In the earlier “Mrs. Robinson” thread, I stated that I thought the phrase “coo coo ca-choo” in the song was a reference to the noise made by Humpty Dumpty as he sneezed, just before falling off the wall in Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.
I could have sworn that was right (one of those pesky “false memories”), but my assertion was challenged by another poster. To be certain, I went home and looked it up. Sure enough, I couldn’t find the phrase in either Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass.
The phrase also appears in the Beatles song “I Am the Walrus”. (Though the spelling may be different.) “I am the Egg Man; I am the Egg Man; I am the Walrus! Coo coo ca-choo…”
(Incidentally, “I am the Walrus” does appear to be a Through the Looking Glass reference. Maybe that’s where I got the idea about “coo coo ca-choo”.)
It was also suggested in the earlier thread that the phrase might be from Finnegan’s Wake.
There was also some debate about the proper spelling of the phrase. Some spelled it with 'k’s some with 'c’s and some with 'g’s. (“Goo goo g’choob”???)
So can any of the teeming millions out there tell me where this phrase does come from? If so, can you give us a cite? (Wild conjecture also welcomed!)
“Every time you think, you weaken the nation!” --M. Howard (addressing his brother, C. Howard).
I must make a correction: in “I am the Walrus” the phrase is printed on the lyrics sheet as “GOO GOO GA JOOB.” However, in “Mrs. Robinson” itreally sounds more like “coo coo ca choo.”
OK, your homework assignment is to look it up, and see if you can find the phrase in Joyce. (Ideally, give us a quote from the book, to provide some context.)
“Coo coo ca-choo” sure sounds like a literary sneeze to me.
I have visited several Beatles fans’ web sites, and every one of them that tackles the “goo goo ga joob” mystery says that those were the last words of Humpty Dumpty. This at least proves that I didn’t concoct the whole idea in my imagination.
Still, another review of Through the Looking Glass shows that old Humpty just didn’t say that. Is there another source of Humpty Dumpty info that I’m missing? (Other than the original nursery rhyme, which of course says nothing about “goo goo ga joob” or “coo coo ca-choo”.)
Mjollnir wrote
Do you have a source for this assertion, Mjollnir (say, an interview with Simon), or is it your own interpretation? I don’t think Paul Simon invented this phrase, any more than John Lennon did. (And frankly, I don’t think Lennon included the phrase in “I Am the Walrus” as an Homage to Paul Simon.) I believe they are both referring to an earlier literary source.
“GOO GOO GA JOOB” led to nothing new in 6 searches.All were just the Walrus lyrics, except one was cover of it and one hit was in a game called Heretic.
Humpty Dumpty was a seige-tower repelled from the walls of Dunbar Castle by “Black Agnes”, wife of the Earl of Dunbar in 1339. It fell away from the palisade and into the marshy moat. The army attacking the castle was unable to recover it.
Here’s a site on Joyce’s influence on music, which makes a reference to “I am the Walrus”. However, the site seems to say that “Goo Goo Ga Joob” is not in Finnegan’s Wake. (Scroll way down for the reference.) http://www.rpg.net/quail/libyrinth/joyce/music/joyce.music.main.html
Where does this idea come from that “goo goo ga joob” or “coo coo ca-choo” or “koo koo ca-choo” or (insert your spelling here) was the last utterance of Humpty Dumpty? Does Humpty Dumpty appear at all in Finnegan’s Wake?
We may have to call in Cecil to get to the bottom of this one…
In the song “I want to be loved by you” the phrase coo-coo-ca-choo appears. *
I want to be loved by you
By you, and nobody else but you
I want to be loved by you aloooooooone
Coo-coo-ca-choo*
This song goes back at least to the forties, and far predates “The Graduate” and Paul Simon. Sinead O’Connor did a version of that song on an anthology I own, but the song itself is pretty old. Come to think of it, I seem to recall Beety Boop singing it in an old b&w cartoon strip somewhere… Maybe it’s as old as the thirties.
At any rate, how the hell would a line from Finnegan’s Wake end up in a Betty Boop song?
I was the one that mentioned the Finnegan’s Wake reference in the previous thread, though I forgot to mention the words DO have the same meaning you mentioned (i.e., they were Humpty Dumpty’s last words). I heard this in the book “The Beatles Forever” by Nicholas Schaffner:
“Clue” referring, of course, to yet another “Paul is Dead” clue. In the past I have unsuccessfully flipped through Finnegan’s Wake trying to find this passage; though I did find one or more passages involving Humpty Dumpty, I never actually found this quote from him, so I’m still uncertain if this is the origin of the chorus.
Unless I’m mistaken, the phrase in “I Want to be Loved By You” is “Boop boop be doop”, not “coo coo ca-choo”. Pretty sure on this one, but I will accept correction if I am wrong.
Ooops! I think you’re right. I’m an idiot. My memory was feeding it to me as “Coo-coo-ca-choo”. Stupid brain. That’s it, I’m punishing you with alcohol as soon as I get home!
This Humpty Dumpty thing is starting to look like it has no basis in fact. I am beginning to think it was spawned as a half-remembered (incorrectly-remembered) passage from Finnegans Wake or Through the Looking Glass floating through the head of some cannabis-addled Beatlemaniac wondering who killed Paul. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that…)
Johnny L.A.-
Good point on the “coochie coochie coo” possibility. That angle hadn’t occurred to me.
“Every time you think, you weaken the nation!” --M. Howard (addressing his brother, C. Howard).
Couple of points: #1) The song was always titled “Mrs. Robinson”, but you’re right that it was around long before “The Graduate”. It first appeared (I believe) on the “Bookends” album.
#2) I always thought that it was an drug/alcohol-rehab facility, like The Betty Ford Center. The lines about “Hide it in little hiding place where no one ever goes. Put it in the pantry with your cupcakes” sounds to me like a problem drinker with secret stashes of booze.
