Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)

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Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)

29 Jun 04 - 08:15 AM (#1216124)
Subject: Lyr Req: I Sing of A Crocodile Fearless and Bold
From: GUEST,Su Rynas

My friend learned this song in daycare in 6/8 meter, and I want to add it to my show, but he knows one verse. There has GOT to be additional verses, it's such a catchy, quirkly little song! Right? I mean, there's just GOTTA be, right?
Anyway ;-) If you know the rest of this song, or a source for it, I would be indeed grateful to you.

I sing of the crocodile fearless and bold.
He never got hot, and he never got cold.
He had thick coats and thin coats for days cold and hot,
And a medium coat for the days that are not.

Cheer-i-leeeeee, Cheer-i-lyyyyyye,
And a medium coat for the days that are not.

(You can see that this is begging for more lyrics.)

Thanks for the help!
--Su

29 Jun 04 - 08:35 AM (#1216138)
Subject: Lyr Add: POLAR BEAR AND CROCODILE (David Stevens)
From: GUEST

POLAR BEAR AND CROCODILE
Words by David Stevens

We sing of the polar bear fearless and bold.
He never feels hot and he never feels cold,
Because where he lives summer never occurs,
And the rest of the year he wears plenty of furs.

The crocodile lives in the tropical belt.
And neither the cold nor the heat ever felt,
Because in the winters his summers begin,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.

29 Jun 04 - 09:41 PM (#1216672)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I Sing of A Crocodile Fearless and Bo
From: Charley Noble

Refresh!

It should help that the title of this thread was corrected.:~)

Charley Noble

29 Jun 04 - 10:03 PM (#1216687)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I Sing of A Crocodile Fearless and Bold
From: Bob Bolton

G'day Su (and Charley),

Having just come from Joe Richman's thread on songs to the tune of Villikins and His Dinah, it seems that this song might also use that tune. One of the Australian songs suggested by Joybell is The Nautical Yarn, which starts:

I sing of a capting (captain) that's well known to fame,
An able commander, Bill Jinks was his name.
He sailed where the Murray's clear waters do flow,
Did this fresh-water shellback, with his yo! Heave-aye-oh!

That looks as if both these songs are parodied on some common ancestor.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

31 Mar 09 - 03:32 PM (#2601532)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: The Polar Bear and the Crocodile
From: GUEST,After the verses for the crocodile and the P

31 Mar 09 - 03:36 PM (#2601536)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: The Polar Bear and the Crocodile
From: GUEST, comes the clincher -- But we [poor unfortun

31 Mar 09 - 09:00 PM (#2601783)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: The Polar Bear and the Crocodile
From: Artful Codger

"The Nautical Yarn" could be a take-off of "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines".

01 Apr 09 - 10:03 PM (#2602743)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: The Polar Bear and the Crocodile
From: Bob Bolton

G'day Artful Codger,

English Music Hall songs were certainly widely known in 19th c. Australia ... but I had a look at / listen to the Mudcat's rendition of Capt. Jinks of the Horse Marines and the tune has no relation to either of the (very different) tunes for The Nautical Yarn (Villikins and his Dinah and Dreadnaught)

... and any resemblance in the text finishes after the word "Captain" ...

Regards,

Bob

09 May 09 - 10:13 PM (#2628054)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: The Polar Bear and the Crocodile
From: GUEST

We were looking for the 2nd verse about the crocodile but here is the third verse:

15 May 09 - 09:06 AM (#2632501)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE CLIMATE
From: Jim Dixon

Sangbog for sønner af norge: II tekstutgave by Carsten Woll (Minneapolis, Minn: Sønner af norges forlag, 1927).

THE CLIMATE

1. We sing of the polar bear fearless and bold.
He never feels hot and he never feels cold,
Because where he lives summer never occurs,
And the rest of the year he wears plenty of furs.
Toora lee, toora lay,
And the rest of the year he wears plenty of furs.

2. The crocodile lives in the tropical belt
And neither the cold nor the heat ever felt,
Because in the winter his summers begin,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.
Toora lee, toora lay,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.

3. Now we poor unfortunates live in a clime
That calls for at least three full suits at a time:
A thick one and thin one for days cold and hot
And a mediumweight for the days that are not.
Toora lee, toora lay,
And a mediumweight for the days that are not.

[I don't know whether there are more verses. I can't see any, but Google Books allows only snippet views of this book.]

03 Dec 09 - 05:50 AM (#2779328)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (David Stevens)
From: GUEST

age 82

The crocodile lives in a tropical belt,
He never wears fur nor he never wears felt,
Cause the place where he lives no summer begin
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.
Two ralies, two ralies,
For the rest of the year he wears crocodie shin

23 Dec 09 - 11:09 PM (#2795382)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE CLIMATE
From: Jim Dixon

I found this version, with no attribution, amongst a bunch of camp songs, here: http://mesacosa.org/songs/jrlaurelsongs1.htm. There's a midi file, but it sounds like SWEET BETSY FROM PIKE a.k.a. VILLIKINS AND HIS DINAH.

THE CLIMATE

We sing of the Polar bear fearless and bold,
He never feels hot and he never feels cold,
Because where he lives summer never occurs,
And the rest of the year he wears plenty of furs.
Sing ho! for the land at the top of the sphere,
Where furs are in fashion all times of the year.

The Crocodile lives in the tropical belt,
And neither the cold nor the heat ever felt,
Because in the winter his summers begin,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.
They have winter suits in the Tropical Zone,
And most of the crocodiles furnish their own.

Now, we poor unfortunates live in a clime
That calls for at least three full suits at a time;
A thick one and thin one for days cold and hot,
And a medium weight for the days that are not.
But still, tho' the climate be all that you say,
We're here and we think we'll continue to stay

23 Dec 09 - 11:19 PM (#2795387)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE CLIMATE
From: Jim Dixon

Here's yet another version from a Cub-Scouting web site:
http://www.cubroundtable.com/assets/rt-newsletters/ct-december-edition-06.pdf

THE CLIMATE
By Heart of America Council
(Tune: Man on Flying Trapeze)

We sing of the Eskimo fearless and bold.
He never feels hot and he never feels cold.
Because where he lives summer never occurs,
And the rest of the year he wears plenty of furs.
Too-ra-lee, too-ra-lay,
And the rest of the year he wears plenty of furs.

The Hawaiian lives in the tropical belt,
And neither the cold nor the heat ever felt.
Because in the winter his summer begins,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.
Too-ra-lee, too-ra-lay,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skin.

Now we poor unfortunates live in a clime,
That calls for at least three fall suits at a time.
A thick one and thin one for days cold and hot
And a medium weight for the days that are not.
Too-ra-lee, too-ra-lay,
And a medium weight for the days that are not.

16 Oct 10 - 08:46 PM (#3008759)
Subject: RE: Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (David Stevens)
From: GUEST

This is the version my father sang:

I sing of the Polar Bear Fearless and bold
He never gets hot and he never gets cold
Because in the winter his summers begin
And the rest of the year he wears polar bear skin

17 Apr 12 - 07:25 AM (#3339469)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST,Guest

Wow, I just heard this tune as part of a woodwind composition, called "westerly winds" by Paul Patterson, and the tune kept going through my mind and I could not get it out of my head. Thank goodness for the internet.

17 Apr 12 - 02:15 PM (#3339614)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST,999

http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/h056.html

03 Dec 13 - 01:41 PM (#3581102)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST

This song is one my dad has sung for most of his 91 years here in Minnesota! Here's his version:

We sing of the polar bear fearless and bold,
He never felt heat and he never felt cold,
For he lives in a clime where the sun ne'r occurs,
And the rest of the year he wears polar bear furs.
Tra-la-la-la-ah, Tra-la-la-la,
And the rest of the year he wears polar bear furs.

Now the crocodile lives in a tropical belt,
The heat and the cold he never has felt,
For when it's winter up here, his summer begins,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skins.
Tra-la-la-la-ah, Tra-la-la-la-la,
And the rest of the year he wears crocodile skins.

Now, we poor unfortunates live in a clime,
That requires three full suits most all of the time,
A thick one, and a thin one for the days cold and hot,
And a medium one for the days that are not.
Tra-la-la-la-ah, Tra-la-la-la-la,
And a medium one for the days that are not.

Leanne Strom Homa

31 Oct 16 - 06:48 PM (#3817465)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST,JB

As I recall, the third verse version I learned as a kid went:
. . .

"Now, we poor unfortunates live in a clime
Where oft is required three full suits at a time;
A thick one for cold days, a thin one for hot,
And a medium-weight for the days that are not.

Too-ra-lee, Too-ra-lay,
And a medium weight for the days that are not."

[Ah, those were days with frequent moments of joy . . .(sigh)]

16 Jan 19 - 06:56 PM (#3971825)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST,Verse last.

Yet we poor unfortunates live in a clime. That calls for at least three full suits at a time. A thick one a thin one for days cold and hot. And a medium one for the days that are not!

09 Sep 19 - 02:17 AM (#4007974)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST

Now we poor unfortunates
Live in a Clime
That is never to hot
Nor cold all the time
Two pair of suits
For days cold and days hot
And the medium weight
for the days that are not

Tu-ra-le tu-ra-li
Tu-ra-le tu-ra-li

And the medium weight
For the days that are not

This I believe follows the two verses with the polar and the crocodile

14 Sep 19 - 06:16 PM (#4008854)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: GUEST,Ed

But we poor unfortunates live in a clime
that calls for at least three full suits at a time
A thick one, a thin one for days cold and hot
And a medium weight for the days that are not.

17 Sep 19 - 06:29 AM (#4009259)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Polar Bear and Crocodile (D Stevens)
From: clueless don

Old business - back on 23 Dec 09 - 11:19 PM Jim Dixon posted a version from a Cub Scout site. It included the notation "Tune: Man on Flying Trapeze". As I look at the lyrics, it seems more likely that the tune would be "Sweet Betsy from Pike".