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".
You're As Sweet As Sugar On a Stick
Barry Louis Polisar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Licorice on a gum drop, lickety split.
When you smile the whole world opens right up.
When I get a little bit of you, I can't get enough.
My heart starts pounding when I kiss you on the lips.
Like water down a drain, dropping drip by drip.
Whenever I am with you, I feel at home.
When your hands in mine, I'm bounding 'round and 'round.
My hearts doin' cartwheels, upside down.
I'm singing so softly in a voice so sweet.
Standin' on my head with lightnin' in my feet.
I'm jumping off the ground and sailin' round the sun.
Flying back to you like the river that runs.
Laughing and clapping and sitting by your side,
Bouncing up and down on a roller coaster ride
The song "You're As Sweet As Sugar On a Stick" by Barry Louis Polisar is a playful and cheerful love song. The lyrics are an ode to the magic that love can bring to a person's life. The opening line "You're as sweet as sugar on a stick" immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song. The comparison to candy implies that the love interest is not only sweet, but also addictive. Polisar extends this metaphor in the next line "Licorice on a gum drop, lickety split," again suggesting that the sweetness of the love interest is difficult to resist.
The chorus of the song is where Polisar really captures the essence of love. "When you smile the whole world opens right up. When I get a little bit of you, I can't get enough." The imagery of the whole world opening up when the love interest smiles is a powerful image. It suggests that love has the power to make everything brighter and more beautiful. The second line of the chorus reinforces the idea that love is addictive. The singer cannot get enough of the love interest and is completely enamored by them.
The rest of the song describes the physical effects that the love interest has on the singer. When they kiss, the singer's heart starts pounding and it feels like water going down a drain. This metaphor makes it seem like the singer is completely consumed and taken over by their emotions. Polisar cleverly uses a roller coaster as a metaphor for love. The ups and downs of a roller coaster are symbolic of the different emotions that come with love. The repeated image of bouncing up and down on a roller coaster reinforces the idea that love is exciting, exhilarating, and unpredictable. Overall, the song is a fun and joyful tribute to the transformative power of love.
Line by Line Meaning
You're as sweet as sugar on a stick,
You are incredibly sweet and delightful, just like how sugar on a stick would taste.
Licorice on a gum drop, lickety split.
You are as satisfying and enjoyable as the combination of licorice and a gum drop, and I can't get enough of it.
When you smile the whole world opens right up.
Your smile is so radiant that it brightens up everything around you, making the world a better place to be in.
When I get a little bit of you, I can't get enough.
I am so drawn to you that even a small amount of your presence is enough to make me crave for more.
My heart starts pounding when I kiss you on the lips.
I experience a rush of emotions and a sudden spike in my heart rate when I kiss you lovingly.
Like water down a drain, dropping drip by drip.
My heart feels like it is slowly but surely losing itself in the immense love that I have for you.
Whenever I am with you, I feel at home.
Being with you makes me feel comfortable, secure and at ease, just like being at home would.
Gonna run to you like ice cream down a cone.
I will come to you quickly and eagerly, just like how ice cream would melt down a cone when it is hot.
When your hands in mine, I'm bounding 'round and 'round.
Holding your hand fills me up with so much joy and happiness that I feel like I am dancing around in circles.
My hearts doin' cartwheels, upside down.
Being near you makes my heart flip and twirl in delight, like it is doing a cartwheel upside down.
I'm singing so softly in a voice so sweet.
Being with you fills me up with such happiness that I can't help but sing softly in a sweet and tender tone.
Standin' on my head with lightnin' in my feet.
I feel so excited and electrified that I feel like I am standing on my head with my feet sparking with lightning.
I'm jumping off the ground and sailin' round the sun.
The happiness of being with you is so overwhelming that I feel like I am jumping off the ground and flying around the sun.
Flying back to you like the river that runs.
I will come back to you excitedly and quickly, just like how a river flows naturally downwards and rejoins its source.
Laughing and clapping and sitting by your side,
I am filled with so much glee and excitement that I can't stop laughing and clapping while sitting by your side.
Bouncing up and down on a roller coaster ride
Being with you is like experiencing a thrilling roller coaster ride, full of exciting twists and turns that I never want to end.
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.