Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale

Subject: Sarah The Whale
From: Amber
Date: 05 Aug 99 - 08:01 AM

I've been trying hard to find the lyrics to a kid's song called (I think) "Sarah the Whale." It's all about this whale in San Fransisco that eats everything in sight. I haven't been able to find it anywhere. If you know the lyrics or ANYTHING about it, please email me at [e-mail]

thanks

Subject: Lyr Add: Sarah the Whale
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Aug 99 - 08:09 AM

SARAH THE WHALE

(tune: Dixie)

In Frisco town there lived a whale
They fed her peanuts by the pail
And washtubs and bathtubs
And sailboats and schooners

Her name is Sarah and she's a peach
But don't put food within her reach
Or babies, or nursemaids
Or chocolate ice cream sodas

She loves to smile and when she smiles
You can see her teeth for miles and miles
And her tonsils and her spare ribs
And things too fierce to mention

Now what can you do in a case like that
There's nothing to do but sit on your hat
Or your toothbrush, or your best friend
Or anything else that's helpless


copy from http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/flying.pigs/songs.html

by Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Sarah The Whale
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 05 Aug 99 - 08:24 AM

Wolfgang, I wonder what the translator would make of those lyrics! I don't know enough German to try!
I had a friend who claimed he could say only one essential phrase in a large number of languages. It was:
"My friend will pay for the drinks"

Subject: RE: Sarah The Whale
From: Jeri
Date: 05 Aug 99 - 08:38 AM

If you translate it to German, then back to English, you get:

Sarah d Whale

In Frisco city time out lives there whale
They draws in their peanut by d pail
And washtubs and bathtubs
And sailboats and schooners

Her name its Sarah and it its peach
But does not set food within it reach
Or baby, to smile or nursemaids
Or chocolate ice ice cream sodas

She dear and if they can smiles
You see their tooth for mile and miles
And their to almond and its back-up ribs
And thing also fierce too mention

Now which be able you to do in box like that
There's nothing to do however to sit on it hat
Or it toothbrush, or it well friend
Or still something its helpless

Subject: RE: Sarah The Whale
From: Song 'n Food
Date: 05 Aug 99 - 11:00 PM

Oh My!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: GUEST,Syd
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 01:13 AM

this is a song at my camp and it goes

In Frisco Bay there lives a whale
And she eats peanuts by the pail
And washtubs and bathtubs
And sailboats and schooners

Her name is Sarah and she's a peach
But don't let food get in her reach
Or babies, or nursemaids
Or chocolate ice cream sodas

She loves to smile and when she smiles
You can see her teeth for miles and miles
And her tonsils and her spare ribs
And things too fierce to mention

Now what can you do in a case like that
There's nothing to do but sit on your hat
Or your toothbrush, or your best friend
Or anything else that's useless

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 01:11 PM

Sounds like a relative of A horse named Bill

--------Link fixed. Joeclone--------

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 13 Aug 10 - 03:12 PM

Sounds more like a girl I went to school with :-0

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: GUEST,ally
Date: 15 Oct 13 - 05:03 AM

the version ive heard i a bit different at the end...instead
d of sitting on your best friend, he says grandmother.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WHALE (from Burl Ives)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Oct 13 - 11:21 PM

THE WHALE
As sung by Burl Ives on "Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck and Other Children's Favorites" (1951) and "The Folk Collection Volume One" (2013).

In San Francisco town there lived a whale.
She ate porkchops by the pail,
By the pillbox, by the suitcase,
By the bathtub, by the schooner.

Her name was Sarah and she's a peach,
But you can't leave food within her reach,
Nor nursemaids, nor airedales,
Nor chocolate ice-cream sodas.

She eats a lot, but when she smiles,
You can see her teeth for miles and miles,
And her adenoids, and her spareribs,
And things too fierce to mention.

So what can you do in a case like that?
What can you do but sit on your hat,
Or your toothbrush, or your grandmother,
Or anything else that's helpless?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Mar 15 - 08:50 PM

I also knew it growing up, most likely from Burl Ives.

So where did this song come from?

Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: EBarnacle
Date: 23 Mar 15 - 09:54 PM

In Burl Ives' Animal Fair album of the same period, a Children's Record Guild album, This song is part of a medley which includes most of the snippets which are known as A Horse Named Bill.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: GUEST,Dave Hunt
Date: 24 Mar 15 - 02:38 AM

My version....no idea where I got it...''twas a long time ago!

__________________________

I had horse his name was Bill, When he ran away he wouldn't stand still
He ran away one day, and also I ran with him

He ran so fast that he could not stop, he ran into a barber's shop
And fell exhaustionised, with his eye teeth, in the barber's left shoulder

I had a girl her name was Daisy, when she sang the cat went crazy
With delirium, St Vitus, all sorts of cataleptics

Daisy's my girl and she's a peach, but don't leave food within her reach
Or nursemaids, or babies or chocolate ice cream sodas

She loves to laugh and when she smiles, you just see teeth for miles and miles
And tonsils and spare ribs and things too fierce to mention

She loves games and when she plays, she runs around for days and days
And vibrates and yodels and breaks the ten commandments

She went up in a balloon so big, the people on earth they looked like pigs
Like lice, like mice, like fleas and like fleasen

The balloon turned up with it's bum side higher and landed on the wife of a country Squire
Who yelled like steam, like a train and like dynamite

Well what would you do in a case like that, what would you do but jump on you're hat
Or your toothbrush, or your mother-in-law, or anything else that's helpless

cheers!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Mar 15 - 02:46 AM

Missed a bit!
After 'She loves games' verse
_____________

She's goin' out in the woods next year, gonna hunt for beer and not for deer
She is, she ain't, she's a real sharpshootress

At shooting birds she is a beaut, there is no bird she cannot shoot
In the eyes. in the nose, in the teeth or in the finger.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 02:17 PM

As perfromed by a very early Kermit the Frog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWIshhoyyC4&fbclid=IwAR0n9ewMTr2wktPJIh4dWlpx4ae_t00J09MlNvuh-zfVA6GqJt3TxSAXCGw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Aug 19 - 11:11 AM

Her name is Leela, she's a peach is in Ed McCurdy' Horse Named Bill. The cataleptics verse is in Cisco Houston's, I think.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: Stevebury
Date: 14 Aug 19 - 12:29 PM

This dates back at least to Carl Sandburg's 'The American Songbag' (1927). Sandburg notes: "The tempo for this song is indicated as 'with lucid intervals if possible.' It is a highbrow folk song disbursed in many places where the higher learning is sought."

Not noted above, but the tune is the first part of "Dixie".

Further speculation and erudition at the Ballad Index http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/San340.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sarah the Whale
From: GUEST,!!
Date: 22 Oct 19 - 12:12 AM

The version I learned is a little different:

In Frisco Bay there was a whale
They fed her oysters by the pail
By the bathtub, by the teacup,
Thy thimble and by schooner.

Her name was Sarah and when she smiled
She showed her teeth for miles and miles
And her tonsils. And her spareribs
And things too fierce to mention.

Ohhhh what would you do with a whale like that?
What would you do if she sat on your hat?
Or your toothbrush, or you mother,
Or anything else that's useless!