Puff, the Magic Dragon by Peter Lipton with Ashtyn Avella

Lyrics:
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff
Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name
Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys
One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave
Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
There has been some conversation among music teachers about the line in Puff the Magic Dragon which says, "Dragons live forever, but not so little boys." Some worry that it isn't a particularly inclusive phrase, and have moved to singing, "Dragons live forever, but not so girls and boys." Others, puzzling over how to include nonbinary folx, have struggled to come up with a phrase that doesn't interrupt the scansion. Ashtyn and I wanted to record this song, and we wanted to do it in a way that reflected our values, so what were we going to sing in that spot?
Our decision, ultimately, was to be guided by the song and its text. As we understand it, when the line says, "Dragons live forever, but not so little boys," it is referring to the specific identities of the story's protagonists: Puff and Jackie Paper. Puff is a dragon, and dragons live forever. Jackie Paper is a little boy, and little boys don't live forever. In our opinion, the original text is acceptable because it is specific, so we left it as is. You may arrive at other conclusions, which is absolutely fine. We just wanted to let people know that we gave it a "good think" before recording, and made our decision with care.
Ashtyn Avella is a friend and a colleague, a fellow music educator and performer in San Francisco. She teaches preschool through 5th grade music and sings in several local ensembles.
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