charles grean
This vaudeville-like song is the first one I remember from my childhood. Moreover, it may have been a seed to my later musical acre. I've always had a passion for male solo baritone singers. About six years old, my family aquired a cabinet containing a 78 rpm player and a pile of crackling records, and THE THING was among them. I don't remember the B-side. I played it over and over again, until it ... cracked. I was sad.
A few years later I found another version at my aunt and uncle's house. Same shit happened, and the thing went into oblivion for some sixty years. Then, walking down the memory lane on You Tube, I stumbled across it again. At my age, I'm entitled to be childish.
My aunt and uncle's version was the original, recorded by Phil Harris on October 13, 1950 (RCA Victor). Our own was chuckling, jolly Arthur Godfrey, covered November same year (Columbia). On top of this, Danny Kaye released a cover in December (Decca). Several other things followed; I haven't bothered them.
The song is written by Charles Randolph Grean; at least the words. He borrowed the melody from the English folk song "The Chandler's Wife", again inherited from "The Lincolnshire Poacher". Who cares?
I was walking up and down the beach one bright and sunny day
I saw a great big wooden box a floating in the bay
I pulled it in and opened it up and much to my surprise
oh! I discovered a ☻ ☻ ☻ right before my eyes
I picked it up and ran to town as happy as a king
I took it to a guy I knew who'd buy most anything
but this is what he hollered at me as I walked in his shop:
«oh! get out of here with that ☻ ☻ ☻ before I call a cop!»
I turned around and got right out a running for my life
and then I took it home with me to give it to my wife
but this is what she hollered at me as I walked in the door:
«oh! get out of here with that ☻ ☻ ☻ and don't come back no more!»
I wandered all around the town until I chanced to meet
a hobo who was looking for a hand out on the street
he said he'd take most anything : he was a desperate man
but when I showed him the ☻ ☻ ☻ he turned around and ran
I wandered on for many years a victim of my fate
until one day I came upon Saint Peter at the gate
and when I tried to take it inside he told me where to go:
«get out of here with that ☻ ☻ ☻ and take it down below!»
the moral of this story is: if you're out on the beach
and you should see a great big box and it's within your reach
don't ever stop and open it up is my advice to you
'cause you'll never get rid of that ☻ ☻ ☻ no matter what you do ...
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
E A E I was walking up and down the beach one bright and sunny day G#m F# B7 I saw a great big wooden box a floating in the bay E E7 A B7 I pulled it in and opened it up and much to my surprise A #¤%& A B7 E oh! I discovered a ☻ ☻ ☻ right before my eyes
