Day 15: The Hairbrush Song -Silly Songs with Larry Has Deep Meaning

 

The Hairbrush Song [Amazon Music Link]

My last fourteen posts have been specifically about worship songs and the deeper meaning within them.  The goal has been to encourage you and help you focus on what the words mean and where they come from in order to connect with worship in a more significant way.   Today we are going to look at a silly VeggieTales song in a similar way.  There is meaning behind this "silly song."

The Hairbrush Song Has Deep Meaning

First, let's look at the lyrics in case you haven't sung along with Silly Songs with Larry lately:

[NARRATOR, spoken]
And now it's time for Silly Songs with Larry, the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song. Our curtain opens as Larry, having just finished his morning bath, is searching for his hairbrush. Having no success, Larry cries out...

[LARRY]
Oh, where is my hairbrush?
Oh, where is my hairbrush?
Oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where, oh, where...
Is my hairbrush?

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Having heard his cry, Pa Grape enters the scene. Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of Larry in a towel, Pa regains his composure and reports...

[PA]
I think I saw a hairbrush back there!

[LARRY]
Back there is my hairbrush
Back there is my hairbrush
Back there, back there, oh, where, back there, oh, where, oh, where, back there, back there, back there... is my hairbrush

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Having heard his joyous proclamation, Junior Asparagus enters the scene. Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of Larry in a towel, Junior regains his composure and comments...

[JUNIOR]
Why do you need a hairbrush? You don't have any hair!

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Larry is taken aback. The thought had never occurred to him. No hair? What would this mean? What will become of him? What will become of his hairbrush? Larry wonders...

[LARRY]
No hair for my hairbrush
No hair for my hairbrush
No hair, no hair, no where, no hair, no hair, no hair, no where, back there, no hair...
For my hairbrush

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Having heard his wonderings, Bob the Tomato enters the scene. Shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of Larry in a towel, Bob regains his composure and confesses...

[BOB]
Larry, that old hairbrush of yours...
Well, you never use it, you don't really need it, so...
Well, I'm sorry ... I didn't know
But I gave it to the Peach - 'cause he's got hair!

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Feeling a deep sense of loss, Larry stumbles back and laments...

[LARRY]
Not fair, oh, my hairbrush
Not fair, my poor hairbrush!
Not fair, not fair, no hair, not fair, no where, no hair, not fair, not fair, not fair! My little hairbrush!

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Having heard his lament, the Peach enters the scene. Himself in a towel, both Larry and the Peach are shocked and slightly embarrassed at the sight of each other. But recognizing Larry's generosity, the Peach is thankful...

[PEACH, spoken]
Thanks for the hairbrush

[NARRATOR, spoken]
Yes, good has been done here. The Peach exits the scene. Larry smiles, but, still feeling an emotional attachment for the hairbrush, calls out...

[LARRY]
Take care of my hairbrush
Take care, oh my hairbrush
Take care, take care, don't dare not care, take care, nice hair, no fair, take care, take care...
Of my hairbrush

Deep Meaning Incoming

You have probably heard of the five stages of grief that people go through when they have a loss.  When you try to line this song up to the five stages, it doesn't quite work.  There seems to be eight stages and they are not quite the same as the classic denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.  The reason for this is because there are eight stages of biblical grief response that line up extremely well to the song and offer a Christian world-view approach to grief.  They are:

Stage         Typical Grief Response      Biblical Grief Response

Stage One         Denial/Isolation                       Candor: Honesty with Myself
Stage Two         Anger/Resentment                  Complaint: Honesty with God
Stage Three      Bargaining/Works                    Cry: Asking God for Help
Stage Four        Depression/Alienation             Comfort: Receiving God’s Help
Stage Five         Regrouping                             Waiting: Trusting with Faith
Stage Six           Deadening                              Wailing: Groaning with Hope
Stage Seven      Despairing/Doubting               Weaving: Perceiving with Grace
Stage Eight        Digging Cisterns                     Worshipping: Engaging with Love

When looking back through the song you can see that these stages of grief are what Larry goes through.  So, this song, on a deeper level is displaying a response to grief from a biblical worldview in an allegory about a hairbrush.

Candor: Honesty with Myself

Larry begins by searching for his hairbrush and acknowledging that he has a problem.  He is honest about the fact that he has a loss.

Complaint: Honesty with God

When Pa Grape enters the scene, Larry is honest with him about what is going on.

Cry: Asking God for Help

Junior Asparagus hears his crying out and offers helpful words of wisdom and advice.

Comfort: Receiving God's Help

Larry receives help from Junior Asparagus by taking in the advice.

Waiting: Trusting with Faith

Larry internalizes that he has no hair and therefore can go on without a hairbrush.

Wailing: Groaning with Hope

When Bob discusses this with him, he laments.

Weaving: Perceiving with Grace

Larry understands that the Peach should have the hairbrush and allows the Peach to keep it even though the Peach doesn't deserve it.

Worshipping: Engaging with Love

Larry finishes with take care of the hairbrush a caring and loving finish.

Silly Songs with Larry - The Hairbrush Song

Final Thoughts

It is really wonderful for a "Silly Song with Larry" to be teaching something good and helpful to kids.  I hope this article was interesting to you and makes you think a little deeper about loss and the biblical approach to dealing with grief.