Tabatha Yeatts sent me this little ditty by renowned botanist, Jim Duke. (Shared with permission.)
Parody on Burl Ives "Blue Tail Fly" ("Jimmy Crack Corn")
The Five-Lined Skink
I'll betcha that you'd never think
Today you'd meet the blue-tail skink
but I am tellin, I'll betcha Helen
will wink and blink and find your skink.
Ha, ha, ha; here we be
Ha, ha, ha; here we be
The blue tail skink and you and me
I’m singing corn, but I don’t care
The skink done gone away
The skink is an insectivore
Eating bugs and little more
She helps keep down our flies and fleas
Helps control a lot of these
Ha, ha, ha; here we be
The blue tail skink and you and me
I’m singing corn, but I don’t care
The skink done gone away
Blue tail skink hidin' in the rock
She don't need no lollypop
Eating bugs and fleas and flies
Quicker'n you can bat your eyes
Ha, ha, ha; here we be
The blue tail skink and you and me
I’m singing corn, but I don’t care
The skink done gone away
Do you think a skink can think?
Then think about that tail of blue!
Should our snake grab that tail of blue
The skink sheds it: "I fooled you"
Ha, ha, ha; here we be
The blue tail skink and you and me
I’m singing corn, but I don’t care
The skink done gone away
Don't think they stink, the blue-tail skink
Can catch a fly in just a wink
More than most folk really think
We'd better thank the blue tail skink
Ha, ha, ha; here we be
The blue tail skink and you and me
I’m singing corn, but I don’t care
The skink done gone away
© James "Jim" A. Duke. All rights reserved.
Live from 1964, here's Burl Ives singing the original version:
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All participants will be rounded up on July 25th
and entered to win a copy of Tamera's delightful new picture book,
THIS OLD BAND.
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I used to sing along with my kids and Burl Ives a long time ago, so this was such fun, that dear blue-tailed skink! It's a wonderful refrain, and there's so much information sneakily included. "She don't need no lollypop/Eating bugs and fleas and flies" Thanks for the new song!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jim (and Tabatha) for sharing such a fun parody! The voice of the original version is adopted so well, while highlighting the skink's slippery character. Especially love "Eating bugs and fleas and flies/Quicker'n you can bat your eyes." What a very interesting and skillful critter!
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from this one! Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrific. Good for you!
ReplyDelete