Music Program Now Admits to Being Behind 'Occupy' Lyrics in Third Graders' Song

The director of a children's music program has admitted to steering a third grade class toward singing Occupy Wall Street-themed lyrics during a songwriting session at a Virginia elementary school.

As The Blaze reported earlier this month, the incident at Woodbrook Elementary School in Charlottesville, Va. drew outrage after it was revealed that the class wrote and performed a song titled "Part of the 99"during a visit with Kid Pan Alley in October. According to its website, Kid Pan Alley "uses the group songwriting process to inspire and empower children to become creators of their own music."

The song contained such charged phrases as "They're the 1 percent" and "I'm part of the 99." At the time, the Albemarle County school district said the children chose the lyrics entirely on their own and denied they were encouraged to sing anything related to the Occupy movement.

That changed this week, when the founder and director of Kid Pan Alley, Paul Reisler, took responsibility for the lyrics and said he should have avoided certain phrases to keep the song neutral.

“This is a song about being satisfied with what you have, a song about how life has its ups and downs, as so many people in our country are experiencing now," Reisler said in a statement to local CBS affiliate WCAV-TV. "It was my personal mistake to introduce these phrases and I take complete responsibility for it. I will not make a mistake like this again."

According to the station, Reisler maintained that the children selected the Occupy Wall Street topic themselves and wrote the lyrics to express their ideas, but admitted that introducing certain political phrases ended up dominating their message.

School board member Barbara Massie Mouly told WCAV she's glad Kid Pan Alley changed its tune.

"I am gratified that Mr. Reisler did indicate that he regrets using the controversial language with a young group of people," she told the network. "I think we should examine how outside groups are told what our teaching policy is and make sure they are conforming to our policy of showing both sides of any controversial matter."

The following is a transcript of the lyrics:

"Part of the 99"

Some people have it all

But they still don’t think they have enough

They want more money

A faster ride

They’re not content

Never satisfied

Yes — they’re the 1 percent

I used to be one of the 1 percent

I worked all the time

Never saw my family

Couldn’t make life rhyme

Then the bubble burst

It really, really hurt

I lost my money

Lost my pride

Lost my home

Now I’m part of the 99

Some people have it all

But they still don’t think they have enough

They want more money

A faster ride

They’re not content

Never satisfied

Yes — they’re the 1 percent

I used to be sad, now I’m satisfied

’Cause I really have enough

Though I lost my yacht and plane

Didn’t need that extra stuff

Could have been much worse

You don’t need to be first

’Cause I’ve got my friends

Here by my side

Don’t need it all

I’m so happy to be part of the 99