The Making of the 'Garbage Truck' Rap-A-Long Song - Friendly Fables

Wednesdays are one of my son’s favourite days because it’s garbage day! He waits to see the garbage truck round the corner then begins pumping his fist like a piston with a huge smile on his face in the hopes of getting a honk back. Almost every time he is rewarded with a honk and a smile from our friendly neighborhood garbage men & women. It’s a small gesture from folks doing a hard job but it means the world to a four year-old boy (somewhat starved for meaningful social interactions during a global pandemic). 

It’s a moment for me as a parent that I will always relish and one I hope will never end. 

My son really loves every aspect of the truck and it’s given me a great opportunity to explain the recycling, compost and trash process. He is now telling his big sister what can and cannot be recycled and I’m a proud dad. In the end it always comes back to the garbage truck's cool compactor; who doesn’t love seeing it make a big CRUSH. 

One pandemic Wednesday in the Summer, while waiting for said awesome truck, my son said to his sister and I, ‘waiting on the garbage truck’ in a cool four year old manner while kicking his cute feet in excitement. I did the one thing my brain loves to do and started singing a jingle about the garbage truck to entertain his curiosity of the subject. I sang back what he had said but in my own Friendly Fables way. Here’s a video clip where you can hear the original audio and see the song come to life. My daughter joined in right away while I was singing, so I knew I was onto something.

I am really proud of how the song turned out overall musically, I feel it’s a richer and more complex structure than the songs on our first album. But I am doubly proud that the song teaches kids about saving the environment. Namely by doing the little things around the house like reducing, reusing and recycling. 

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