Children and All That Jazz
Joan Baez Lyrics

Little Annie Fannie
Addressing a group of young children who are introducing themselves

Morgan and Christian
Naming two of the children who have introduced themselves

Katy and Nathan
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves

Tommy and Zem Zem
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves, one of whom has an unusual name

Alex and J.J.
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves, one of whom has a nickname

Tai and Ezekial
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves, one of whom has a less commonly used name

Amy and Josie
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves

Matthew and Mosie
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves

Sweet Pearl and Nicholas
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves, one of whom has an affectionate nickname

Come here and tickle us
The children are requesting that the artist play with them

I don't like nicknames
The singer is expressing a personal preference regarding how they are addressed

I like to play games
The artist enjoys engaging in playful activities with the children

One of them's Batman
The singer and children are pretending to be characters from the Batman franchise

That's where it's at man
The singer is humorously affirming the value of playing Batman

Look at your t-shirt
The singer is admiring the clothing of one of the children

I see you're all wet now
The artist is noticing that one of the children is damp

I'll give you a bath
The artist is offering to help the child wash up

If you'll go to bed now
The singer is offering a condition for helping the child wash up

Oh can't you see / I'm tired / I'm tired / I'm tired
The singer is expressing exhaustion after a long day with the children

Joey and Janet
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves

Jennifer, Joshua / Justin and Jason / Jacob and Jordan
Naming several more of the children who have introduced themselves

Heather and Shannon
Naming two more of the children who have introduced themselves

Marisa and Kirsten / Kimmie and David
Naming several more of the children who have introduced themselves

Who shall we play with?
The artist is asking the children who they would like to play with

Here comes my own son / Light of my life is / Younger than new leaves / Brighter than you please / Says that he loves me / Big as the world / and Gabriel Harris
The singer is talking about their own child and how much they love him

You go to bed now / You go to bed now / It's quarter to nine / I'm tired / I'm tired / I'm tired
The singer is telling the children it is time to go to bed because they are very tired

You heard what I said now / You go to bed now / It was a hard day / Never enough play / Iggy was sick / and couldn't come over / One of your mice died / That was when you cried
The singer is reminding the children they need to go to bed and giving additional context about the events of the day, such as a friend being sick and a pet dying

Get in the tub / And play with your boats now
The artist is instructing the children to take a bath and engage in playful activities while doing so

Sit here beside me / I'll tell you a story / One about snakes / And anything gory
The artist is offering to tell the children a story, which involves snakes and potentially graphic content

Ask me no questions
The singer is indicating they are very tired and do not want to answer any additional questions

How far is the sky
The singer is giving an example of the kind of question they do not want to answer

And I'm falling asleep / And you're smarter than I am
The artist is admitting to being very tired and implies the children are more alert and energetic than they are

Light of my life / Good night / Good night / Good night
The artist is saying goodnight to their child and the other children, emphasizing how much they love their own child