Excellent... we're warming to the topic. Thanks, all, for your thoughts.

I first heard the tune from a counselor/guide whilst on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters along the Minnesota/Canada border, back in the mid-1970s. And it was to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It" (Now THERE'S a tune worth tracking backwards). As the 13-year-old kid that I was, it was an enthralling experience.

Then to my surprise, as a college student in Minneapolis, I heard it done by a John Valby wanna-be (Rats, what WAS that guy's name... Johnny Holmes?) who used to tour the midwest with a band called the "INSERT NAME Experience" staging raucous debacles. The band played a mix of Dr. Dirty/Dr. Demento stuff, blended together with a Firesign Theatre sensibility for a stage show.

Curmudgeon -- Thanks for the book suggestion. I'll snare a copy of that one!

s.