“We go together like teenagers and low self-esteem.” That about sums it up.

in more than meets the eye

This is a follow-up to a post I wrote one month ago about my shy 15 year old niece who plays the ukelele and is full of stars.  I shared a few songs and you guys filled her tip jar and her mailbox with magic, and music, and access to instruments she wants to learn.

So today I’m sharing Gabi’s latest song (which she recorded with one of her new instruments) as a way to thank you for being so supportive.  And it’s especially lovely because so much of it is exactly how I feel today about you guys.   Full circle. Thank you for being my worm.  Or my dirt.  Your choice.

PS. She doesn’t sell her songs.  She just plays them for happiness.  You can download them for free.

166 thoughts on ““We go together like teenagers and low self-esteem.” That about sums it up.”

Read comments below or add one.

  3. How cute is she with her green hair and white dog? Wait – isn’t that a B52 song?

    (It should be if it isn’t. That’s Bumble. And Gabi’s hair is now cotton-candy pink.

    Gabi

    Unless she changed it again this week. ~ Jenny)

  5. Just remembered that I have several readers with hearing issues and this video doesn’t have lyrics with it so I’m going to do my best interpretation and Gabi can fix it if I’ve messed up the words:

    I love you to the moon and back,
    No…wait… Double that.
    Hopefully you love me too.

    I wish the feeling was mutual,
    For you, our lovely individual.
    I just simply adore you.

    We go together like Bonnie and Clyde,
    Jekyll and Hyde, Oh oh oh oh oh.

    We go together like cookies and cream,
    Teenagers
    and low self-esteem

    Well baby, you can
    hold my hand
    if you want to.

    And baby
    I am
    stuck to you like glue.

    You give me butterflies
    and you’re a delight to my eyes.
    I want to spend forever by your side.

    My heart flutters when you say hello.
    I die inside when you say goodbye.
    Please don’t ever leave.

    We go together like Ernie and Burt,
    Worms and dirt, Oh oh oh oh oh.

    We go together like mac and cheese,
    Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee.

    Well baby, you can hold my hand if you want to.
    Baby, I am stuck to you like glue.

    My love for you is bigger than a bad American.
    Stronger than 10,000 men.
    Sweeter than Shirley Temple’s grin.

    My love for you is deeper than the sea.
    Higher than a hippie.
    Greater than Gatsby.

    We go together…

    ~Gabi Bir

  7. W O W ! She is truly beautiful from deep, deep inside radiating outward. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  8. I just. I just can’t. So lovely. I want her to follow me around coming up with wonderful similes for my life. Delightful. Happy Sigh.

  13. She’s adorable. And the song is perfection – she is incredibly talented!! Thank you so much for sharing this, Jenny.

  14. There is much potential in her. I hope this path brings her joy and she can fully realize any dream she may have from it.

  17. I utterly utterly love this. What a wonderfully talented young lady. You must be sooo proud of her. Fabulous – thank you for sharing this with us and bringing this happiness into our lives. <3

  18. Wow. She’s truly amazing. I love the song. I’ll absolutely check out her other stuff (and leave a tip!). Thanks so much for sharing.

  20. I am such a fan of this song and her voice and her Ukelele! Gabi you are awesome!

  22. Awesome young woman! Powerful, confident, beautiful in every way. I see so many young people like her (including your Hailey and my daughter) now that I actually have real hope for the future.

  24. This made me smile so hard my face hurts! Lovely song, catchy too! Thank you, gabi for creating it and thank you, bloggess for sharing it with all of us 😀

  26. I am so sad that I can’t listen to this at work- darn corporate internets blockers! But I will when I get home- my 15 yr. old daughter plays ukelele and sings too and I love the sound- I’m sure Gabi will be an inspiration for her. And without even hearing her, she is adorable in the extreme- love the pink hair!
    It goes together like bacon and toast
    Pink is the haircolor I want the most!

  30. That song made me happy on a day when being happy seemed absolutely impossible.

  33. Her music make me SO HAPPY, and her voice is so beautiful it makes me cry….in a good way! THANK YOU!!

  34. Kudos to your niece! I’ve got one of these lovely creatures myself–my 8-year-old niece recently discovered the ukelele and played Velociraptor song (“Clever Girl”) by the Doubleclicks for a school talent show. Your niece might get a kick out of it: http://uclairelele.tumblr.com/ She met the Doubleclicks in person at PAX in Seattle and they signed her ukelele for her–they even recognized her from the video! She was over the moon 😀

    (Love the Doubleclicks and love your niece. ~ Jenny)

  38. Thank you! And thanks to Gabi. I love the way she sings. Beauty and genius; must run in your family. 🙂

  40. I downloaded SoundCloud to my phone just to have access to her beautiful music. Thanks for sharing!

  42. Gabi, go do your chores. To all the rest of you lovelies, Gabi is reading all your comments with a massive smile. Glad that her silly heart could warm yours.

  43. I absolutely love her songs. I can’t wait to have someone in my life so I can share this song.

  50. Wow! Gabi, I loved your video’s and I love this song too! Your voice is amazing! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to hear more of your music.

  51. Well, that just put a whole lot of happy in my day! Thanks to you both. You two are like the creative Wonder Twins! If that song is original, you should copywrite it or whatever it is one does, Gabi, because that’s a great song! (After you clean your room, of course!)

  52. Gabi, I sincerely hope your chores involve being inspired to write even more music and making the world a better place. We appreciate you sharing a bit of your soul with us. The happiness in this song is contagious.

    Gabi’s mom, I sincerely hope Gabi’s chores involve making the house cleaner or something.

  54. She has the gift of bringing happiness into the world with her voice! Thanks for sharing Gabi!

  55. I want to start an all-ages school and call it “The Gabi Bir School for the Self-confidence to Sing Out, Rock On, and Trust the Universe to Bring You all Good Things Just for Being Your Authentic Self and Doing What You Love Most”. She will be the head mistress and I will be its first enrollee.

  59. Wow. This sounds like something my 15 y.o. daughter would listen to. (I can’t wait to play it for her.) Gabi’s voice has an incredibly pure sound to it, which I absolutely love and feel is extremely rare. I don’t know how to explain it exactly (yeah, I know, #writerfail). It’s almost as if 95% of the singing population has layers of different things in their voices, but Gabi’s is an example of what a voice sounds like in its purest form. <3 On top of that, the lyrics are so cute. I love the part about "teenagers and low self-esteem" and her reference of Ernie and Burt. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your special talents with us, Gabi. You rock in all kinds of funky fresh ways. 😉

  61. She really is amazingly, astoundingly talented and it is SO fun to see in action. I keep thinking she needs to meet Amanda Palmer.

  64. thank you for this. My son (6) plays the ukulele and peoe always look at me like I am a terrible mother for picking that over, say, guitar for him. He’s so cute playing it, and he does so well! Going to show him your nieces songs and tell him about her – should make him happy to see other kids playing too!!

  69. I’m another one whose niece is more like me than my own kids are. What’s up with that? It’s both flattering and a little bit worrisome.

  71. She’s awesome. I checked out her site before but if she continues being this prolific I may have to make a habit out of it 🙂

  75. I never imagined myself being a fan of the ukulele and yet I find myself enamored thanks to Gabi. Thank you so much for sharing this. Really. I’m not just saying that to be nice.

  76. Has she ever thought about being a music therapist? I’m one and think that it’s something she may like. It combines a love of music with a love of sharing that music and encouraging others to make their own music.

  82. Such a captivating voice ! My 13 year old actually came up to me while I was listening and said “Wow, who is that ?” Please tell her she has a fan in Virginia !

  90. What a beautiful song. I listened to it and then went back to your original post and watched Dance All Night. It made me happy, which is something that’s been lacking in my life in the last couple of weeks. Thank you.

  95. Jenny, you and I go together like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum…..me being the Dum Tweedle. Love you and Gabi and Lisa!!!

  96. This song is just beautiful. My pierced rocker hubby was enjoying it as well. Her voice is so beautiful and just radiates joy. Can’t wait to hear more!!

  100. Fantastic! I get not wanting to sell her music, but how about doing so for charity?

  103. Lovely! That is one talented niece you have there!

    Two typos I caught in the lyrics:
    1. We go together like Ernie and Bert
    2. My love for you is bigger than a fat American.

  105. She really should listen to the music of Nellie McKay – I think Gabi could really get some fabulous inspiration there. Nellie is as out there as Amanda Palmer, but in a chirpy Doris-Day kind of way.

  108. SO good. I had a truly crappy day and feel like I’m getting a cold…and this cheered me up immensely! Thank you so much…you rock…as does the lovely, talented Gabi.

  109. How wonderful! I wish she could meet my daughter who’s my hero, and bought all her own instruments from money she makes busking, and wrote this song as a Christmas present to her grandparents… http://youtu.be/KThX9vROPV4

  112. It might be fat American rather than bad American? Regardless the words made me laugh and the her voice and singing made me smile. Thank you for sharing!

  115. This is so great! Gabi you have am amazing voice! And the ukulele goes perfect! What a sweet happy little ditty! You have me smiling so hard right now. 🙂

  118. that just might be the most adorable and awesome song ever. Lyrics and the performance. <3!!

  119. Holy cow, she’s beautifully talented. She’s also incredibly insightful, especially for her age. Took me twenty years to get how common the low-self esteem is amongst teenagers, and that none of it’s true. And I feel the song is about needing your peeps and finding your tribe. Yup, that’s what it’s all about in life.

    I love how you share your stories about your family. Y’all are so creative, and it’s fun to hear about your antics. 🙂

  123. Wonderful! Love the lyrics. Plus it calmed my 1 yr old, he was transfixed. 🙂

  125. Wow, that did make me happy! Thank you. I have read here for years, first comment. That was just what I needed this morning. Christina

  127. This is so good. It made me smile. There aren’t enough songs that bring happiness. Good luck, Gabi!

  129. This beautiful young lady’s voice gives me goosebumps! I also love her taste in clothing! It is so nice to see young ladies dressing cute and modestly.

  136. I love this! love love love! What a sweet, beautiful voice. and the lyrics are so damn charming. thank you for sharing this.

  137. What a way to be introduced to your blog. I just hope it’s not all downhill from here 😛

    “We go together like Cookies and Cream / Teenagers and Low Self-Esteem.”
    Does your niece realise she’s written a classic? Whimsical, insightful and beautiful.

    Ummmm, on a different note, as a new-ish-to-this-blogging-thing type person, I thought it was rude to put your own links into your comments. Why is there an option to do this here?

    Imma gonna summon my inner Kanye, and just do it. My ego demands it!

    <>

  139. I want to post this where people can see it, because I am now blocked out of the Saint James Garfield facebook group. I guess I was kicked out because of similar stories to that of a facebooks belonging to “Amanda” ,”Mandy” or “Davany”, and there was concern that these were scam facebooks I created so that I could scam people out of money.

    I just want to assure people that this is untrue. Amanda/Mandy/Davany is my sister (she has several facebook accounts, due to privacy issues between online and offline friends), so yes. We have similar stories. But I am not she and she is not me. I can even prove this with photos from the accounts, if this is neccesary.

    I am very sorry if people think that I am trying to scam them, and I won’t post or bother anyone anymore. But I wanted to clear this up for everybody. Thanks.

  142. Awesome! Loved it!
    In Australia we have a radio station that supports emerging talent. Musicians can upload their music online and then it somwtimes gets played. Do you have something like that over there?

  144. I feel like this song totally describes my marriage: psychopathically cute.

    And now I am questioning if psychopatically should have one “l” or two.

  145. Kudos, Gabyi! This fat American laughed with delight… and played your song three times! Good job, Jen, for sharing her music and her beautiful brightness, energy and enthusiasm. Psst… And for sharing YOUR wit and wisdom, too! Thanks for making us smile.

  146. Still love Gabi! I have an off topic question. I have struggled off and on with depression. I’m currently on medication for depression and anxiety. This past week has been horrible! There hasn’t been a trigger or anything. I wake up depressed and with headaches. It is so bad that I don’t even want to roll over to get my water on my nightstand. Thus, the dehydration causing the headaches. I just don’t know what to do. I know we are all different, but what are some things that help you break through the surface? I just feel like I’m stuck under this horrible fog of nothingness.

    (I get it. I totally do. This week was hard for me too but I feel like I’m coming out of it. Hopefully you are too. The non-medical stuff I do is to drink a lot of water, go for a walk, get sunlight (or spend a minute in a tannin bed), call a friend or family who will understand, give myself permission to be depressed, watch funny tv, or just allow myself to stay in bed until it passes. It will pass. I promise. ~ Jenny)

  147. I am 46 years old but that song took me back to the feelings and ideas of my first love in high school. Loved the lyrics as well as the music. Thanks.

  149. I came here to say what Trina Brooks said. I’m even older and it took me back to my first heartbreaking crush…we’re still friends and the feelings long ago mellowed into something sustainable (that friendship), but this song reminded me of how I felt a million years ago and it’s nice to know that some emotions are truly universal regardless of age. And it was fun to be reminded of that dizzying time of life.
    Go Gabi! Keep writing!!

  150. Love her! Love the stories she tells, the pictures that appear in my head when listening to her, and the sound her beautiful voice makes.

  152. Jenny, thank you so much for posting the words for those with hearing difficulties! That was thoughtful.

    What a wonderful girl she is. I love that she plays her songs for happiness.

  153. These are just lovely! I love her clever lyrics and sound. And wow, thanks so much for offering songs for download. I really enjoy listening to all of them.

  158. Your niece is SO talented. Her singing and playing make me happy. The End. (plus thank you to Elizabeth @146 for asking that question.)

  159. wildly impressed with gabi. her heart is so pure and kind. thank you for sharing her fabulous music!

  161. Gabi is a beautiful and lovely girl, I met her last halloween in Laguna, (she hangs with my grandkids, Ashton & Medoria), and talk about talent! She hand made all her costumes which were movie quality! Just awesome!

  162. Gabi is a beautiful and talented young lady, I met her halloween in Laguna, (she hangs with my grandkids, Ashton & Medoria), she hand made all her costumes which were incredible!

  163. I think this is my new favorite song!

    Is it bigger than a bad American or a fat American?

    (I think it could probably go either way. As a fat American I approve this message. ~ Jenny)

  165. Tip jar isn’t working… and I downloaded because it’s just so sweet and I want to use it in a family photo slideshow… how can I send her a thank you “tip”? 🙂

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