Origin of a Specific Song

[Gazelle]

When I was in 4th grade (Warrenton, VA, 1976) our music teacher taught us the following song:


As I was walking down the street
One dark and dreary day
I came upon a billboard
And much to my dismay
The sign was torn and tattered
The storm the night before
The wind and rain had done their work and this is what I saw:

Smoke Coca-Cola Cigarettes
Chew Wrigley's Spearmint Gum
Beer
Ken-L-Ration Dog Food makes your complexion clear.
Simonize your baby with a Hershey's candy bar
And Texaco's the beauty cream that's used by all the stars
So take your next vacation in a brand new Frigidaire
Learn to play the piano in your brand new underwear
Doctors say that babies should smoke until they're three
And people over sixty-five should bathe in Lipton Tea...
Lukewarm!


Does anyone recognize the song? Title? Author? I'm wondering about its origins.

Thanks!

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Most common question I ask: "What?"
Most common question I get: "Are you really hearing impaired?"

[omniscientnot]

There you go, Cant:

http://gunther.simplenet.com/v/data/billboar.htm

origins seem uncertain...

[Gazelle]

omniscientnot, You should change your name to omniscientkinda!

Thanks for the link.

[Harmonious Discord]

Actually I have a recording by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs singing this song.

For the youngings they were a couple of bluegrass players with a very distinctive style. They did comedy and songs on stage. You might get a glipse of them on "The Berverly Hillbills".

They were before my time too, I'm not that old.

[rjk]

Phobia says (re Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs):

"They were before my time too, I'm not that old."

But you have good taste!


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Bob the Random Expert
"If we don't have the answer, we'll make one up."

[tracer]

Less filling!

[omniscientnot]

C.: I would change it to omniscient, which would be much closer to reality, but my sometimes evil twin beat me to it :D