The Quantifiers - Dining in Dictionopolis

from SpinTunes #16 Round 1 by Spintunes

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about

Note: This is a draft of the song for entry into SpinTunes #16 Round 1. Hopefully a more polished version will be uploaded later.

In 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster, the protagonist, Milo, is invited to a banquet lunch with King Azaz the Unabridged, of Dictionopolis. As guest of honour, Milo must choose the menu. He gets exactly what he asks for.

lyrics

Milo sat for lunch with King Azaz the unabridged
And just to be polite
he asked for something light
but to his great surprise,
they brought a feast for his eyes,
which were bigger than his stomach
but his meaning didn’t come ac-
ross right. They served up bright light.

If you ask for a light meal
it will be quite a sight.
We’ll be serving you exactly what you ask for.
You won’t go back for seconds or thirds
but sometimes you have to eat your words.

Milo thought of how to ask for something from the fridge.
And to try for a fair deal
he asked for a square meal
but when he’d barely said it all
They brought out quadrilaterals
Not quite the right angle
on his line that rather tangled
affairs. They served up some squares.

If you ask for a square meal
you’d better beware
we’ll be serving you exactly what you ask for.
You won’t go back for seconds or thirds
but sometimes you have to eat your words

Then Milo was called upon to speak to guests a smidge
so despite his trepidation
he began with an oration,
but the words could not sate hunger,
felt awkward on his tongue.
The rest made tasty speeches
like “Roast turkey, cream, and peach
as curd.” They served up their words.

If you’re making a speech
try not to overreach.
We’ll be serving you exactly what you ask for.
You won’t go back for seconds or thirds
but sometimes you have to eat your words.

[not appearing in draft:]
If you ask for something light,
it will be quite a sight.
If you ask for something square,
you’d better beware.
If you’re making a speech
try not to overreach.
we’ll be serving you just what you ask for.
Milo: I don’t think I am hungry any more.

credits

from SpinTunes #16 Round 1, released February 2, 2020
Lyrics: Angela Brett and Joey Marianer
Vocals: Joey Marianer
Recording and Orchestration: Joey Marianer

license

some rights reserved

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Spintunes Union, South Carolina

Spintunes is a semi-annual songwriting contest. Every other week, the competitors receive a challenge and a week to meet it.

Each album on this site contains the responses to a single challenge.