Another very easily parodied song:
Row, row, row your boat
gently down the stream
throw your teacher overboard
listen to her scream
Row, row, row your boat
underneath the stream
ha, ha, I fooled you
I'm a submarine
The teacher version is often coupled with Here Comes _____ Floatin' Down the Delaware to leat the teacher to his or her demise at the hands of an unfortunate polar bear, though you have to switch the melody from "Row Row Row Your Boat" to "The Old Gray Mare."
And then there are variations of the "literate" version. I tried to find the source of this one years ago and got nowhere, except for something that said it came from Mr. Rogers. Can that possibly be right?
Propel, propel, propel your craft
gently over liquid solution
ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically,
existence is but an illusion
I believe that the above version showed up in one of the "Hobie Hanson" books that Jamie Gilson wrote around the 80s.
Here's one from Calvin Smith (via Kay Shapero):
Blow Blow Blow your Nose
Make a little stream
Merrily Merrily Merrily Merrily,
Now your nose is clean.
Sherman recorded several elementary school kids who knew a drug version as early as 1967:
Roll, roll, roll the joint
pass it down the line
take a toke and hold your smoke
blow your f---ing mind
Row Row Row a joint,twist it at the end, light it up, then take a puff, and pass it to a friend.
ReplyDeleteRow row row,joint put it in a bong, Smoke it up, then your fucked, smoke it tell its gone.
ReplyDeleteBelfast, 1980s
ReplyDeleteRow Row Row your boat
gently down the stream
throw the teacher overboard and listen to them scream
Upside down, upside down
I don't care if the school falls down
no more english, no more french
no more sittin on the old school bench
if the teacher interferes, tie her up and box her each,
With a knicknack paddy wack give the dog a boan, this old man came rolling home
fuck fuck fuck a duck
ReplyDeletescrew and kangaroo
finger bang an orangutan
you can do it too.
The propel, propel, propel your craft one came from a kids show when they were first coming out on local channels. I can't remember where I heard it (what show) , but I was watching the "Pioneers of Television: kids shows" program on pbs. They had the "villain" who was a party-pooper sing this song on one of the successful kid shows. I think it was a national success
ReplyDeletefuck fuck a rubber duck
ReplyDeletescrew a kangaroo
finger bang an orangutan
support your local zoo
Southern California mid 90's
Fuck, fuck, fuck a duck
ReplyDeleteScrew a kangeroo
Wang-bang an orangutan
An orgy at the zoo.
Indianapolis, circa 1989
Roll Roll roll your joint twist it at the end spark it up get fucked up and pass it to a friend
ReplyDeleteRow row row your boat
ReplyDeleteGently down the river
If you see a polar bear
Don't forget to shiver
.
Manchester uk! 1990s!
Here's 2
ReplyDeleteRoll, roll, roll a joint
Lick it at the end
Light it up, and take a puff
And pass it to a friend! 1990's Kansas City area
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Throw your teacher overboard
And listen to her scream.
5 days later chewing on her underwear
Wished she had another pair
10 days later eaten by a polar bear
Poor ol' polar bear is dead! 1980's Kansas City area
(this is for thinking while brushing your teeth) row row row your boat gotta use my brain merrily merrily merrily spit goes down the drain
ReplyDeleteFuck fuck fuck a duck,
ReplyDeleteSkrew a kangeroo,
Fingur bang an orangetang,
Orge at the zoo!
This is the original spelling (because it makes me laugh) as found on the bathroom wall of my high school circa 2000. Oddly enough, before I saw that I had never heard any of the dirtier versions. In the mid-nineties the "throw a teacher overboard" one was popular. -Northwest PA
roll roll roll your hoe fuck her till she screams, bust a nut, and slap her but, give her STD's
ReplyDeleteI think a comment I made just vanished!
ReplyDeleteWanted to confirm that the "literate" version indeed comes from Mr Rogers, it was the "royal" version performed by King Friday the Thirteenth. I couldn't find an original clip, but this is close, a recreation which credits it as " skit done by Josie Carey & Fred Rogers in the Children's Corner in 1954." I'm pretty certain I saw it on an actual "Neighborhood" clip of more recent vintage, so he probably did it a number of times over his career.
http://youtu.be/t1wiI9_q-Hw
Blow blow blow the boat
ReplyDeleteUp in smithereens
Captain no
We gotta go
Now get the Submarines!
late 90's, early 2000's upstate NY
ReplyDeleteRoll Roll Roll a Joint
Twist it at the end
Take a Puff
That''s Enough
Pass it to a friend
Fuck Fuck fuck a Duck
Screw a Kangaroo
Finger an Orangutan
Orgy at the zoo
Ithaca, NY circa 1978:
ReplyDeleteRoll Roll Roll a joint
Pass it down the line
Take a toke and hold the smoke
And blow your fucking mind
Row, row, row your boat
ReplyDeleteSneak up on the stream
Lock and load n' tactic mode
Blow em' to smithereens
Row, row, row your boat
ReplyDeleteSneak up in the stream
Lock and load n' tactic mode
United States Marines
Row row row your boat
ReplyDeleteGently down the stream
If you see a crocodile
Don't forget to scream
Cornwall, United Kingdom. Heard this as a kid from 1994
Row row row your boat
ReplyDeleteGently down the stream
If you see a crocodile
Don't forget to scream
Cornwall, United Kingdom. Heard it as a kid from 1994