(buzzer buzzing) (crowd cheering) (whistle trilling) - Have you ever tried something new?

Today, Jake and I are trying WhirlyBall.

It's like a mix of lacrosse and bumper cars.

- Can you tell me a little bit how we play WhirlyBall?

'cause some people don't know.

- You go and you get in your bumper car, and you take the basket on the stick.

You scoop up the ball and try to throw it at the target.

- [Jake] You launch it like a catapult.

Are there any rules or is it just mayhem?

- [Player] You can't pick up the ball with your hands.

You can only pick it up with the stick.

- [Jake] And there's teams or is every man from himself?

- There's teams.

- [Jake] And you're trying to cooperate with your team.

- Yeah.

It's kinda like basketball on bumper cars.

- [Jake] Bumper car basketball with a net and a stick.

- Yeah.

- [Jake] What's thrilling about WhirlyBall?

- Crashing into other people?

(cars squealing and thumping) (players cheering) - We're gonna try to describe what we're experiencing using figurative language.

Figurative language uses words beyond their literal meaning.

- What does figurative language do?

What is that?

- It's a creative way to speak.

- "He was fast as lightning or as tall as a mountain."

- It's like using things from nature that in a conversation that really have nothing to do with the conversation.

- All right, what do we use figurative language for?

- We use it for stuff that like you compare stuff to other things to make it like a picture.

- When you're exaggerating in the sentences.

"There's a billion people at the fair today."

- [Jake] And there's not really a billion people.

- Yeah.

- It's just a- - But there's a lot.

- And metaphor is a type of figurative language.

What is a metaphor?

- It's not like or as.

- Okay.

- It is an is, like- - It's an is.

- Something is something.

- Something is something, like, "Jake is a jackrabbit," like that?

I could describe myself that way, 'cause I'm very nimble and I like to jump around.

Can you gimme a metaphor?

- My cat is a demon.

- Your cat is a demon.

- Mm-hmm.

- Why is your cat a demon?

- She bites my hair at night, (cat yowls) and she paws at me just to get my attention.

- [Esther] Figurative language is important to songwriting because it builds pictures in your mind, and makes comparisons we can relate to.

It can add depth and emotion.

- [Jake] Figurative language can draw comparisons between something tangible, like a mountain, and an intangible quality, like love, and in today's case, WhirlyBall.

(upbeat music) (players cheering) (cars rumbling) - WhirlyBall is crazy.

I feel like we're a bunch of happy piranhas on a feeding frenzy.

(bright music continues) (water burbling) (players cheering) (cars rumbling) - So, if we were gonna describe WhirlyBall, let's say the cars out there, with figurative language, how would you wanna describe them?

- Like a bull.

- Like a bull?

Why?

- Yeah.

'Cause they bump into each other and they're crazy.

(bull bawling) (upbeat music continues) (cars thumping) (players cheering) (buzzer buzzing) - You've played WhirlyBall.

Is it fun?

- A lot of fun.

It's like a tidal wave of fun.

(waves whooshing) - Let's try and describe our feelings.

- I feel like I might go fast as a cheetah.

(racing car roaring) (upbeat music continues) (cars rumbling) (players cheering) (buzzer buzzing) - This has more energy than a waterfall.

You literally cannot control it.

(waterfall whooshing) (upbeat music continues) - What's something out in the world we can use to describe the energy on the WhirlyBall court?

- A tornado, 'cause they spin and they're really fast.

(upbeat music continues) (cars rumbling) (tornado whooshes) - They're destructive too.

- Yeah.

- Are we being destructive out there?

- Yeah.

- So, a tornado is like the perfect bit of figurative language to describe WhirlyBall.

(upbeat music continues) (cars rumbling) If WhirlyBall was a dinosaur, what dinosaurs are we talking about?

- Pachycephalosaurus.

(dinosaur roars) - And why?

- Because you ram into stuff.

- Oh my god, those are the guys that, bam, bam, bam.

(dinosaurs roaring) What is that feeling of excitement like?

- Like you're gonna go on a water slide or a roller coaster, like before you go on it.

(roller coaster rumbling) - What are we like out there?

Is there a creature from the animal kingdom that we are like on the WhirlyBall court?

- It's like 10 cougars fighting over one meal.

(tongue rasping) - [Jake] What is the other team?

- Probably like some lions.

(lion growling) - The players are the wild cats.

We got the ball, the ball is the prey.

Now, there's a guy sitting up there, he's our referee for today.

He's making sure we all play fair, and he's watching everything we do.

What is he?

- [Player] He's watching us like a hawk.

(hawk screeches) (upbeat music continues) (players cheering) (buzzer buzzing) - [Jake] Now, let's see if we can take some of this figurative language and whirl it into a song.

(bright upbeat music) ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ (bright upbeat music continues) ♪ Just like pack of raptors attacking the ball we're after ♪ ♪ Like a piranha playing in a game ♪ ♪ Just like a bolt of lighting ♪ ♪ Everything's electrifying ♪ ♪ So you can hear us when we say ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ (bright upbeat music continues) ♪ Describing what we see♪ ♪ But not so literally ♪ ♪ Painting a picture for you ♪ (bright upbeat music continues) ♪ We hope our message is clear ♪ ♪ And the meaning you will hear ♪ ♪ And the words are coming through ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Whoa, oh, oh ♪ ♪ We're having a ball ♪ (lion roars) (lighting crashes) - Get out there and try new things, like, trying some figurative language in your songs.

- We can't wait to hear what you come up with.

(hampsters chittering) (hampsters running) (bright music) (vocalists vocalizing) (bright music continues) (vocalists continue vocalizing)