He has written songs for Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader, has starred in an Emmy Award-winning television show for children and has been featured regularly on The Learning Channel.
Polisar works with literacy groups, media specialists, reading teachers and Title I programs in the schools and has won a Special Library Recognition Award for his "ability to communicate with and excite children to read."
Polisar's song "All I Want Is You" is featured, re-recorded and with a guitar/harmonica combo, on the soundtrack for the 2007 Motion Picture "JUNO".
A Clock Without a "C"
Barry Louis Polisar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a shock without an "h" is just a sock
And like a dog without a tail
Or a ship without a sail
Without you I'm a sheep without a flock
A stand without a "t" is just some sand
And a plan without an "l" is just a pan
And make a little change
To see things in a way you'll understand
A flight without an "l" becomes a fight
But a slight without an "s" becomes a light
And like a seed that has to grow
Sometimes we're all a little slow
To turn a little wrong into a right
In Barry Louis Polisar's song A Clock Without a "C", the songwriter explores the concept of the importance of letters in the formation of words and how omitting a letter can change the meaning of the word entirely. The song consists of three verses, each expressing a different example of how without a specific letter, the word changes meaning. The first verse points out that if you remove the "c" from "clock," it becomes "lock." The second verse explains how taking away the "h" from "shock" leaves just "sock," emphasizing the loss of power that comes with the missing letter. Then the verse progresses to a comparison of a dog without a tail or a ship without a sail to the idea of being alone or without somebody important in your life, which compares to a sheep without a flock.
The second verse examines how the word "stand" can easily become "sand" without the "t," and "plan" just a "pan" without the "l." In the final verse, he again refers to the critical role of letters, explaining that "flight" becomes "fight" when "l" is removed, while "slight" changes to "light" when you lose the "s." This verse also includes a reference to personal growth, comparing our development to that of a seed that sometimes needs time to grow, saying "sometimes we're all a little slow to turn a little wrong into a right."
Line by Line Meaning
A clock without a "c" becomes a lock
When the letter "c" is removed from the word 'clock', the word transforms into 'lock', signifying the change that occurs when a small thing is taken away or substituted with something else.
And a shock without an "h" is just a sock
When the letter "h" is removed from the word 'shock', the word transforms into 'sock', meaning sometimes a small substitution can result in a major change in meaning.
And like a dog without a tail
Similar to a dog that's had its tail removed, something just seems to be missing when something we're accustomed to is taken away.
Or a ship without a sail
Similar to a ship that can't move without a sail, there are things that are just incomplete without their fundamental parts.
Without you I'm a sheep without a flock
Without someone by our side, we can feel lost and alone, like a single sheep wandering aimlessly without its flock.
A stand without a "t" is just some sand
When the letter "t" is removed from the word 'stand', the word becomes 'sand', symbolizes how the change of one element can transform something completely into something else.
And a plan without an "l" is just a pan
When the letter "l" is removed from the word 'plan', the word becomes 'pan', means some changes can trivialize or underestimate the importance of a previous plan.
Sometimes you gotta rearrange
Sometimes, in order to see things more clearly or understand a situation better we need to move things around, shift our usual patterns, and approach things from a new angle.
And make a little change
Change doesn't always have to be significant, even small alterations or substitutions can produce big differences.
To see things in a way you'll understand
Changing things up can help us understand things that were once confusing or unclear in a new light.
A flight without an "l" becomes a fight
When the letter "l" is removed from the word 'flight', it becomes 'fight', as in life, one moment where we're headed one direction can quickly become headed in the opposite direction.
But a slight without an "s" becomes a light
When the letter "s" is removed from the word 'slight', the word becomes 'light', shows that just a small substitution can create a big transformation, and sometimes it’s just a matter of a change in perspective.
And like a seed that has to grow
A seed needs time and patience to grow into its full potential, similar to how sometimes we need to take things slow and give them time before we can fully comprehend or appreciate them.
Sometimes we're all a little slow
It's normal to not understand something or to be slow in seeing things at times, but it’s essential to keep striving and learning at a pace that's right for us.
To turn a little wrong into a right
In life, mishaps and misunderstandings are inevitable, but with effort, patience, and willingness to learn, we can transform a small mistake into a great opportunity and make things right.
Contributed by Lillian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.