Letter of the Week Songs

Zebediah Zebra
(To the tune “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”)

z song

D
Zebediah, is a chewing,
G                 D
On his zesty zebra hay.

He seems happy, with his herd now.
A         D
He’s a zebra in Zimbabwe.

With his mother and his brother,
G                          D
He zigzags and finds his way.

With his cousins and his aunties.
A        D
He’s a zebra in Zimbabwe.

The Wolf and the Witch
(To the tune of “The Cat Came Back”)

w song

Dm          C               Bb                       A7
Early one morning, a witch wiped her wand.
Dm                                   C           Bb              A7
She cackled, “Once it’s clean, I’ll zap frog in pond!”
Dm                       C             Bb                   A7
Frog whined for help, and Wiley wolf did hear,
Dm                  C                           Bb                    A7
Wiley walked behind the witch and bit her on the rear,

Dm            C               Bb               A7
Oh, the witch was warty and generally despised,
Dm                   C              Bb                     A7
Wiley was no puppy, he bit her down to size,
Dm                       C           Bb            A7
She never hurt the frog, or any other thing,
Dm                  C               Bb                   A7
‘Cause Wiley wouldn’t let her, as long as he was king.
Dm
Wise Wiley, Owooo!

Velma the Velociraptor
(To the tune “White Room” by The Cream)

v song

Dm  C  Am  G
Dm  C  Am  G  Em

D         C        G                F-G       D           C G F-G
Steaming jungle, misty heat waves, panting duckbill.
D           C        G              F-G      D             C G F-G
Velma crouches, velvet ear-holes, turn to listen.
D        C              G         F-G          D                C G F-G
Very shady, ferns are waving, seems so peaceful.
D          C                 G          F-G       D     C G F-G
Now she’s leaping, through the jungle, farewell duckbill.

C         G                  Bb       A
Velma is swift, she’s a velociraptor.
C                  G                         Bb       C                    D
She waits in this place, where the shadows run from themselves.

D         C       G                 F-G       D            C G F-G
Steaming jungle, misty heat waves, baby T-Rex.
D            C         G              F-G       D              C G F-G
Velma crouches, velvet ear-holes, turn to listen.
D         C            G            F-G           D           C G F-G
Mommy T-Rex, comes a stomping, watch out Velma.
D           C                G          F-G         D
Now she’s leaping, through the jungle, farewell Velma.
F-G          D C G      F-G          D C G     F-G          D C G
Farewell Velma.      Farewell Velma.     Farewell Velma.

F-G          D C G
Farewell Velma.

Queen Pauline
(To the tune “Polythene Pam” by Lennon & McCartney)

q song

G D A, G D A
G   D          A
Well you should see Queen Pauline,
G         D          A
She’s quite the quirky preteen,
C
On her quarter horse quest,
E
She’s simply doing her best,
F          G        A
She’s quite the ruler supreme.
F        G       A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

G D A, G D A

G                D          A
Quarrels simply make her queasy.
G              D      A
As do quails served up too greasy.
C
She’s the kind of a girl,
E
Who can run like a squirrel,
F   G         A
She’s our Queen Pauline.
F        G      A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

G D A, G D A

My Excellent Grammy
(To the tune “Cripple Creek”)

x song

D                            G              D
An excess of x’s is all that I see,
G             A       D
Examining the creases on my excellent Grammy.
G           D
No loops no squiggles, just x’s all over.
G         A     D
Grammy don’t know it, but she’s x’ed up all over.

The other day I teased her, she didn’t seem to mind.
A                    D
Next thing I knew, she’d paddled my behind.

I learned you don’t talk about x’s on folks,
A              D
Just stick to exciting and excellent jokes.

Manny Mouse
(To the tune of Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones)

m song

B     D     B     D

B               D        A           B  (D A)
I’m a mouse, and I ain’t afraid of no cat.
B              D      A                B
With my mouth, I can chew any fur ball flat.
D       A
Yeah, yeah,
B                    D        A              B
I’m a mouse, and I ain’t afraid of no cat.
D         A
No, no, no
B             D                 A         B
With my claws, I’ll scratch them up like that.
D               A
Watch out baby,

D  A       E                    B
‘Cause it’s all right now, in fact it’s a blast.
D   A       E                               B
‘Cause it’s all right, I’m Manny Mouse and I’m a gas,
D  A  B  D  A  B
gas, gas!

Ginger B. Goode
(Based on Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”)

g song

(A)Deep down in Lousiana close to New Orleans,
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens,
There (D) stood a log cabin made of earth and wood,
Where (A) lived a country girl named Ginger B. Goode.
Who (E) never ever learned to read and write so well,
But she could (A) play a guitar just like a ringing a bell,

Go, go. Go Ginger go, go! Go Ginger go, (D) go!
Go Ginger go, (A) go! Go Ginger go, (E) go!
Ginger B. (A) Goode.

Who’s That Boiling in the Pot?
(To the tune “Run Run Rudolph” by Chuck Berry)

p song

A                D                   A
Run punky piglets, Papa wolf is comin’ to town.
D                               A
Hide in straw house, but Papa wolf will blow it down.
E7                D7                  A
Run punky piglets, he’s whirlin’ like a merry-go-round.

D            A
Said wolf to the piglets, “I’ll put you in a pot to boil?”
D                             A
“Perhaps some parsley and a little lemon oil?”
E7                    D7                       A
Well the piglets hit the road and his plan they tried to foil.

D                     A
Run punky piglets, Papa wolf is comin’ to town.
D                               A
Hide in brick house, so Papa wolf can’t blow it down.
E7                   D7                 A
Hide punky piglets, he’s whirlin’ like a merry-go-round.

D                     A
Said piglets to the wolf, “Come on down our brick chimney!”
D                                 A
Nanny-nanny-poo-poo, slide on down and set us free.
E7                D7                     A
Papa fell into the hot pot and boiled to eternity.

D                     A
Run punky piglets, Papa wolf is comin’ to town.
D                               A
Hide in brick house, so Papa wolf can’t blow it down.
E7                   D7                 A
Hide punky piglets, he’s whirlin’ like a merry-go-round.

Old King
(Sung to the tune of “Old Man” by Neil Young)

k song

F   D   F   D
F                                     D
King Midas, what is worth more, gold or people you adore?
F                                     D         (FCGDFCF)
King Midas, what is worth more, gold or people you adore?

D                       F
It started when you made a wish,
C                            G
What you touched would turn goldish.
D                  F              C              F
You had lots of fun at first, gilding all you saw.
D                  F                 C                    G
Time to eat you could not feed, golden nuggets will break your teeth.
D             F                  C             F     (D Am Em7)
Was a gift, now a curse, it’s only getting worse.

D                                       Am           Em7
Old King, take a look at your life, what will you choose?
D                                 Am          Em7
You need people to hold you the whole day through.
D                                        Am      Em7 (DFCGD)
Oh one look in your eyes and you can tell it’s true.

Bitty-babe
(Sung to the tune of “Lollipop”, by Ben Kweller)

b song

G  Em  C  D,  G  Em  C  D

G                   Em            C            D
Bitty-babe, bitty-babe, itty-bitty, bitty-babe,  [2x]

C
My bitty-baby brother cries all of the time,
G
My mommy says he’s exercising.
C
He’s building up his lung capacity,
A                                      D
Driving all the rest of us crazy.

G                   Em            C            D
Bitty-babe, bitty-babe, itty-bitty, bitty-babe,  [2x]

C
My brother blows bubbles all of the time,
G
Out of his mouth and his nose.
C
It’s really kind of funny, we all like to laugh
A                                   D
Our love for him grows and grows.

G                   Em            C            D
Bitty-babe, bitty-babe, itty-bitty, bitty-babe,  [2x]

Yellow Jacket Blues
(Sung to the tune “Angels From Montgomery” by John Prine)

y song

G         C        G          C
I am a yellow, a yellow jacket.
G              C            D           G
I fly with my buddy, we’ve a long way to go.
G                     C          G          C
We found yummy yogurt, syrupy yams,
G                    C                D              G
With all this food, we’re on our way home.

G          F            C            G
I am an angel, I fly to my nest.
G                F             C                G
I bring the food, to feed all my friends.
G                   F                     C
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to.
G                          C                    D
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go.

Splish, Splash

(be sure to visit our other blog at http://mcdsblogs.org/trout)

trout song

Splish, splash, I was takin’ a bath,
In my fish tank today,
I’m just an egg, floating in my bag,
The temperature is feeling okay.
I was movin’ and a groovin’,
Splishin’ and a splashin,
Oo baby, I love the action,
Zoom, zim, I thought I couldn’t swim, but then I popped my little fins out.

Splish, splash, I was takin’ a bath,
I’m an alevin today.
My egg sack is a anchorin’ me,
The temperature is feeling okay.
I was movin’ and a groovin’,
Splishin’ and a splashin’,
Oo baby, I love the action,
Zoom, zim, I thought I couldn’t swim, but then I swept my tail about.

Splish, splash, I was takin’ a bath,
I’m a small fry today.
I’m zoomin’ here, I’m zoomin’ there,
The temperature is feeling okay.
I see my sister, I see my brother,
I’m ready for the real world mother,
Zoom zim, now I can swim, I’m ready for the creek today!

Harriet the Hippo
(To the Tune of Geronimo’s Cadillac by Quarto & Murphy.)

h song

D A G D
They put Harriet in a zoo downtown,
G D
She couldn’t see another hippo runnin’ around.
D A G D
Warden, Warden, don’t you know,
G D
There’s something wrong with your lovely hippo?

D A G D
Whoa, boys, take me back
G D
I wanna ride on Harriet’s big broad back. [Chorus 2x]

D A G D
Governor, Governor, ain’t it clear,
G D
Harriet the Hippo’s not happy here.
D A G D
Warden, Warden, listen to me:
G D
Be brave and set Harriet free.

[Chorus 2x]

Rockin’ Raven
(To the Tune of Rockin’ Robin)

r song

E                E7       E        E7
She rocks in the river all day long.
E            E7            E              E7
Rockin’ and rollin’ and singing this song.
E                 E7              E            E7
All the little roosters on rainbow row,
E                E7            E        E7
Love to hear the raven sing really slow.

A        A7    A     A7
Rockin’ Raven, rock, rock, rock.
E        E7    E     E7
Rockin’ Raven, rock, rock, rock.
B7
Roll rockin’ Raven,
A                A7      E         (E7)
‘Cause you’re really going to rock tonight!

The Last Unicorn
by Jimmy Webb

u song

Am  F  G, Am  F  G
Am
When the last vulture flies,
F                     G
Over the last crumbling mountain.
Am
And the last kudu soars,
F               G
Over the last dusty fountain.
Am                   C
In the shadow of the forest,
F                      C
Though she may be old and worn.
F              C                      F        G
They will stare, unbelieving, at the last unicorn.

C      Am           F      G
I’m alive,         I’m alive,
C      Am           F      G       Am
I’m alive,         I’m alive.

Ernestine the Elephant
(To the Tune of “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young)

e song

Em         D        Em        D
Em       C        D              G
Ernestine, she is my queen.
Em          C                D           G
She is an elephant with serious heft.
Em           C            D             G
She has a kind heart, which is no small part.
Em                            G
A pachyderm who would not squish a germ.
C            (walk down to G)
Ernestine, she is my queen.

Em                 D        Em
Ernestine has a heart of gold.
Em                            D          Em
She may be wrinkly and she may be old.
Em                     D            Em
But Ernestine has a heart of gold.
C        (walk down to G)
Ernestine, she is my queen.

Olly Octopus
(To the tune of ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ by Green Day)

o song

Secret Sammy Snake
(To the tune of ‘Secret Agent Man’)

 s song

Em                    Am              Em
There’s a snake who wears the smile of a stranger.
B7
To everyone he meets he is a danger.
Em
With every slither he takes,
Am
Your confidence he shakes,
Em                   Am        Em
Odds are you won’t sing a song tomorrow.

Em        Bm        Em
Secret Sammy Snake.
Bm        Em
Secret Sammy Snake.
C              B
You’d better run for cover
B7              Em
And scream, “Help, Mother!”

Foxy Fredrick
(To the tune “Foxey Lady” by Jimi Hendrix)

f song

Eº                  G                A

Eº
Now you know he’s a fluffy fawn chaser,

Foxy Fredrick.

And you know he’s a fanged fur flyer,

Foxy Fredrick.
G          A
He’s gonna’ fix a pheasant feast.
Eº                       G             A
Flambe the poor beast.
Eº                                      G                   A
He’s free from hunger all night, that’s right.
Eº
He’s Foxy Fredrick.

Dragons All The Day
(To the tune “Surfin’ U.S.A.” by Brian Wilson)
d song

A                 E                     A
If everybody had a dragon, across the U.S.A.
E                     A
Then everybody’d be huggin’, dragons all the day.
D                       A
Don’t sweat the deadly fire, or the dentures today.
E                     A
‘Cause everybody’d be huggin’, dragons all the day.

E
Dragon huggin’ all the day.
A
Driving dragons every way.
E
Dipping, diving over the bay.
A
Dragons dancing at work and play.

D                    A
Don’t sweat the fire, or the dentures today.
E                 A
‘Cause everybody’d be on a, dragon holiday.
E                 A    (A7)
‘Cause everybody’d be on a, dragon holiday.

Get Jack
(Sung to the tune, ‘Get Back’ by Lennon & McCartney)

j song

A
Jackie is a boy, who’s not afraid of danger,
D                       A             G     D
Does just what he needs to do.
A
Gentle and just, he helps out any stranger,
D                      A
His heart’s a 30 carat jewel.

A7
Get Jack!  Get Jack!
D                               A  [G D A7]
Get Jack to help you when you’re in need.

A7
Get Jack!  Get Jack!
D                               A  [G D A7]
Get Jack to help you when you’re in need.

Lay Lion Lay
(To the Tune “Lay Lady Lay”, by Bob Dylan)
l song

G Bm F Am G Bm F Am

G Bm F Am G (Bm F Am)
Lay lion lay, lay under the lazy acacia tree.
G Bm F Am G (Bm F Am)
Lay lion lay, lay awhile and don’t eat me.
D Em G
Whatever prey you see, in your mind.
D Em G
I’ll show them to you and you’ll see them shine, but,
G Bm F Am G (Bm F Am)
Lay lion lay, lay under the lazy acacia tree.

Tommy Turtle
(Inspired by Twist and Shout by Russell and Medley)

t song

E             A               D           E
Twist Tommy Turtle now, (twist Tommy Turtle),
E           A    D         E
Twist so tight, (twist so tight).
E                        A         D        E
Come on, come on, Tommy Turtle now, (Tommy Turtle),
E           A        D              E
Twist out of sight, (twist out of sight).

E                      A               D                  E
You know you turn Tommy Turtle, (turn Tommy Turtle),
E                A     D         E
You know you turn so tight, (turn so tight).
E                        A         D        E
Come on, come on, Tommy Turtle now, (Tommy Turtle),
E            A         D       E
Turn left and right, (left and right).
E                                   A
Tom—my, Tur—tle, Tom-my Tur-tle.

Tim Iguana
(To the tune of Rockin’ Robin)

i song

A
You know Tim Iguana ring the door chime.

Blinked his eyes slits, looked so fine.

In his claws, he held a pie,

Threw it at me then giggled bye-bye!

D                   A
Tim Iguana!  Tim Iguana!

E                  D7                                           A
Tim Iguana,  You know you were naughty to me!

Cinnamon Cow
(Sung to the tune, “Cinnamon Girl”, by Neil Young)
c song

INTRO (twice) (D, [5th string] 3,2,3,0, Am)
uh
D Am Am7
I crave some milk from my Cinnamon Cow.
C G
She’s got the best milk anyhow.
F D [Intro]
She’s my Cinnamon Cow.
D [Intro]
My Cinnamon Cow.

D Am Am7
We make ice cream, all through the night,
C G
Workin’ together under the moonlight,
F D [Intro]
Me and my Cow.
D [Intro]
My Cinnamon Cow.

INTRO (two times)

LOW #5: ‘C’

 Alice Alligator
(Sung to the tune of Tom Dooley)
Alice Alligator

G
Alice Alligator,
D7
Alice she’s my friend.

Don’t cuddle her too close or,
G
It may be your end.

G
Alice ate some apples.
D7
Alice ate some ants.

Alice ate some artichokes.
G
Alice at my pants!

We Ain’t Going Nowhere
(Based on Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere)
n song

D Em
Clouds so swift, rain won’t lift,
G
Water’s deep, and I can’t sleep.
D Em
Ark is done, but the yaks have run,
G D
We ain’t goin’ nowhere.

Em
Whoo-ee! Slop the hogs,
G D
Clean the pens, mist the frogs.
Em
Uh-oh, I hope we float,
G D
This is a mighty big boat.

D Em
The rain has stopped, our anchor’s dropped,
G D
Land’s in sight, I feel all right.
D Em
We’ll plant a tree, and feel so free.
G D
We ain’t goin’ nowhere.