Lyr Req: Whale of a Tale (from '20,000 Leagues...)

Subject: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 11:57 AM

I'd like to find the words to the song that Kirk Douglas sang in 20000 Leagues Beneath The Sea. I remember most of the chorus as:
      
          Got a whale of a tale to tell you lads,
          A whale of a tale or two,
          Of the fish I've caught and the girls I've loved
          ______________________________________
          And its all true as the moon above
          I swear by my tattoo.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 12:15 PM

It's already here on another thread, but here ya' go anyway!

WHALE OF A TALE (Gimbel/Hoffman)

In "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," Kirk Douglas amuses the crew of his ship with this bawdy little number. You too can be witty when singing this in your pool or bathtub.

CHORUS: I've a whale of a tale to tell you, lad,
A whale of a tale or two,
About the flapping fish, and the girls I've loved,
And nights like this with the moon above,
A whale of a tale and it's all true,
I swear by my tattoo,

There was Mermaid Minnie; met her down in Madagascar,
She would kiss me, anytime that I would ask her,
Then one evening, her flame of love blew out,
Well blow me down and pick me up, she swapped me for a trout! CHORUS.

There was Typhoon Tessie; met her off the coast of Java,
When she kissed me, I'd bubble up like molten lava,
Then she gave me the scare of my young life,
Well blow me down and pick me up, she was the Captain's wife! CHORUS.

There was Harpoon Hannah; had a face that'd make you shudder,
Lips like fishhooks, and a nose just like a rudder,
If I kissed her, and held her tenderly,
Then there's no sea monster big enough, to ever frighten me! CHORUS.


Spaw

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Bernard
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 03:49 PM

And there was me thinking this might be a thread about nubile young things displaying bits of their underwear...! ;o)

I'll get me coat...

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Wesley S
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 04:02 PM

As I recall the last time I saw this movie Kirk Douglas was actually playing the instrument he was holding. I'm assuming it was a uke of some sort. I hate to watch actors pretending to play a stringed instrument when there are so many musicians out of work.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Cool Beans
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 04:20 PM

I remember it as a concertina or accordion. The memory does play tricks.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Cool Beans
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 04:26 PM

Well, I'm wrong. Wikipedia (not guaranteed but usually correct) says it was a guitar and that the movie's production designer, Harper Goff, taught Kirk Douglas how to play it for the number.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Wesley S
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 04:53 PM

As I recall the "guitar" was made to look like it was made from a turtle shell. They looked like uke chords to me. And there was a concertina of some sort on the song - but Kirk wasn't playing it.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: GUEST,memyself
Date: 03 Nov 06 - 05:02 PM

As I recall, it was a tuba.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Duke
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 07:50 AM

It was a kind of uke and this is not the only time Kirk has played this instrument. He also played one in the movie, "Man Without A Star".

Thanks for the lyrics. I have also been looking for them for quite a while.

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: NormanD
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 06:42 PM

If anyone wants an MP3 of the song (sung by Spartacus himself) I can email it to you. Please send me a PM.

Norman

Subject: RE: Whale Of A Tail - 20000 Leagues
From: Naemanson
Date: 07 Nov 06 - 03:24 AM

Bob Zentz sings this song on his CD 'Hove To And Driftin'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whale of a Tale (from '20,000 Leagues...)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Sep 08 - 10:05 AM

There is an alternate third verse about "Harpoon Hannah" which was included on a Disney 3-CD box set of their movie tunes in the mid 1990s:

The alternate version goes like this:

Then there was Harpoon Hannah...
She had a look that shouted "Danger!"
When she came up
And she whispered "Hey there, Stranger..."
I bought her trinkets
That sailors can't afford
    (Extreme Bass - SAILORS CAN'T A-FOOOOOOORRRRRRRRDDDDDD)
And when I spent my last red cent
She tossed me overboard!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whale of a Tale (from '20,000 Leagues...)
From: GUEST,a rather large nerd
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 08:38 AM

Just watched 20,000 Leagues the other night.

When he plays this song with all the sailors he is playing a really big ukulele, or at least a guitar with four strings (is there such a thing?) however on the song it sounds like a guitar. There is an accordion player next to him.

LATER – when he is in the Nautilus, he makes a ukulele out of a turtle shell and spine. He plays the song for Nemo's pet seal and it sure sounds like a ukulele.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whale of a Tale (from '20,000 Leagues...)
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 05:32 PM

...and the squid played a really huge underwater melodian...and dined on "saute' of unborn octupus," in the immortal words of Nemo (James Mason).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whale of a Tale (from '20,000 Leagues...)
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 08:13 PM

Do you know who sang that version?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Whale of a Tale (from '20,000 Leagues...)
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 20 - 09:03 PM