah,
"Becauthe they thay I thpeak funny!!"

"You speak differently," said Parker,
"but it's not that strange!
I can even understand everything you said
In our brief, quick exchange!!"

"But it's thtill not correct," said Delilah,
"An ETH doethn't thound that way!"
"So you need a speech therapist," said Parker,
To help you practice what you say!!"

Parker took Delilah
To see Professor Parrot.
He helped animals with pronunciation,
Because he talked a lot.

"A lisp is easy to correct,"
Said The Professor, inflating his lungs.
"We'll just give you a few exercises,
To show you where to put your tongue!"

Professor Parrot taught Delilah
How to hold her tongue inside her mouth.
When she first said an "S" correctly,
She felt extremely proud.

Parker practiced with her,
By having conversations,
Until Delilah had no more lisp,
And she felt great elation.

"I sssssinccccccerely thank you, Professor Parrot!
And you, Parker, assssssss well!!
My lissssssp is gone, and my ssssssspeech is great!!
And now everything is sssssssswell!!"

Delilah enjoyed orating,
And joined the speech team as a perk.
She learned that she could do anything
With only some hard work!!

PARKER BIKES WITH BRIAN THE BROWN BEAR

music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

One of the many issues I dealt with as a child was that I was (and still am) a sub-par athlete. As a result, it took me longer than most kids to learn how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. i wanted to capture this for kids who might have the same troubles. the problem I was having is that, while people are familiar with GRACEFUL animals, the knowledge of which animals are CLUMSY isn't as common. I uncovered that the brown bear is notoriously clumsy. Once I had my animal, it was time to write the song!!

LYRICS:
Brian was a brown bear cub
Who had, on the back of his bike,
Training wheels to keep him up.
It was just the way he liked.

See, when Brian tried to ride two-wheelers,
He always seemed to fall.
He was too clumsy to pedal fast
And ride up straight and tall.

The other animals made fun of him
For not being able to ride
the way that they could pedal their bikes,
And Brian almost cried.

Parker The Platypus saw all that,
And went to help Brian.
He gave him some great advice:
"You have to keep on trying!"

"If you pedal fast enough,
The bike stays up on its own!
It's only your fear that makes you too nervous,
And that's why you fall down!"

Parker took the training wheels off,
And Brian pedaled fast,
While Parker held on to the side,
As lots of trees, they passed.

"This is fun," Brian said,
"But please just don't let go!"
"Actually," Parker answered back,
"I did five minutes ago!!"

Brian looked down and saw that he
Was riding on two wheels.
He got scared, and started to shake,
And then began to squeal.

"Don't get nervous!" Parker shouted,
"You won't fall if you just stay calm!"
Brian took a deep, deep breath,
But didn't call for his mom.

"I can do this!" he said, "I already did!
I just have to get past my fear!"
Brian focused on the road,
and, soon his house became near.

Brian made it all the way home,
And didn't stumble a bit!
"Thank you, Parker," Brian said,
"For showing me I could do it!!"

PARKER FINDS A FAMILY FOR FERNANDO THE DODO

music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

I'm not sure where the idea of using "The Last Of The Dodos" to illustrate the issues some children might have with not having the traditional family structure, but I do remember wanting to incorporate my harmonica playing in one Parker song. 12-bar blues was a natural pattern to do that, but I didn't want too sad a vibe for the song, since it has a very happy ending!

LYRICS:
Oh it was a sunny morning,
In the middle of the month of May.
All the families were excited,
Because it was Family Day,
And all day all the families
Would dance and sing and play!!

Only one of the animals was sad!
It was Fernando The Dodo Bird!
People tried to cheer him up,
But there was no encouraging word
That could get him out of his funk,
Or, at least, none that he heard.

Parker had walked by,
And saw him sitting on a stone.
He knew something was wrong.
He could feel it in his bones,
Because a platypus knows better than anyone
What it's like to be alone.

"What's the matter?" Parker asked,
"Everyone is so happy!"
"That's because," Fernando said,
"They all have families!
But I'm the last of the dodos!
So all there is is me!!"

Parker took Fernando
To meet a lion pride.
"They no longer have a father
To stand by their side,
But they're still a family,
So they don't run and hide!"

Then Parker took Fernando
To meet a whale pod.
"There's just two of them," asked Fernando,
"Isn't that a little odd?"
"The whale and her grandma are still a family, right?"
Asked Parker, and the whales gave a nod.

Then Parker took Fernando
To an ocelot and a gnu.
They were standing with an antelope
and also a kangaroo.
"These animals are a family,", said Parker,
"Because, for each other, anything, they'd do!!

"A family can have two fathers!
It can also have three mothers!!
You don't have to have sisters!!
You don't have to have brothers!!
All that matters in a family
Is that you're loved by others!!"

Then Parker took Fernando
To the big redwood tree.
Fernando's opened his eyes wide,
He couldn't believe what he'd seen!!
Everyone celebrating Family Day
Wanted him to join their family!!

"Thank you, everyone," said Fernando,
"This is really great news!
But you're all my family,
So I can't really choose!
So I guess I have the biggest family of all!!
Now there's NO way I can lose!!"

"See, it doesn't matter," said Parker,
"Who a family is made up of!
You can have a hawk on one end,
And, on the other end, a dove!
The only thing that's important
Is that a family has lots of love!!"
The only thing that's important
Is that a family has lots of love!!"

PARKER TAMES TIBERIUS THE TIGER

music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

When Sami came up with this story, all she showed me was a title: Parker And The Tiger's Revenge. Of course, I had to make the title alliterative, but admittedly, I wasn't anxious to write a rematch between Parker and the tiger from the first song/book. It was then that she explained to me that Parker and the tiger become friends. Everything else fell into place!!

LYRICS:
Parker The Platypus was playing ball
During a picnic before the fall.
The weather was great,
And it was something fun to do.

Balthazar The Beaver
And Dylan The Duck were eager
To eat their salads
When the ball game was through.

But soon they saw four clawed feet,
And, before they could start to eat,
They saw a tiger
Licking his lips and chops!

"I just want the platypus," he said,
"For turning my foot a painful red
Last time I was hungry,
And he made me stop!"

Parker yelled, "You were eating my friends!
Now if you want to try again,
Then I'll stop you
Just like I did before!"

"But there's no reason for us to fight!
Instead of eating us, come and take a bite
Of this delicious salad!
Now THIS will make you roar!!"

The tiger was saying in his mind,
"To me, no one's ever been kind!
Because, to stay alive,
Other animals I had to eat!"

"But now it looks like I may not!
That's looks like a great salad they've got!
So let me try it!
Maybe it can't be beat!"

The tiger took a bit bite of the greens,
And he said, "This salad is really keen!!"
Parker turned
And asked him, "What's your name?"

The tiger said, "My name's Tiberius!"
"Well understand," Parker said, "that I'm serious!
Won't you be our friend,
Now that your nice and tame?"

"It would be my honor!" Tiberius roared,
"Now, before I came, what was the score?
How about we start
A new game of ball?"

Everyone got excited to play
On that wonderful sunny day!
And a good time
Was had by one and all!!

PARKER AIDS ALOYSIUS THE ALLIGATOR

music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

This was about as simple a way to get a song idea as there is. I was walking to the dentist for a checkup, and it occurred to me that Parker could help children deal with the very common fear of visiting the dentist. I'm almost ashamed that it took me this long to come up with this concept!!

LYRICS:
Once there was an alligator.
His name was Aloysius.
He tried to eat evrything in sight
because it was all so delicious!

One day Aloysius was hungry,
So he went walking through the woods
Looking for some nuts or berries,
Or any other kinds of foods.

Then what appeared before his eyes
But a delicious tree?
Aloysius grinned from ear to ear
And said, "That looks good to me!!"

So he sunk his teeth into the trunk,
And, when he did, he almost cried!
He couldn't bite into that tree,
Because it was petrified!!

Aloysius ran and looked
At his reflection in the lake,
And he saw that, in one of his teeth,
There was a nasty break!!

Aloysius didn't know
How to stop the pain!
So he ran out to the playground
To seek advice from his friends.

"Isn't it obvious?" they said to him,
"Or have you lost your senses?
Everyone knows to get your teeth fixed,
You have to go see the dentist!!"

"Oh no!!" screamed Aloysius,
Overcome with fear!
"They have pliers and scrapers and drills
And needles out to here!!"

When they heard this, the other animals
started shaking in their knees!
They were also afraid of the dentist,
Until someone put them all at ease.

Parker The Platypus said to them,
"When I was baby, I also bit a stone!
So Doctor Dachshund pulled my tooth,
And them my pain was gone!"

"All those tools he has are used
To stop your teeth from hurting!
And if you don't go see him,
Your pain will only worsen!!

So Parker sat with Aloysius
While he lay in the dentist's chair.
"The tooth is damaged," said Doctor Dachshund,
"So we have to pull it out of there!!"

Aloysius started to shiver
When the Doctor stuck a needle in his gums.
But he soon found out it didn't hurt.
In fact, he felt nothing but numb.

"See, we put some medicine in your mouth.
We call it procaine.
It lets me work to fix your mouth
Without you feeling pain!"

So Doctor Dachshund pulled the tooth,
And left a gap in Aloysius' smile.
"That was a baby tooth," the doctor said,
"So the adult tooth will replace it in a while!"

Aloysius' pain was gone,
And his tooth would grow back, too!
He also learned not to bite off
More than he could chew!!

PARKER CHEERS FOR CHELSEA THE CHIPMUNK

concept by Sami Melillo
music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

Now that she's 16, Sami is fully grown at 4'8". Her height hasn't hindered her ability to make friends, mainly because her winning personality can overcome all. So I was surprised when Sami first presented this story idea to me (with "Connie The Chipmunk", which needed to be changed to make it truly alliterative). Even though I've never known her to be interested in basketball, it was clear that she was taking a page from her Uncle Joe, and turning her own experiences with insecurity into a Parker song. She originally had Parker joining the team with Connie, but Parker is much better support cheering from the stands as a fan! After all the tweaks, this is the result!!

LYRICS:
Basketball ruled the animal world,
Especially among the girls.
They'd run and jump up and down the court,
And none of them were close to short.

Chelsea The Chipmunk liked to see
Gioia The Giraffe and Eleanor The
Elephant play basketball
Because they and the whole team were very tall.

Chelsea wanted an autograph,
But was afraid that they would laugh
At a short girl who wanted them
To sign their name with a felt-tip pen.

Chelsea shook like a leaf on a tree,
And paced the floor so nervously!
She just didn't have the guts,
Then along came Parker the Platypus.

"Why are you so scared?" he said,
"What kind of thoughts are in your head?"
Chelsea said, "I'm so short, and they're so tall!
They won't even notice me at all!"

"So what?", Parker said, "they like all their fans!
They love it when you clap your hands!"
Chelsea said, "Yes, that's surely true,
But I'd like to play basketball too!!"

"I can jump up to the sky!
And when I shoot, I have an accurate eye!
I can also run real quick!
And I even know a few basketball tricks!"

Parker said, "You need to try out for the team!"
But that only caused Chelsea to scream,
"No! They won't take me because I'm petite!
They won't think there's anyone I can beat!"

"So what have you lost?" Parker inquired.
"If you do manage to get inspired
To try out, and don't make the line,
Then you're in the same place you are at this time!"

"If you try out, you might make the team.
Then, with joy, you'd certainly beam!
But, then again, you definitely will not.
If you don't show them what you've got!"

Chelsea decided to give it a run.
So Coach Cow had her play Gioia one-on-one.
If Chelsea beat her, The Coach might give her the nod,
And go and put Chelsea on the squad.

Chelsea tried her very best,
She never stopped to take a rest.
Parker cheered as Chelsea tied the score.
But Gioia ended up winning five to four.

Chelsea was proud of how she played!
The pride she felt would not fade!
Chelsea was leaving, but, before she lost her,
Coach Cow told her, "You're on the roster!"

"You have great speed and agility!
We can use someone with your ability!
But, more important than my evaluation,
Is the way you play with great determination!"

Chelsea loved shooting hoops,
With her teammates in the basketball troupe!
And, one day, her pride increased by half
When she signed her first autograph!!

Parker said to Chelsea, "Now you're a star!
In the sports world, you'll go very far!
But remember, your dreams could have died,
If you had never simply tried!"

PARKER ENCOUNTERS EXTRATERRESTRIALS

concept by Sami Melillo music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

While I was designing the cover for the album, I was looking for sketches of some of the characters Sami did that didn't make it into a book yet. I found sketches of a boy and girl alien, which reminded me of the story idea she had of Parker getting visited by aliens. She didn't have much more of an idea than that, but it was obvious to me that the aliens would feel even more out of place than Parker did in his first song/book. So who better to help them get acclimated to Earth than Parker? His helpfulness extends FAR beyond our own planet!!

LYRICS:
Platypuses like the sun,
So Parker thought he'd go and get some.
He felt that he had it made,
When the sun was blocked by a big, dark shade!

There was flying, across the sky,
A big metal thing shaped like a pie.
Parker looked at all its girth,
And noticed it fell slowly to Earth!

Parker ran to where it hit,
And saw it wasn't scratched a bit!
There was a door. It opened wide,
And Parker couldn't see inside!

Outside came two strange creatures,
With even stranger features.
Parker heard inside his head
The creatures tell their story with dread.

"Won't you please help us here?
There's something wrong with our ship's gear!
I am Alistair, and this is Alice,
And I promise you, we mean you no malice!

Back on our planet, our folks are scared
And, at dinnertime, we should be there!
We know we must look strange to you,
But is there anything you can do?"

Parker thought, "I been told once or twice
That I look strange, but you seem nice!
If you were mean, then I would see,
Because you use telepathy

To communicate, so I would find
Lies and mean thoughts in your mind!
Now I can't help you with your repairs,
But I know someone who has the right wares!"

Parker and the visitors went to see
Owen The Owl in his tree.
Owen was very smart,
And he also had a big heart.

Inside the ship, he had a look,
And then consulted with his book.
"I've never seen such a complex maze,
So this may take a couple of days!"

Parker thought, "Owen's word is surely good,
So let me show you around the woods!!
I'll introduce you to all my friends,
While, to your ship, Owen will attend!"

The three new friends had lots of fun,
Hanging out with everyone!
They'd run and jump and play and sing,
And the aliens enjoyed everything!!

The next day Owen's work was done,
And the ship was ready to take them home!
They thanked Owen and Parker,
And were ready to take off for the stars!

"Come and visit us again!"
Thought Parker to the aliens.
Alice thought, "Alistair and I
Would love to come see you guys!"

Alistair thought, "When you hear us in your brains
Then you'll know we're coming back again!"
The four thought one last good-bye,
And the ship rose up to the sky!!

PARKER CONCOCTS A COMPROMISE

music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

This was the second Parker song I wrote. I was trying to show how Parker, living in between animal kingdoms, was able to bring different groups of animals to a common goal. I'm not even sure how the disagreement in the song came to me, or the solution, but i think it illustrates the point well.

LYRICS:
One day Parker The Platypus
Was walking through the forest
When he started to hear some shouting
That became very uproarious

Parker ran to the river
And what he saw gave him fright
His friends Bruno The Beaver
And Daria the Duck were in a fight

"Why are you fighting?" Parker asked.
"Whatever could be wrong?"
"Wait'll you hear this!" Bruno said,
"But get ready, because this story's long!"

"Whenever it rains, the river overflows!
And it floods our homes!
We're building a dam to block off the water
So we'll stay dry as a bone!"

"I agree that's a problem" said Daria
"But we ducks like to swim down there!
Now my ducklings and I can't enjoy the sights!
I tell you, Parker, it's not fair!"

"Yes, that's too bad," said Bruno.
"But beavers like to stay dry!!"
"I know," said Daria, "but ducks like to swim!"
"They get too tired when all they do is fly!"

The argument started up again.
And Parker covered his ears!
He wished that his friends wouldn't fight,
And it almost brought him to tears.

Suddenly, Parker had an idea!
On how his two friends could compromise!
The ducks could swim down the river,
And the beavers would stay dry!

"Why can't you build a gate in the dam?
It could stay open on a sunny day,
but it would be closed when it rained!
Now you can both have your way!!"

"The ducks don't want to swim in the rain,
so they won't care if the river's not there!
And, when the sun's out, the beavers won't get wet
Now, for everyone, this should be fair!"

Bruno and Daria both agreed
And they gave Parker a prize!
"Three cheers for Parker", they both shouted,
"And his great compromise!!"

La la la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la

A BOULDER BURIES PARKER'S BURROW

concept by Sami Melillo music by Joe Melillo and Janie Barnett
recorded at Empire State Studios
track composed on Band In A Box

Sami originally came up with the concept that humans would kidnap Parker as a pet, and the other animals would rescue him. I have a strict policy that, since it was established in the first line of the first Parker song that the songs took place "in the days when animals ruled the world", there would be no humans in any of the songs. However, as always, Sami presented a quality core to the story: with all the help Parker gave the other animals, it was time for them to give him hep when he needed it. It's the idea behind one of the greatest movies of all time: It's A Wonderful Life. Instead of giving Parker another living enemy, I made Mother Nature the "villain" of the story. One learns whom one's true friends are when one needs a place to stay. Luckily, Parker has amassed a LOT of friends over the course of all these songs!!

LYRICS:
All the animals were in their homes,
Looking out their window
At the storm that hit the forest,
Listening to the wind blow.

Parker The Platypus saw lightning,
Then he heard the thunder,
But the thunder kept getting louder
And he began to wonder.

He looked up at the mountain
And saw a boulder rolling down!
There was no way he could stop it
From burying his home!

Parker ran through a long tunnel,
And got out in a jiff,
But the boulder buried his burrow,
So he had nowhere to live.

Bertram The Bat was his neighbor,
And invited him to his cave.
Parker cried as he tried to sleep
Happy he was dry and safe.

The sun came out the next day,
And all the animals gathered 'round.
They all were happy to see
That everyone was safe and sound!

But when they learned Parker's burrow was buried,
Everyone offered their place!
But Parker was too embarrassed
And got flush in the face.

"Thank you all," said Parker,
"but I don't want to intrude."
"But with all the help you've given us,
To not offer would just be rude!"

"Right now you need some help,
Which you've given to us in spades.
So what's the problem if you stay with us,
Even if it's for many days?"

Along came Bruno and Balthazar,
And the beavers told Parker to follow.
They led him back to where his burrow was,
Down in the hollow.

Parker was surprised to find
A new burrow made of wood.
And a bridge that ran over it,
So no other boulders could

Crush Parker's home ever again!
Inside was a bunch of gifts
Given to him by the other animals
For Parker's new place to live!

"You taught us all about friendship," said the beavers,
"Now it's time for your reward!
No one who's been as kind as you
Should go without room and board!"

Parker threw a huge party,
And his planning was very thorough!
He was very happy to thank everyone
For building him a new burrow!!