Hello everyone,
Here is the "The Wild West Show" which needs to be added digital tradition database.Does anybody sing this song? If so when/where did you learn it and would you be willing to sing it for a folklorist? If yes, please feel free to email me at john@mehlberg.com
Any help is appreciated.
Sincerely,
John Mehlberg
~
My, mostly traditional, bawdy songs, toasts and recitations website: www.immortalia.com
~THE WILD WEST SHOWNotes: This song is actually a cante-fable with only the chorus sung. It is also known under the title "The Hamburg Show" and "Larry Turn the Crank". The earliest printed text can be found in Immortalia [1927] pgs.153-154 under the title "Hamburg Show". The text above is from the National Engineering Book of Song & Verse (not dated (ca 1969), no publisher, no author, no location (probably Montreal, Canada)).
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the OO OO AA AA bird.
(Crowd:) OOOH fantastic incredible, what the
hell is an OO OO AA AA bird?
The OO OO AA AA bird is a rare and exotic
bird found in the deserts of Australia. It
has three foot legs and four foot testicles,
and every time it lands, it goes OO OO AA AA.
Chorus:
We are off to see the wild west show
With the elephants and the kangaroos
No matter what the weather
As long as we're together
We're off to see the wild west show.
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the giraffe
(Crowd:) OOOH, fantastic, incredible, what the
hell is a giraffe
The giraffe from the Savannas of Africa is
the only animal that can walk into a bar
and say, "The high-balls are on me."
Chorus.
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the wherethefuckarewe tribe
(Crowd:) OOOH, fantastic, incredible, what the
hell is a wherethefuckarewe tribe
This is a tribe of four foot Pygmies found in
deepest darkest Africa that walks through
five foot high grass shouting: "Where the fuck are we?
Where the fuck are we?"
Chorus.
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the orangutan bird
(Crowd:) OOOH, fantastic, incredible, what the
hell is an orangutan bird
The orangutan bird is found in the mountains
of Africa. It's left ball is made of steel
and it's right ball is made of copper. Every
time it lands, it goes oran-gu-tan,
oran-gu-tan.
Chorus.
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the rhinoceros
(Crowd:) OOOH, fantastic, incredible, what the
hell is a rhinoceros
The rhinoceros is reputed to be the richest
animal in the world. It's name is derived
from the Latin - rhino meaning money and
soreass meaning piles. Hence - piles of
money.
Chorus.
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the kerii bird
(Crowd:) OOOH, fantastic, incredible, what the
hell is a kerii bird
The kerrii bird lives north of the Arctic
Circle. Every time it comes in to land on the
ice it says, "Kerii kerii ker-ist it's cold."
Chorus.
(Leader:) Ladies and Gentleman, in the far ring we have
the winky wank bird
(Crowd:) OOOH, fantastic, incredible, what the
hell is a winky wank bird
By some strange evolutionary occurrence, the
nervous system of this bird's eyelids is
connected to its foreskin. Every time it
winks, it wanks and every time it wanks, it
winks.Here are a list of recorded versions of the "Wild West Show" starting with the single field recording:
- Field Recording - John Mehlberg Collection.
- Digital Recording - Larry Haffner - 2004.06.06
- Wild West Show [1962] Time: 1:08
Commercial recordings:
- Summit Records
- Rugger Ditties - The First XV
- The Wild West Show [1968?] Time: 3:12
- Filthy Fred and Dirty Dick
- Crud
- The Wild West Show [1971] Time: 4:16
- Adge Cutler and the Wurzels
- Adge Cutler's Family Album with the Wurzels
- The Wild West Show [bowdlerized, 1972?] Time: 3:10
.