Lyrics

No one can guess that you’re doing your best when you’re little
Nobody cheers for you, everyone jeers when you’re small
Take me away where the wind wants to play
And it tells me, “You’re special”
But nobody here even sees me or hears me at all

I had a dream where the bunnies all thought I was someone
I had a dream where my heart was the king of them all

(Bean, spoken) I’m not really Bean, I’m king of the bunny picnic!
(Bunnies chant) Long live the king!
(Bean) Oh, it’s so wonderful being the king!

Music by: Philip Balsam, lyrics by: Dennis Lee, musical Director: Don Gillis

“I Had a Dream” from The Tale of the Bunny Picnic

This song is the anthem of younger siblings everywhere.

In the opening scenes, we meet our protagonist: the squee-inducingly adorable Bean Bunny. Throughout the film, Bean is constantly teased and belittled by his older brother, Lugsy. Their sister, Twitch, occasionally stands up for him, but it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.

In this song, Bean steps away from the group to enjoy a quiet moment of reflection on how no one seems to see how hard he tries, as well as his longing for something greater than himself—the wind, all the bunnies—to really see and appreciate him just as he is. This is the first time we get to see his biggest strength: his imagination. He dreams of being crowned King of the Bunny Picnic; this is the only time we hear of such an honor, so perhaps it’s something Bean made up in this fantasy.

In a blue haze of his imagination, two bunnies hold Bean on their shoulders. Bean wears a golden crown and looks proud.

I’m sure this is no small part of why this film stuck with me as a kid. Like Bean, I’m a youngest child who grew up with an older sister I adored and an older brother who tormented me. It’s gotten better as we’ve grown up, but he can still make me feel like I’m eight years old again with one snide remark.

And also like Bean, I’ve learned to draw strength from my overactive imagination. I take the stories that swirl and blossom in my mind and put them to paper. I hope to one day reach a wider audience than my few critique partners. If a young reader gets that feeling of

Take me away where the wind wants to play
And it tells me, “You’re special”

from one of my books, it will all have been worth it.