The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #65363 Message #2180676
Posted By: GUEST,Fran Hawkins
27-Oct-07 - 07:35 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Chirkendoose? / The Churkendoose
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mystery of the Chirkendoose
I am a 65 year old grandmother who absolutely loved THE CHURKENDOOSE
(Done by Ray Bolgers in the 50's on a 78 record, which took 20-30 minutes to play. I learned this song and sang it to my kids, as well as my grandkids when they were growing up. My kids still can't believe that I remember the words to a song I knew when I was 8 years old. I had the record copied onto a cassette tape well over 20 years ago. The words on my record were as follows:
This is my story on the Churkendoose,
Part chicken, turkey, duck and goose;
Churkendoose, Churkendoose, Churkendoose Churkendoose.
It all happen many years ago on a farm near Rex town.
The Chicken had laid an egg, but what an egg!
Everyone agreed it was the biggest egg they had ever seen.
The chicken sat on the egg until she got tired of sitting,
Then the turkey sat on the egg until she got tired,
Then the duck sat on it, then the goose,
But when the goose got tired, the chicken sat on it again.
So soon after she had taken her place on the egg,
Then they all heard a strange loud frightening noise.
The egg was hatching.
They all huddled there waiting to see what would happen next.
The shell broke open and out came,
Hello folks, howdy dee, don't be scared, it's only me
Chicken: You look very peculiar!
Turkey: What kind of legs are those?
Duck: What kind of a head is that?
Goose: What kind of bill is that?
Chicken: What kind of a body is that?
Everyone: Yes, what kind of a body is that?
Churkendoose: One at a time please, one at a time! I'll answer your questions, but one at a time.
I have a head like a chicken and legs like a duck, Instead of quacking I say yuck yuck.
I have a body like a turkey and a bill like a goose; I feel pretty good 'cept my legs are loose.
Turkey: You do not look like a chicken, you have only one ear!
Churkendoose: Sure, and that's in the back of my head.
Chicken: Your legs are funny, they bend every which way!
Turkey: What are you anyway?
Churkendoose: Well, I'm not a chicken and I'm not a duck, I have more brains then I have luck. I'm not a turkey and I'm not a goose,
Can't you see I', a Churkendoose!
Everyone: A Churkendoose?
Churkendoose: Yes a Churkendoose!
Chicken: Well, what's a Churkendoose?
Churkendoose: Me, I'm a Churkendoose!
Turkey: You talk awfully funny
Churkendoose: I don't talk all the time, but when I do I talk in rhyme.
Goose: Walk over here let us take a good look at ya!
Churkendoose: I can't walk, I wouldn't take the chance, but if you give me some music, I'll go into my dance.
[clumping/dancing...]
Rooster: Stop, stop that at once. I'm the rooster, this is my henhouse. What are you doing here? Just look at you, you're too little to be much good for anything and you're mighty ugly! What good are you?
All together: Yes, what good are you?
Churkendoose: Wait a minute, wait a minute, why must you shout?
Take a minute, take a minute, think this thing out. Can't the chicken turkey, duck and goose Live in peace with the Churkendoose.
Does the pear tree say to the apple tree, I hate you 'cause your not like me? Does the green grass ask the sky so blue, I'm green why aren't you green to?
A rose smells sweet, 'cause it's a flower; An onion tastes strong, a pickle is sour. There different yet they get along And no one seems to think it's wrong..
Must I be a chicken, a goose? Can't I be a Churkendoose!
You know the moo-cow says, look I give milk, The silkworm answers I make silk. The horse says look how strong I am, The piggy answers I give ham. My skin makes leather, snorts the bull, The sheep replies I grow wool.
Each one has it's special use And I'm sure there's one for the Churkendoose!
There must be one for the Churkendoose.
Rooster: You still didn't answer me what good are you?
Churkendoose: I'd like to tell yah, but I don't know. I'm still little, I gotta grow.
Goose: But you know how to tape dance don't yah?
Turkey: And how to sing and recite poetry.
Chicken: If you ask me he knows too much.
Goose: Yeah, he's dangerous!
Duck: Take him away, kick him on the head, poke him in the eye, chase him out.......
Turkey: No, no, no, now you listen to me. Let's not be hasty, everybody sit down and talk this over quietly.
Goose: Alright, but ask the Churkendoose to wait outside,
This is private!
Churkendoose: I danced out of the henhouse very sadly, I wondered if I was really as ugly as they said, Anyway, how could they tell if I was ugly? They had never seen a Churkendoose before.
Maybe for a Churkendoose I was handsome! I danced over to a rain puddle And looked at my reflection in the water. Then, as a tear rolled off my bill, I sang:
Can it be that I am such a sight, That when others see me they take fright?
Though I can see what they meant When they said my legs are bent.
Am I ugly? No, I'm just different.
'Cause, it depends on how you look at things, It depends on how you look at things. Is a baby chimpanzee any pettier than me, Well it depends upon begins and ends upon, It all depends on how you look at things.
An alligator's not a thing of grace, And a camel hasn't got a lovely face. Though I'm not pretty front or rear, And I only have one ear.
Am I ugly? No, just a little queer.
'Cause, it depends on how you look at things, It depends on how you look at things, Ah the hippopotami any handsomer than I, Well it depends upon begins and ends upon, It all depends on how you look at things.
I sniffed back my tears and then, I hear screams coming from the henhouse. I danced back there as fast as I could. All was confusion.
The rooster, chicken, turkey, duck and goose Had flown to the highest roost, And were frantically flapping their wings And squawking with fright.
There on the floor was a fox, running this way, and that,
Snapping as he went, trying to catch one of them.
When I cam in the fox turned, Ready to spring and catch me by the throat.
But when he saw me, he started to run, He was in such a hurry to get away, He didn't even turn around. He ran so fast he took off and flew backwards.
He flew so fast that it took three days for his shadow to catch up with him.
It all happened so quickly that no one was quite sure what had taken place. Finely the rooster spoke up.
Rooster: Is, is the fox gone?
Churkendoose: Yes.
Rooster: You saved our lives Churkendoose. That fox will never come back as long as you're here! Three cheers for the Churkendoose.
Churkendoose: No, no wait. Before you caused me tears, now you're giving me three cheers 'cause I chased the fox and set you free. Well, I don't want the tears and I don't want the cheers. Can't you like me just because I'm me?
Then, I guess they realize how selfish they were And how mean they had been. Because they all apologized and pleaded with me to stay there and bee their friend.
Well I stayed, and I'm still there.
You know the other day The duck started go give me swimming lessons
And in exchange I'm teaching the duck how to tap dance.
What fun we have. Now we help each other and learn from each other.
So you see:
It depends on how you look at things, It depends on how you look at things. Making friends can be a pleasure 'cause a good friend is a treasure, No matter how you look at things.
Enjoy!! Fran Hawkins, Three Rivers, CA