On the way North, Husband was listening to a Music Night CD to make sure the digital transfer had gone acceptably well. One of the songs was Three Little Fishies as performed by Maurice Denham. It's an okay version. It's not the best version. The best version is the one my dad listened to on 8-Track tape. Youngsters reading this, I'll give you a moment to ask an old person what that was.
Here are some of the lyrics to the song:
Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool
Swam three little fishies and a mama fishie too
"Swim" said the mama fishie, "Swim if you can"
And they swam and they swam all over the dam.
Boom boom dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boom boom dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boom boom dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
And they swam and they swam all over the dam
Dad had a version by The Glenn Miller orchestra, or Benny Goodman, or Kay Kaiser or someone like that. Between official verses, there was a guy who re-sang the same verses in a goofy voice. It may have been an imitation of minstrel singers, in which case I soundly denounce it, but I loved it as a kid. So did my dad. The best part was we use to talk to each other in that voice, just to be goofy. No one else could understand what the hell we were saying.
As I told Husband about this memory, I pointed out that it used to piss my mom off something fierce. We simultaneously realized that this was part of the attraction for me. I could have fun with my dad and make my mom angry at the same time. Husband would like to point out that schadenfreude is bad.
omg. We sing the little fishy song in kindergarten - every spring for our concert! Now I"ll be singing that damn song all day. crap.
Posted by: vodkamom | September 02, 2008 at 07:07 AM
Time to teach YOUR kindergartners!
Posted by: Middle-Aged-Woman | September 02, 2008 at 07:52 AM
Oh great. Now the song is stuck in my head too.
Posted by: Lynn K. | September 02, 2008 at 08:19 AM
We are all about the crazy voices at the Punk Rock Dad compound.....even the ones inside our heads.
Posted by: Punk Rock Dad | September 02, 2008 at 09:09 AM
Mills brothers maybe? Yeah, I remember that and the 8-track player! I had one too.
Posted by: TennLady | September 02, 2008 at 09:55 AM
The boys and I are all about crazy voices and sounds that make mommy mad. Which was all funny until yesterday when they started talking like robots and I find a screwdriver to stick in my ear.
Posted by: Captain Dumbass | September 02, 2008 at 10:52 AM
My mom and I used to sing The Unicorn Song by the Irish Rovers all the time when I was little. Then she introduced me to Rocky Horror when I was 14. Go figure.
Posted by: Kat | September 02, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Okay. Am I the only one who had to look up shadenfreude? I'm glad to have learned a new word that I cannot wait to use. And, yes. I do agree with Husband - shadenfreude is bad.
Fun story.
Posted by: Csquaredplus3 | September 02, 2008 at 03:34 PM
Oh, but sometimes schadenfreude feels soooo good. Hopefully my daughter won't think so! You are all invited to my wacky voice seminar at next year's BlogHer.
Cornflake S. Pecially, the boys!
Posted by: Middle-Aged-Woman | September 02, 2008 at 03:47 PM
I love that song...doesn't matter who's singing it...I love it
Posted by: MamaDawg | September 02, 2008 at 04:34 PM
You can all consider yourselves outvoted by MamaDawg.
Posted by: Middle-Aged-Woman | September 02, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Dang! My pocket dictionary (a cheap one from Walgreens)doesn't even have the word schadenfreude, and my bigass dictionary is still packed from my move. *sigh*
Posted by: Anne | September 02, 2008 at 09:26 PM
Anne - deriving pleasure from someone else's pain.
Posted by: Middle-Aged-Woman | September 03, 2008 at 06:28 AM
Thank you!
Posted by: Anne | September 03, 2008 at 02:25 PM