Musical Puns?

Subject: Musical Puns?
From: Bert C
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 01:04 PM

In another month I will be participating in a song circle in which the theme will be puns ("Up-pun My Soul") Anyone have any ideas?

Bert C

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 03:23 PM

There's an immigration shantey called Yellow Meal which is based on a pun on the Irish pronounciation of Meal as mail. There's also The Private Still in the database.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Roger Himler
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 06:01 PM

Bert C.

If you know 12 bar blues, you can fake this one. I learned it from the singing of "Trout Fishing in America" an American "Folk music" duo.

I am too lazy to go look for the cassette (they aren't alphabetized, still} or I'd tell you the writer. In addition, I met an itinerant blues singer who said he had learned this from the English Music Hall tradition and converted it to blues.

You give me hard eggs in the morning, Cheese omelet you go. You give me hard eggs in the morning, Cheese omelet you go. You hot buttered grits your teeth and bear it, I donut love you anymore. Aside (Get that glazed look off of your face).

Ham, bacon you to leave me, I never sausage misery. Ham, bacon you to leave me, I never sausage misery. You treated me so ungrapefruitly, You gave me raisin to be free. Aside (Orange juice ashamed of yourself)

What do you eggs benedict me to do, girl? I got muffin left to say. What do you eggs benedict me to do, girl? I got muffin left to say. Aside (You butter come up with somethin') You left such a waffle toast in my mouth. You biscuit out of town today. Aside (I won't leave the home fries burnin' for ya.) Repeat first verse except for changing the last line,

Ain't gonna quiche you anymore. Even amidst a mess of puns, I expect this will still prove to be a crowd pleaser.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Roger Himler
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 06:10 PM

Sorry about the bold. I'm still learning HTML. Now I know that line breaks are BR in carets not b. Perhaps I will remember it tomorrow also.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: BAZ
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 06:15 PM

Somewhere in the database there's a parody of "Oh the hard times of old England" Called "Oh the Hard Cheese of old Egland" I think it's by Mrs. Ackroyd.
regards baz

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Bert C
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 06:26 PM

Thanks for the prompt responses - I must have struck a promising chord here.

Roger, the "Breakfast Blues" is a great song, but there's a female quartet in our circle that is known for performing that, so I wouldn't dare steal it. BAZ, "Hard Cheese" looks interesting - is there a tune anywhere?

Bert C

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Roger Himler
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 06:50 PM

Bert C.

Let's try for obscure. I heard a Chuck Brodsky song on a Waterbug Records sampler, I belive it was entitle "Food Song"

Now citrus self down for a moment,
I'll not take a latte your time. etc. etc. etc.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Moira Cameron
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 09:25 PM

How about this groaner:

You who love your pussy, be sure to keep him in Don't let him argue with a truck, the truck is bound to win And upon a busy road, don't let him play or frolic If you do, I'm warning you, it could be CAT-astrophic

from the enduring pen of Eric Bogle: "Nobody's Moggy Now"

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Barbara
Date: 24 Jun 98 - 09:58 PM

Oh yes. Puns. Hard Cheese of old England is a parody of Hard Times in Old England. If we don't have the tune here,(I'll check next) and post it if not. There's a bunch more to the song above (Nobody's Moggy Now) and I bet it's in DT. I know the parody of it AND No Man's Land called No Moggy Land, is that right? is in DT. There's that AWFUL kid's song, maybe funny once, bad more times that ends with "Hare today, goon tomorrow" and the version of Frere Jaques that consists of the words "Life is but a melancholy flower" sung to all four lines. Try it and you'll see what happens.
Searching Flanders and Swan is likely territory too.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Cuilionn
Date: 25 Jun 98 - 12:36 AM

A friend and I in college came up with the following dreadful bit, on the way home from a church service in which several "old faithful" hymns were badly rendered.

(To the tune of "What a Friend we have in Jesus")

What a friend we have in Cheez-whiz, all our crackers to adorn / Oh, what taste we often forfeit, spreadin' Cheez-whiz on our corn...

To be sung as "twangily" as possible... I've blanked out on the rest, which may be the result of divine intervention. Do with this what you will: add, subtract, divide, or conquer.

gabh spòrs,

--Cuilionn

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Earl
Date: 25 Jun 98 - 12:52 AM

There's a song on Robin Williamson's album "American Stonehenge" called "Zoo Blues" full of animal puns like:

Gorilla my dreams
You're a cheetah it seems

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: JB3
Date: 25 Jun 98 - 04:47 AM

I searched for [Pat Shaw] and the data-base came up with three items, but not these two:

A Lady Hippopotamus

A lady hippopotamus thought life was quite monotonous
Her mother never told her what was what
She was young and quite attractive but her glands were very active
And her love-life simply went to hippo-pot
She saw with awful clarity, her hippo-popularity
Did not extend to gentlemen she knew
And the hippo-poportunity for loving with impunity
Was not the hippo-proper thing to do

She was sad and she was lonely and she got the hippo-pip
'Til at last she took the fatal step to drink
Well it may sound quite irrelevant, but one day she met an elephant
And he of course to her looked hippo-pink
Now what happened, to be sure, was just a little bit obscure
But hippo-apparently she didn't think to stop
And now the wages of her sin are several hippo-picaninnies
Who have never really met their hippo-pop

and--not for the faint of heart:

I Had a Hippopotamus

I had a hippopotamus, I kept him in the shed
I fed him up on vitamins and vegetable bread
He was my dear companion on many cheery walks
I had his portrait done by a celebrity in chalks
bah-dum, bah-dum, bah-dum, bah-dum, bah-dum

The creature's popularity was wonderfully wide
His charming eccentricities were known on every side
He frolicked with a vigor in a dozen friendly tussels
You could not but remark upon his hippopota-muscles
bah-dum...

I had a hippopotamus, I loved him as a friend
But beautiful relationships are sure to have an end
Life robs us of our joys and deprives us of our blisses
My hippopotamus was a hippopota-misses (mrs.)

The housekeeper regarded her with jaundice in her eye
She didn't want a colony of hippopotami
She borowed a sub-machine gun from her soldier nephew, Percy
And showed my hippopotamus no hippopota-mercy

The house now lacks the glamour that the charming creature gave
The garage where I kept her is as silent as the grave
No longer can we wander thru the forest in the spring
No longer can I lead her thru the village on a string

I learned both by hearing them sung by friends and can't swear that they haven't changed in the (oral tradition) process.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 30 Jun 98 - 10:59 PM

Roy Rogers was cleaning the barn & took off his boots before he went into the house for breakfast. While he was inside, a mountain lion came along & ate the tops off Roy's new footwear. When he saw what had happened he jumped on Trigger and went after the animal. Later he rode home with the body of the animal slung over his saddloe. Dale Evans met him at the door. Sha sked, "Pardon me Roy, is that the cat that chewed your new shoes?"

In the town of Haifa, in Israel, a man named Joseph ran looting through the streets before he shot Mayor Newton of that town dead! The cops then killed him. Looking into his past history, all they could find out was that his mother had once lived in a convent in Barcelona, Spain and that Joseph had once worked on a farm. The caption under his picture in the newspaper said, "HAIFA LOOTIN', NEWTON SHOOTIN', SON OF A NUN FROM BACELONA, PART-TIME PLOWBOY, JOE!"

At the Rockford, Illinois Folk Festival a while ago, Ed Tricket was on stage and I yelled up too him to do the song about the guy who sells porno!! Ed was speechless. He said he didn't do any song like that. I answered, "Sure you do. It's Dave Goulder's song "January Man" that goes through the entire list of months in the year. At one point it mentions the PORNO VENDER MAN." (actually the poor November man)

Art

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Jul 98 - 04:15 AM

Art, did you ever see that chain list that was circulating about 10, 15 years ago that had all these song titles punned as herbs? Y'know, Grey Fennel Line, Lady Marjoram and Fair Lavender, like that? Must have had a couple hundred on it by the time I saw it...or maybe it was fair colander, I forget...
Blessings
Barbara

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From:
Date: 01 Jul 98 - 04:27 AM

Here are two frustrating ones.

George Burns used to start a song

If I had a nosefull of nickels
I would sneeze them all at you

But he never went any further.

The other one is by Ma Rainey called "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom". She starts out by saying "Come on folks, Ma Rainey is gonna show you her big black bottom", but the rest is, alas, instrumental.

There is an almost pun--I forget the name of the guy who did this. You can guess the tune.

I'm Melvin Rose of Texas,
and my friends all call me "Tex"
When I lived in old New Mexico
they used to call me Mex
When I lived in old Kentucky
they used to call me Key
I was born in old Shamoken
which is why they call me Melvin Rose

Murray

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Jul 98 - 08:44 PM

Hey, Murray, I can offer you some satisfaction on one of those... I got Ma Rainey singing "Black Bottom" on my House of Blues, Essential Women double CD. And she sings the whole song, not just the first line.
But, my friend, Black Bottom is a dance...as well as a double entendre...liner notes read:
""Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", a suggestive wordplay on a dance craze of the day, was one of her most populare domedic showstoppers, featureing "moneymaker" choreography that never failed to get the house rumbling."
If you want, I'll post the words.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From:
Date: 01 Jul 98 - 09:04 PM

I know the Black Bottom was/is a dance, Barbara, that is why I posted this as a musical pun. There is a song "Black Bottom" that goes with the dance. I would be interested in Ma Rainey's version of it.

That set of CDs sounds interesting. Is "House of Blues" the name of the record company? I want to try to find the set.

Murray

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Jul 98 - 11:54 PM

Here ya go, Murray, some of the line I just don't know. It's a pretty fuzzy recording, even enhanced, and I'm not always up on the slang dialect. There's one line that I just gave you the sound of it, I haven't a CLUE what she's saying. The recording is Platinum Entertainment, compiled by Thomas Leavens, and there's a couple wonderful collections on this House of Blues label. Take you from the beginning to present time with one song each of famous blues singers, and notes to tell you all about them .

Spoken: I do move it around, I'm goin', I'm gonna show you a dance, Ma Rainey gonna show you HER Black Bottom

Way down south in Alabammy
I got a friend they call dancin' Sammy
Who's crazy ‘bout all the latest dances
Black Bottom Stomp and the new baby francis (fancies?)

the other night at a belle (real?) affair
Soon as the boys found out that I was dancing,
"come on ma, let's go to the cabaret."
When I got there you ought to hear me say:

Want to see this dance you call the Black Bottom
I want to learn that dance.
Want to see the dance you call your Big Black Bottom
‘ll put you in a jam(?)

All the boys in the neighborhood
they say your Black Bottom look really good
Come on ‘n show me your Black Bottom
I wanna learn that dance.

I wanna see the dance you call the Black Bottom
I wanna learn that dance
Come on ‘n show the dance you call your big Black Bottom
‘N put the * in the pass(?) (* silent, probably a movement)
(‘pants' would rhyme)

All the like mornin bob champs recall dee (you got me, what ARE the words?)
Grampa tol my gran'mother, heard him say
Y' open and show'd your old man your Black Bottom,
I wanna learn that dance.

Now I'm gonna show y'all my Black Bottom
They stand to see that dance
Wait until you've seen me do my big Black Bottom
It puts me in a trance (?)

Spoken: Aw, do it Ma, do it honey look out now Ma, you gettin kinda rough, there. Tha's it, do y'stuff, now , careful now, Not too strong, not too strong, Ma ,

I done showed y'all my Black Bottom
You all should learn that dance!

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Eric M. (a newbie to Mudcat)
Date: 02 Jul 98 - 02:54 AM

Hello All!

This one is probably very common to many of you but I don't know where to find it: It is a full length song full of fish puns ie. "I flounder but then I lobster". (That's not even one of the better ones) I heard the song recently on the car radio but missed the artist's name. The lyric was done in a cool jazzy style narration. Bert C. would like this one, and I'd love to add it to my own repertoire. Can anyone help here?

Thanks! By the way, this forum is marvelous!

Eric

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Bert
Date: 06 Jul 98 - 11:38 AM

I lobster

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Bert C.
Date: 06 Jul 98 - 12:14 PM

Hey Bert & Eric

Believe it or not, I was thinking of that one, but didn't have a copy. I still don't know the tune, but I'm sure it's on that Pinkard & Bowden comedy album, "Gettin' Stupid", that was promoted on Radio & TV ("Not Available In Stores") a year or so back. There was a bunch of them on there, and now I'm regretting that I didn't whip out my plastic and call in before midnight. I remember another one that intrigued me - "She Thinks I Steal Cars." ("She Thinks I Still Care") I wonder if I can still order the album.

Bert C.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 06 Jul 98 - 12:17 PM

"I'll wear your underwear tonight" (I Wonder Where You Are Tonight)is a Bluegrass standard.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Kiwi
Date: 06 Jul 98 - 07:50 PM

Eric M. - there's another song chock full of fish puns that I got from a friend's mix tape last year. I believe that it's called "Wet Dream". If you like, I'll post it here for you.

Slán, Kiwi

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From:
Date: 06 Jul 98 - 08:28 PM

Thanks Barbara. If I get hold of the album, I will see if I can fill in some the missing words. Ma must have put on a great show ;-}

Murray

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Cuilionn
Date: 07 Jul 98 - 03:38 AM

Alricht, this is verra obscure, but if ony o' ye can wricht sangs in Gaelic, here lurks a terrible sang jist waitin' tae happen. I've recently lairned that th' Gaelic word for "slut" (I'm thinkin' 'tis spelled "strùpag") is verra claise tae th' waird "struapag", which means "a cup of tea." Think o' th' possibilities!

There ye are...run wi' it, oor run awa' frae it.

Gabh spòrs,

--Cuilionn

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: AndyG
Date: 07 Jul 98 - 08:43 AM

If you're interested in parodies and puns bookmark Les Barkers Homepage at Mrs Ackroyd Enterprises and check out the "strange poem" link. This page is updated about every three weeks.

His works are often, but not exclusively pun-filled.

AndyG

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Eric M.
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 03:44 PM

Thanks kindly for the lyrics to "I Lobster & Never Flounder", Bert. That's the one! Now I hope one of my cronies knows the aire of it.

Cheers!

Eric M.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Eric M. from Alberta
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 03:53 PM

Kiwi,thanks for the offer. Please do post "Wet Dreams", (the fish pun song) if you please. I'm sure I can use it in one way or another.

I'm actually on holidays now (am posting from Vancouver)and may not be able to check back for a few weeks, so thanks in advance!

All the best, Eric

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 07:54 PM

Barbara, I suspect it's "Ya up an' and showed your old man your Black Bottom". "Open" would be a little "too strong".

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 08:35 PM

The books of Spider Robinson are FULL of puns AND references to various forms of folk music...weird books, but hard to put down..

"When you swim inna da sea, an' a eel bites-a you knee, dat's a moray..."

"when two patterns combine, in a way serpentine, that's a moire'".

(there's LOTS more-ay inna da book)

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Kiwi
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 12:10 AM

YES!!! Someone else reads Spider Robinson!! D'ye remember the Many Hands pun?

And I'll get to work posting "Wet Dream" in a moment, Eric.. I just have to zip upstairs and find the tape.

Slán, Kiwi

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Bob Landry
Date: 28 Oct 98 - 07:27 PM

I've been thinking of transcribing the lyrics to this tune from a CD I have by The Alien Rebels, a group from Calgary. Love the tune. Thanks for the link.

Bob

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Barbara
Date: 28 Oct 98 - 11:39 PM

Talk about synchronicity. This thread floats to the surface again and today someone emails me the lyrics to "Wet Dream". Of course, she had no idea it was a song, and the chorus and the end are missing, but here's most of it.
It was April 4th 44, being a quadruple leap year, I was driving downtown Atlantis, my Baracuda was in the shop, so I was in a rented Stingray and it was overheating. I pulled into a Shell Station, they said I'd blown a seal. I said "Fix the damn thing and leave my private life out of it, pal".
While they were doing that I walked over to a place called The Oyster Bar, a real dive. But I knew the owner, he used to play for the Dolphins. I said "Hi, Gill!" (you have to> yell, he's hard of herring) Gill was also down on his luck, fact is, he was barely keeping his head below water. I bellied up to the Sand Bar, he poured the usual: Rusty Grunion, shaken not stirred, with a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich on the side, heavy on the mako. I slipped a fin, on porpoise.

I was feeling good. I even dropped a sand dollar in the box for Jerry's Squids. For the halibut. Well, the place was crowded - we were packed in like sardines. They were all there to listen to the big band sounds of Tommy Dorsal. What sole. Tommy was rocking the place with a very popular tuna, "Sand Enchanted Evening". The stage was surrounded by screaming guppies, probably there to see the bass player.

One of them was this cute little yellowtail. She was giving me the eye, so I thought this was chance to have a little fun. Or a piece of Pisces. But she said things I just couldn't fathom. She was too deep. Seemed to be under a lot of pressure. Boy, could she drink! She drank ....... she drank a lot. I said "What's your sign?", she said "Aquarium". I said "Great! Let's get tanked!" I invited her up to my place for a little midnight bait. I said "C'mon, it'll only take a few minnows". She threw me that same old line, "Not tonight - I got a haddock".

She wasn't kidding either, because just then in came in the biggest, meanest haddock I ever seen come down the pike. He was covered with mussels. He came over to me and said "Listen Shrimp! Don't you come trolling around here!" What a crab. This guy was steamed. I could see the anchor in his eyes. I turned to him and said "Abalone! - you're just being shellfish". Well, I knew there was going to be trouble, and so did Gill, because he was already on the phone to the cods. The haddock hits me with a sucker punch.
I catch him with a left hook. He eels over. It was a fluke, but there he was, lying on the deck, as flat as a mackerel. Kelpless. I said "Forget the cods, Gill, this guy's gonna need a sturgeon".

Well, the yellowtail was impressed with the way I landed her boyfriend. She came over to me, she said "Hey big boy, you're really a game fish - what's your name?" I said "Marlin". Well, from then on we had a whale of a time. I took her to dinner, I took her to dance, I bought her a bouquet of flounders.
(ending missing, something about just getting a case of the clams)
Blessings,
Barbara

> > > >

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Eric M.
Date: 29 Oct 98 - 03:43 AM

Wow! I thought this thread would have been turfed by now. Way back in the summer I was here trolling for fish song puns and Bert C. was so kind as to help with "I Lobster...".

Today I happen by and find "Wet Dreams", compliments of Barbara... posted just yesterday and only the second posting since July! Must have been meant to be.

Kiwi, if your around, and can fill in the missing lyrics, I'd be much obliged.

Man, this place is great! Pardon my gushing...but it really is :-). Thanks,

Eric

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 12:34 AM

Well, there's "London Derriere"...I'm not sure where one finds a venue to perform it, but it's indubitably a pun.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: BSeed
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 10:20 PM

The food pun song Roger mentioned way above this is on Waterbug Anthology 2, and is called, aptly enough, "The Food Pun Song," and is indeed performed slyly by Chuck Brodsky. I just ran across it yesterday, and as I was occupied with other matters when it came on, it took me a while to get what it was. Finally, the second time I heard him sing "...a ladyfingers me as a cereal killer..." I realized what it was. --seed

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Nov 98 - 01:08 AM

Click here to get to "Wet Dream."
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 27 Nov 98 - 07:55 AM

"London derriere" is in contradistinction to "country seat " (from the Carry On film "Don't loose your head").

'There are no songs about Montreal' 'Yes there are - "I'm a dreamer, Montreal"' (Groucho Marx)

I've thrown a custard in her face

If I remember any more I'll try to keep them to myself.

Steve

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: AndreasW
Date: 27 Nov 98 - 08:20 AM

On reading the title of this thread I thought of something completely different.
All the puns given so far are lyric puns, not music puns, as I see it.
A musical pun is something like Johann Sebastian Bach composing a Fuge (don't know the english word for it) with a theme of the four notes b-a-c-h
Or doing themes with 14 tacts (if you replace a by 1, b by 2, c by 3 and so on, h is replaced by 8, and so b+a+c+h = 2+1+3+8 = 14)
Examples of that kind was what I expected to see
But I had a good laugh all the same reading some of the lyrical puns (not understanding the others).
Andreas

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 01:35 AM

Many of these replies aren't truly puns but fun nopn the less. The following are of my own mind :

Amazing grapes, how sweet and round That soon will raisins be, Across my tongue, in texture rare, A wrinkled ecstatsy.

Welders Gospel songs.

Burning in the sleaves, Burning in the sleaves, It could hurt a whol;e lot, Burning in the sleeves.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: gargoyle
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 01:44 PM

Andreas W.

Mozart wrote such a piece that he titled, "A Musical Jest" or "A Musical Joke" "Musikalspass"

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Theresa
Date: 30 Nov 98 - 11:51 PM

I learned this in Girl Scouts, with a kind of can-can tune.

It's apple blossom time in Orange, New Jersey We'll make a peach of a pear Oh you cantaloupe in a banana wagon Or you'll mango your toes Squash!

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Theresa
Date: 01 Dec 98 - 12:03 AM

I learned this in Girl Scouts, with a kind of can-can tune.

It's apple blossom time in Orange, New Jersey We'll make a peach of a pear Oh you cantaloupe in a banana wagon Or you'll mango your toes Squash!

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 01 Dec 98 - 12:24 PM

Andreas, the English word for "Fuge" is "fugue". What's a tact?

People who are wondering how Bach spelled his name in notes might want to know that in German, B means the note we call B-flat, and H means the note we call B. (At least that was true in Bach's time. Is it still?) Bach used numerology elsewhere--at least there's supposed to be a reason the word "crucifixus" is sung 42 times in the Mass in B Minor (Messe in h-moll).

I once wrote a pun-filled song about Analog-to-Digital Converters (don't ask why). You can probably guess what were the last three notes in the line "learn your ADC's". (Speaking of which, what are the first three notes of the Jackson Five's song "ABC"?)

As my friend Prof. Dan Falvey used to say, "Use a pun--go to jail."

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: AndreasW
Date: 02 Dec 98 - 03:15 AM

For Jerry:

As I can't reach the German - English dictionary on the web at the moment, I have to describe what I meant when I wrote tact (in German Takt. A Takt is the part of the music notes between two vertical lines, usually 3 or 4 quarter notes. (Sorry if I do not know the correct English words...).

For Gargoyle:

The German name of Mozart's piece is "Musikalischer Scherz"

Andreas

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 02 Dec 98 - 03:58 AM

Andreas, Takt is bar in English.

When I was a little lad in the 50's, the BBC's opening musical motto (nothing as plebeian as a jingle in those days!) was the three notes B B C, played rather slowly.

Steve

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Jerry Friedman
Date: 02 Dec 98 - 11:58 AM

"Bar" in English, "measure" in American. American "bar" is English "pub" or "public house", not to be confused with French "maison publique" (=whorehouse).

(Actually, I'm oversimplifying, Andreas. Americans sometimes say "bar", as in "twelve-bar blues", and I wonder whether the British sometimes say "measure". But the British say "crotchet" where you and we say "quarter note", so pay them no mind.)

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: COINWOLF
Date: 09 Nov 02 - 02:47 PM

For JB3

I learned the Hippopotamus song
"I had a hippopotamus I kept him in a shed"
way back in the early 70's, may even be late 60's.Mainly because it had easy chords at the time I started fooling around with a guitar.
Now and then, sometimes on request I come out with it at a singaround. The words I've got are different in places eg "frolicked with the Rector" rather than "frolicked with vigour" with no "dum de dum" between verses.Also I have two extra verses.
I learned my version in Cheltenham,Gloucestershire, would be fascinated to learn where you first heard it and when.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Genie
Date: 09 Nov 02 - 03:47 PM

Murray, that "Melvin Rose" song is by Allan Sherman, who did a lot of great puns in his songs.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 22 May 07 - 01:25 AM

Worth another look...

Whey hey, and up she rises!

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 22 May 07 - 06:22 AM

No-one seems to have mentioned "What did Della Wear?" That must be old enough to be a folk song by now.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: GUEST,chris
Date: 22 May 07 - 08:24 AM

try 'faithless sally brown' -mick ryan and pete harris based on a poem by thomas hood.last line runs something like- the crew told the sexton and the sexton tolled the bell
chris

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Mark H.
Date: 22 May 07 - 09:23 AM

Hear Robin Williamson's "Zoo Blues".

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Joe_F
Date: 22 May 07 - 08:47 PM

From "Faithless Sally Brown":

Says he, 'They've only taken him
To the Tender-ship, you see;'
'The Tender-ship,' cried Sally Brown,
'What a hard-ship that must be!'
...
'Oh, Sally Brown, oh, Sally Brown,
How could you serve me so?
I've met with many a breeze before,
But never such a blow!'
...
His death, which happened in his berth,
At forty-odd befell:
They went and told the sexton, and
The sexton toll'd the bell.

From "Faithless Nelly Gray":

Ben Battle was a soldier bold,
And used to war's alarms,
But a cannon-ball took off his legs,
So he laid down his arms!
...
'Oh, Nelly Gray! Oh, Nelly Gray!
Is this your love so warm?
The love that loves a scarlet coat
Should be more uniform!'
...
'Why then,' said she, 'you've lost the feet
Of legs in war's alarms,
And now you cannot wear your shoes
Upon your feats of arms!'

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 23 May 07 - 03:08 PM

The version I have of Pearl Bryant (who was known the wild world o'er / Beheaded by Scott Jackson / whom she really did adore) ends with the admonition "Oh girls, don't lose your head!"

And my version of another murder ballad whose name escapes me, but it's about a man who comes to take a woman out walking but kills her instead, and the sister testifies - "She swore I was the very man that took her sister out!"

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 May 07 - 03:16 PM

"While the organ pealed potatoes
Lard was rendered by the choir;
And the sexton wrung the dishrag
Someone set the church on fire.
"Holy Smoke!" the preacher shouted
As he wildly tore his hair;
Now his head resembles Heaven
For there is no parting there. "

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: Joe_F
Date: 23 May 07 - 09:19 PM

Inasmuch as limericks are often sung, one might add

The youth who attend picture palaces
Have no use for psychoanalysis.
Altho Dr Freud
Is distinctly annoyed,
They cling to their long-standing fallacies.

Now everyone likes a butch guy.
That's a fact that we cannot deny.
But between butch & bitch
Is such a small switch --
Just the difference between U & I!

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: GUEST,Al
Date: 23 May 07 - 09:40 PM

I have a nun pun. But the lesbian said about it, the better.

Subject: RE: Musical Puns?
From: JB3
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 02:48 PM

COINWOLF, I learned the hippo song you referred to, in the early seventies, at Berea College, in Kentucky. I never saw it written down, so "rector" could be right. As I think of it, the way I remember the line was, "I frollicked with A vigor in a dozen friendly tussles," so you're probably right. I am very interested in the extra verses you mentioned. Please post them!