“I ain’t gonna let no wolf run my life”

Justin Roberts on living fearlessly

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I have a confession to make: I like my kids’ music. Well, not the music they listen to now, as teens (I have a magnet that proclaims, “I’m not old, your music really does suck”). No, I enjoy the children’s music we listened to as a family when they all were younger. Part of it is nostalgia, of course. The songs transport me back to that wonderful time when the world seemed fresh and full of exciting discoveries. But it’s also because of one artist who reshaped how I viewed children’s music: Justin Roberts.

Roberts did not set out to be a kids’ musician — he wanted to be an indie rocker. A Des Moines native, he sang a cappella at Kenyon College in the 1990s and formed a rock band called “Pimentos for Gus.” He struggled to make ends meet, so he started “moonlighting” as a Montessori school teacher, where he was introduced to the mind-numbingly repetitive and saccharine genre of children’s music. Fed up, he started composing his own songs for his students. “I just started writing songs that I would like to listen to,” he recalled. He found his niche.

Source: Kenyon Alumni Magazine

Roberts is more than a musician – he is a gifted storyteller whose melodies can move you to see the world the way a child sees it, with wonder and worry and wild swings of emotion. He sings of the joy of eating a forbidden cookie, the terror of losing Mom at the mall, the thrill of a possible snow day, the anguish of divorce. He knows that a child’s world is both playful and painful, and his music can inspire me to sing aloud or weep softly.

He also makes me think. The first time I realized that Roberts was special was when I heard “3 Little Pigs,” his riff on the classic children’s story. Many modern retellings are pretty predictable, often reframing the story from the perspective of the “misunderstood villain.” But Roberts is anything but cliché. Instead, he upends the traditional moral of the story, offering a challenge to the Puritan work ethic that is so deeply embedded in American culture.

The traditional story offers a lesson in prudence and planning. Don’t be like the frivolous and irresponsible first two little pigs, who must flee in fright when the wolf blows their flimsy homes down. Better to emulate the wise pig who has worked hard building a fortress to withstand the wolf’s huffing and puffing. The moral of the story is clear: work hard and be responsible.

Roberts invites us to reconsider. Yes, the first little pigs did not build fortresses. Why not? Because they doing other things that brought them joy – playing with their friends, enjoying nature, spending time with their loved ones. The “wise” brother spends his life at work, letting his fears of the wolf drive him to obsession.

“He got real old and he got real sick
”Cause it takes a long time to build a house of bricks
When you build the house
The clocks go tick, tick, tick…”

He has no time for friends and family, no patience for pleasure and joy. He’s alone with his fears. Where’s the value in that?

“Sure, there’s a lot of strife
But I ain’t gonna let no wolf run my life
Cause he huff and he can puff
He can cry and he can ruff
But don’t you see?
He can blow my house, but he can’t hurt me.”

Roberts knows that the world can seem like a scary place to a child. Why cultivate those fears? Why let the world’s dangers consume us? “I ain’t gonna let no wolf run my life.” It’s an important lesson, for kids and adults alike. And it’s so much fun to listen to!

Sources

· Graeber, Laurel. “Spare Times for Children.” New York Times, Nov. 14, 2013.

· Justin Roberts Music, “Justin Roberts Bio.”