Monday, March 02, 2020

I Fell on My Sneeze

I fell on my sneeze. For some obscure reason, I said that to myself after putting my hands of my knees for two consecutive big sneezes. (I usually put my hands on my knees as a good stabilizer for my back during cataclysmic sneezes, which can send people running for cover.)

And then I began to think of and sing this song, or at least a version of it, from my elementary school days.


Wikipedia's Lyrics
I went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there;
The little raccoon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey he got drunk
And sat on the elephant's trunk,
The elephant sneezed and went down on his knees
And what become of the monk?
Those Wiki lyrics weren't exactly the words that I learned back in elementary school, but they are close. My raccoon was old and a she. Well, why I don't rewrite the whole piece as I remember it?
I went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there
The old raccoon by the light of the moon
Was combing her auburn hair.
The funniest sight was da monk
It climbed up the elephant's trunk.
The elephant sneezed and fell on its knees
But what become of da monk?
Da monk da monk da monk da monk
But what because of da monk?
Those last two lines were great fun.

There is an alternative version by Tex Ritter and others in which  "that was the end of the monk" rather than "what became of the monk," which is the way that we sang it, and as far as I can tell was also the original lyrics.

I sang that at least 60 years ago, but I remember the tune, and I think I have close to the words of the version that I learned.

I find this memory just a little synchrodipitous that this occurred almost immediately after posting my previous piece about memory.


17 comments:

Jenn Jilks said...

I don't remember that song!
I hear you about bracing for a sneeze. We both have back issues. C'mon, SPRING!

PipeTobacco said...

I was not familiar with that song. It seems cute. It reminded me a little bit of Dr. Seuss.... and today today happens to be Theodore Geisel’s birthday too.

PipeTobacco

Barbara Rogers said...

Ha ha, it was not in my repertoire however. With huge coughing each day, usually in the evenings, I seldom sneeze. My breathing has shifted gears I guess.

Sue said...

Ha, well I know the song, though I think I learned it when my sons were at a playgroup or toddler group. But I know it as 'the big baboon' rather than 'the old raccoon'. I wonder if that's because raccoons are relatively unknown in the UK. I also thought the monkey 'fell out of his bunk' rather than getting drunk, but then that might be the child-friendly version suitable for toddler groups!

Marcia said...

You should be sneezing into a tissue or your elbow so you don't spread germs.

Marie Smith said...

You are drawing items from the deep recesses of your memory now AC. I don’t recall that song at all.

gigi-hawaii said...

It's a cute song. Never heard it in my life. I think your version is better.

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

I remember that, though my words were a bit different (only a bit) from the ones you knew....

Joanne Noragon said...

This was quite a popular song. Both my parents sang it. Sixty year ago I was 17, and I remember it long before that.
Do you remember a teddy bear picnic? That was another one they sang around the house, and I can't piece it together at all.

dellgirl said...

OOOhhh mannn, this immediately transported me back to my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade music class. We used to sing this all the time...LOVED it! Thanks for the stroll down memory lane. I just hope this doesn't get "stuck-in-my-head" like tunes tend to do sometimes.

Thanks for the memory making smile!

PS: Our words were a little bit different, but mostly the same.













Rita said...

I remember hearing the song somewhere but it wasn't one we sang as children. Still, I remember hearing it. Might have been on TV. :)

David M. Gascoigne, said...

It is amazing what pops into your head!!

DJan said...

I remember that song well! Now that you gave me the words, I have it dancing in my head. :-)

Vicki Lane said...

Oh, my! When I was in college, about sixty years ago, I was briefly a member of a sorority and ate at the sorority house several times a week. The kitchen staff had some part time workers-- all college boys who could occasionally be induced to emerge from the pots and pans and come out and sing to the sorority. And this was the song they sang. I've never hear it anywhere else. Perhaps one of them was Canadian.

MARY G said...

You got it into two posts in a row. Im pressive.

dellgirl said...

Oh Goodness Gracious, look at my comment up there. I must have fallen asleep while holding down the "Enter" key. Siiiggghhh |: So Sorry about that.

William Kendall said...

I've never heard of that one.