We Are Going To The Zoo

One of the first songs I remember hearing is "We Are Going To The Zoo". My mom used to sing it to my two sisters and I, and we eventually learned to sing along with her.

I would always imagine lions and the tigers when I'd hear the lyrics. Thus, it seemed fitting that I draw a tiger as a means of representing the song. I can't take full credit for the originality of this image; I actually came across a similar painting in a store a while back and took a photo on my phone that I based this piece off of. I remember seeing the painting and not being sure why it made me feel so nostalgic. And now, months later, I've finally figured it out - it epitomizes my interpretation of "We Are Going To The Zoo".

I hope to portray through this illustration a sense of playfulness and imagination; after all, back when this song was a regular part of my day, I saw no reason that humans and tigers couldn't interact as friends. Ironically, my mom has never been a large fan of zoos (or animals in general), so the song stands out to me because of the moments I spent singing it with my family and because of the pictures that would flash through my head as I listened.

Lyrics:

We are going to zoo,

To the zoo, to the zoo. 

We are going to the zoo,

Won't you join us too?

We'll see lions, tigers too,

Tigers too, tigers too.

We'll see lions, tigers too,

All at the zoo.

We will find some chimpanzees,

Chimpanzees, chimpanzees.

we will find some chimpanzees,

Swinging from the trees.

We will look for kangaroos,

Kangaroos, kangaroos.

We will look for kangaroos,

Hopping at the zoo.