Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife

Subject: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 05 Aug 04 - 08:30 AM

Shirley Ellis - Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife While The Bubbles Bouce About The Water a novelty number from the mid 60's - yes, a question for all serious music lovers.

I've never heard it but a lady friend has harrassed me about it for years. I'd love to see the lyrics and tune.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: GUEST,Jim I
Date: 05 Aug 04 - 06:17 PM

All I can remember is

"Did you ever, eever, eiver
In your life, lever lo
See a diver, diver, dever
Kiss his wife before
Underneath the ocean
In the kingdom of the sea
While the bubbles bounce about above the water"

NB The 2nd 'diver' is pronounces with a 'short i to rhyme with 'liver'

Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 11:04 AM

Thanks heaps Jim, that's a lot more than I've ever seen before.

Regards, John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: GUEST,delphinium
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 12:44 PM

You can buy the CD on Amazon for £6.66 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/detail/offer-listing/-/B00005A0XS/all/202-1691680-2177434

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 11:30 PM

EVER SEE A DIVER KISS HIS WIFE (WHILE THE BUBBLES BOUNCE ABOUT ABOVE THE WATER) was written by Shirley Ellis (whose real name was Shirley Elliston) and Lincoln Chase. It was recorded sometime in 1963-65. It appears on the albums "The Complete Congress Recordings," Connoisseur Collection CD 30340, 2001; and "The Very Best of Shirley Ellis," Taragon CD 1005.

Here's what I think I heard on a sound sample found at allmusic:

FEMALE VOICE:
Did you ever-eever-eyever in your life-lee-low
See a diver-deever-devver kiss his wife-wee-woe
Way beneath the ocean in the kingdom of the sea
While the bubbles bounce about above the water?

MALE VOICE:
No, I've never-neever-nyver in my life-lee-low
Seen no diver-deever-devver kiss his wife–wee-woe
Way beneath no ocean in no kingdom of no sea
While no bubbles bounce about above no water.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From:
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 03:54 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 04:17 PM

Well, I'm speechless too!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 08:31 PM

Sounds like the popsong might be a descendant (or who knows, an ancestor) of LONG LEGGED SAILOR, a "silly song" popular in camp.

Did you ever, ever, ever
In your long legged life
See a long legged sailor
Kiss his long legged wife...

It goes on with variations like "bow legged sailor" etc. and is guaranteed to make you crazy after three verses. Bob

Subject: Lyr Add: EVER SEE A DIVER KISS HIS WIFE
From: GUEST,Justine, Edinburgh
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 11:16 AM

EVER SEE A DIVER KISS HIS WIFE

[Female]
Did you ever-eever-eyever in your life-lee-low
See a diver-deever-devver kiss his wife-wee-woe
Way beneath the ocean in the kingdom of the sea
While the bubbles bounce about above the water?

[Male]
No, I've never-neever-nyver in my life-lee-low
Seen no diver-deever-devver kiss his wife-wee-woe
Way beneath no ocean in no kingdom of no sea
While no bubbles bounce about above no water.

[Female]
Well if you're lookin' while they're kissin'
You'll recognise the sight of a diver-deever-devver that must be doin' somethin' right.
Way beneath the ocean in the kingdom of the sea while the bubbles bounce about above the water.

[Male]
Shirley why you see ever-eever-eyever and life-lee-low?
And diver-deever-dever and when you say wife you say wee-woe?

[Female]
Why not say ever-eever-eyever and life-lee-low?
Diver-deever-devver and wife-wee-woe?

[Male]
Well why are they kissing beneath the ocean?
And what kingdom of the sea?
Why are bubbles bouncin' about above the water?

[Female]
Well, beneath the ocean is private and the kingdom *is* in the sea
And kissin' down there's gonna bounce up bubbles naturally
So when you see the bubbles bouncin'
Then you'll recognise the sight of a diver-deever-devver must be doin' somethin' right
Way beneath the ocean in the kingdom of the sea
While the bubbles bounce about above the water
Did you ever-eever-eyever in your life-lee-low
See a diver-deever-devver kiss his wife-wee-woe
Way beneath the ocean in the kingdom of the sea
While the bubbles bounce about above the water?
And did you ever-eever-eyever see a diver kiss his wife while the bubbles bounce about above the water
And did you ever-eever-eyever see a diver-deever-devver in your life-lee-low
Kiss his wife-wee-woe
Did you ever
Did you ever
Ever in your life see a diver kiss his wife while the bubbles bounce about above the water
Did you ever
Did you ever
Did you ever
No? Never?
Did you ever
Don't say no, never
Ever in your life see a diver kiss his wife
Did you eever-ever-eyever in your life?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 12:04 PM

As an ex-diver this song sounds fun. Very sad that John is no longer around to appreciate this post.

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Severn
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 12:27 PM

ZM,

What was a nice girl like you doing in a dive like that?

That said, we must embrace Diver City as much as possible.

....And if there are telltale bubbles, then so be it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 12:29 PM

Nice girl? Moi? Aw, shucks (blushing)

Better to keep it a secret though - it might spoil my reputation!


Rhiannon

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 03:00 PM

Shirley Ellis(ton) and Lincoln Chase were the same people who invented/wrote THE NAME GAME ("Shirley-shirley-bo-birley, bonana-fana-fo-firley...") which was a hit for Shirley Ellis in 1965.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife Where?
From: Severn
Date: 23 Apr 06 - 06:47 PM

And "Right Down to the Real Nitty Gritty" was another hit for her. (see Grits thread).

Subject: Lyr Add: THE E. I. O. SONG (from Mel Blanc)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 05 Apr 13 - 07:17 PM

This song seems related to the one above. Note that the nonsense words in this song are formed according to a regular pattern. This suggests that the song is based on some kind of parlor game or stunt in which one person challenges another to answer appropriately. Mel Blanc, the master of multiple cartoon-character voices, sings each verse in a different voice. Several backup singers sing the "E I O" transitions.


THE E. I. O. SONG
As sung by Mel Blanc on "Greatest Hits"

(E I O, E I O.)

Did you ever in your life
See the devil kiss his wife?
No, I never in my life
Saw the devil kiss his wife.
Did you eever-iver-over in your leef-life-loaf
See the deevil-divil-dovil kiss his weef-wife-woaf?
I neever-niver-nover in my leef-life-loaf
Saw the deevil-divil-dovil kiss his weef-wife-woaf.

(E I O, E I O.)

Did you ever see a deer
With a dimple on his ear?
No, I never saw a deer
With a dimple on his ear.
Did you eever-iver-over see a deer-dire-doar
With a deemple-dymple-doample on his ear-ire-oar?
No, I neever-niver-nover saw a deer-dire-doar
With a deemple-dymple-doample on his ear-ire-oar.

(E I O, E I O.)

Did you ever make a wish
You could paddle like a fish?
No, I never made a wish
I could paddle like a fish.
Did you eever-iver-over make a weesh-wysh-woash
You coud peedle-pydle-podle like a feesh-fysh-foash?
I neever-niver-nover made a weesh-wysh-woash
I could peedle-pydle-podle like a feesh-fysh-foash.

(E I O, E I O.)

Did you ever see a mouse
Chase a kitten in the house?
No, I never saw a mouse
Chase a kitten in the house.
Did you eever-iver-over see a meese-mice-moce
Chase a keetin-kytin-koatin in the heece-hice-hoce?
I neever-niver-nover saw a meese-mice-moce
Chase a keetin-kytin-koatin in the heece-hice-hoce.

(E I O, E I O.)

Does the farmer in the dell
Know that daisies never tell?
Yes, the farmer in the dell
Knows that daisies never tell.
Does the feemer-fimer-foamer in the deel-dile-doal
Know that deezies-dyzies-dozies never teel-tile-toal?
The feemer-fimer-foamer in the deel-dile-doal
Knows that deezies-dyzies-dozies never teel-tile-toal.

(E I O, E I O.)

Did you ever see the plum
On Jack Horner's little thumb?
No, I never seen the plum
On Jack Horner's little thumb.
Did you eever-iver-over see the pleem-plime-plome
On Jack Heener-hyner-honer's little theem-thime-thome?
No, I neever-niver-nover saw the pleem-plime-plome
On Jack Heener-hyner-honer's little theem-thime-thome.

[Modulating] (E I O, E I O,
E I O, E I O.)

Did you ever have some fun
With a water-pistol gun?
No, I never had some fun
With a water-pistol gun.
Did you eever-iver-over have some feen-fine-fone
With a weeter-wyter-woater pistol geen-gyne-goan?
No, I neever-niver-nover had some feen-fine-fone
With a weeter-wyter-woater pistol geen-gyne-goan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Apr 13 - 10:18 PM

Wow!

Nailed to the mat!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Apr 13 - 06:04 AM

You can find the "Diver" song on Spotify. It's a good one.
-Joe-