Lyr Add: I've been having trouble meeting Mary

Subject: Lyr Add: i've been havng trouble meeting Mary
From: GUEST,Francois number 9
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 12:31 PM

I searched for this to verify the lyrics, but didn't find it anywhere (not even Google). I remember it as:

I've been having trouble meeting Mary/
'Cause Mary's ma and pa don't care for me/
So to save a fight and keep everything alright/
I've been meeting Mary at the zoo.

On Monday I met Mary at the camels/
'Cause Mary likes the animals, you see/
Tuesday by the bears and Wednesday by the hares/
And Thursday by the deer my dear you see.

On Friday I met Mary by the monkeys/
Swinging on their little rings of brass/
And Saturday I met Mary by the don-keys/
And that's where I got Mary by the . . . as you desire/
And that's where I got Mary by the zaz-ooo-zazzzz.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: i've been havng trouble meeting Mary
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 01:09 PM

It's in there somewhere, but I suspect you've seen this already. Good luck.

http://www.horntip.com/html/books_%26_MSS/1970s/1975ca_fighter_pilots_song_book_no_77_squadron_(mimeo)/index.htm

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: i've been havng trouble meeting Mary
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 01:17 PM

Fighter Pilots Song Book (click)

Another in that, too. It's called Meeting Mary and is near page 16 or 17.

Subject: ADD: Mary, Mary (Meeting Mary)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 02:03 PM

That was a tough one to find. I searched for "meeting mary at the zoo" and got the impression that it was either a bawdy military song, or a glee club song (which may or may not be clean), or both. A search for "ma and pa don't care for me" led me to horntip.com, which I believe is a mirror of the old "immortalia" Website that collected bawdy songs. Horntip has an OCR of a book of bawdy (mostly military) songs titled "The Three Hats, Vol. 2" (1950) and that's where I found the song. Lyrics are quite similar to what's posted above.
-Joe-

MARY, MARY

Now I've had lots of trouble meeting Mary;
Mary's ma and pa don't care for me.
So just to save a fight
And make everything all right
I'll meet my Mary by the zoo, you see.

Monday I'll have Mary by the camels,
That's the place where Mary ought to be,
Tuesday by the bears,
And Wednesday by the hares,
And Thursday by the deer, my dear, you see.

On Friday I'll have Mary by the donkeys,
That's the time when I'll have Mary by the----
AS YOU DESIRE IT.
That's the time when I'll have Mary by the —
ZAZZ-U-ZAZZ.

Subject: ADD Version: Meeting Mary
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 02:16 PM

Here's the version from the Fighter Pilots Song Book, No. 77 Squadron (PDF) from the link above, also from horntip.com.

MEETING MARY

Lately I've trouble meeting Mary,
Mary's Ma and Pa don't care for me.
To save myself a fight
An' make everything alright
I've been meeting Mary by the zoo
Down by the zoo
On Monday I meet Mary by the camels
Mary loves the animals you see
Tuesday by the bears
And Wednesday by the hares,
And Thursday by the deer, my dear, you see.
On Friday I'll have Mary by the monkeys, Wod
Swinging on their little rings of brass
On Saturday I meet Mary by the donkeys
And that's where I get Mary by the ZAZZOOZAZZ.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: i've been havng trouble meeting Mary
From: GUEST,GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 20 - 09:28 PM

In my time at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, (1971-75), the men's vocal ensemble sang this song (a la barbershop arrangement).

Bowdoin had been an all-male school for about 170 years, and this song was popular during my time there. Women joined the student population very gradually, first as transfer students, finally as incoming first-year students in my class (1975). As the number of women students accelerated, this song was left behind...although I don't know precisely when.

The weird thing is: although I never sang this song--only heard it sung--most of the lyrics stayed in the musical memory box. (Along with "I Can't Stop" by the Honeycombs" and other classic hits).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: I've been having trouble meeting Mary
From: and e
Date: 16 Nov 24 - 10:02 PM

There is a recorded version by Charley Drew.

See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O30wcp9Oxeg&t=101s

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: I've been having trouble meeting Mary
From: GUEST,, and e (no cookie)
Date: 17 Nov 24 - 09:27 AM

Part of the tune is reminiscent of the song

"Monday I touched her on the ankle, Tuesday I touched her on the knee...".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: I've been having trouble meeting Mary
From: NightWing
Date: 17 Nov 24 - 02:35 PM

The lyrics sung by Charley Drew in the link above provided by and e go like this:

Now I've had lots of trouble meeting Mary
'Cuz Mary's ma and pa don't care for me.
Whenever I stop by, they both give me the eye,
Although I'm just as harmless as can be.
So I've arranged a place to meet my Mary:
A lovely place where we can bill and coo,
Where we can be alone, entirely on our own.
From now on, I'll meet Mary at the zoo

On Monday I'll meet Mary by the camel.
Who wouldn't walk a mile¹ to see those eyes of blue?
On Tuesday by the hare, on Wednesday by the bear,
On Thursday by the deer, we'll bill and coo.
On Friday I'll take her to see the monkey
Swinging on a shiny ring of brass
And on Saturday I'll have 'er by the donkey
And that's the time I'll have 'er ... By The Old Mill Stream

¹Many of the early ads for Camel cigarettes said, "I'd walk a mile for a Camel" (e.g., this one, and this one, and finally this description of how the phrase came about )