But I still like it better with the real tune. I can picture singing it to my nieces and nephews and making them amusingly furious about singing it wrong. But I think the change in melody would be too subtle, and would just mystify them.

Well, like every song and story, you really have to suit your performance to your audience.

I wrote this song first for myself, and with fellow adult friends in mind, rather than for children (at least not of an age where they are still learning to sing the alphabet the "right way" -- by the time kids reach the age of 12 or so, their sense of irony and subtlety is maturing). I agree that the song would work better to the original tune for young children.

Though my Dad picked up right away on the fact that tune "Goes with" the scrambled letters.... of course, he could be biased ... and he has had a strong working knowledge of his abc's for nigh seventy years, at least ;-)