For the last few years my wife and I have had a disagreement about the song “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.”
I’m sure most of you know how the song goes:
All of the other reindeer
(reindeer)
used to laugh and call him names
(like Pinocchio)
At the end I’ve always said:
You’ll go down in history
(like Columbus)
My very pretty, but mistaken wife, on the other hand, says:
You’ll go down in history
(like George Washington)
Which is admirable, but wrong.
What says the Dope?
Are these all ad-libs you add to the song (or are they in the recording you have)? Do you do this with other songs?
My answer is: I don’t do that.
I do not know that the song goes that way. I do know that Jingle Bells is about the Dynamic Duo’s body odor though.
Sorry, you’re wife is correct. Rudolph will go down in history like George Washington.
I’ve also heard the suggestion that Rudolph will “go down” in history like Monica Lewinsky.
For us it was “Like Linda Lovelace.” (c. 1977 - 1980)
columbus.
for the record my addendums go like:
reindeer
like a lightbulb
saw it
like a flash light
reindeer
like pinnochio
rudolph
like monopoly
ho-ho-ho
loved him
yippee
reindeer
like columbus.
Here’s what drives me crazy about this song:
Opening line: You know Dancer and Prancer and…"
And then: But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?"
Well, if he’s the most famous, then Rudolph is the one we’d recall more than the others, right?
I agree with your wife. It was always “George Washington” during my misspent youth.
No. “Like Lincoln.” “Like George Washington” has WAYYY too many syllables.
Columbus. Always was Columbus (mid 1970s).
Here are the added lines:
Reindeer
Like a lightbulb
Saw it
Like Donner
Like Pinocchio
Rudolph
Like Monopoly
Loved him
With glee!
Reindeer
Like Columbus!
I can’t figure out what this discussion is about, but when and if I ever do, I’m gonna shout out with glee.
Q
Olive, the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names…
I love that mondegreen. 
I have jokingly complained about this every time it gets played (it actually really annoyed me as well). Now my 7&9 year old kids really hate the song and character- really truly despise him. They literally cannot listen to the song anymore and will insist on skipping it whenever it comes on. I’ve tried to reverse course on it and them, but it is the strangest bit of psychology I have ever worked. I am both awed and appalled by myself. So careful with what you reap!
I always heard George Washington referenced growing up in the 90’s in a suburb of Washington DC. I also always hated the added lines for some reason. They just don’t fit with the rest of the song and they feel like added commentary rather than part of the song’s narrative.
I’d never realized that, but it’s now going to bug the heck out of me every time I hear the song. Thanks for that.
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer (reindeer)
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glows (like a lightbulb)
All of the other reindeer (like Donner)
Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio)
They wouldn’t let poor Roudolph (Rudolph)
Join in any reindeer games (like monopoly)
Then one stormy Christmas eve
Santa came to say,
“Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you lead my sleigh tonight”
Then all of the other reindeer (reindeer)
Laughed and shouted out with glee (with glee)
“Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history!” (like Columbus)
The words in parentheses are added in after the line is sung.
From memory, so it might not be perfect. And I hope quoting all the lyrics was ok.
As I was waiting for my verrrry slow computer to open the thead my first thought was “like Columbus” and then I thought "or was it “like George Washington?”, so I must have heard / sung both. Also, we always said “toothpaste” after the “shouted out with glee” line. I can’t remember if we actually thought the lyric was “gleam” or if in our tiny minds it was just funny.
Ah! So it’s about a misunderstanding of a lyric! :smack:
Thanks, ITD!
I thought y’all were going all philosophical/political on me.:smack:
You know, like “Columbus vs Washington, which one should be mentioned in the song?”
"Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. " Hal 2000 - 2001 A Space Odyssey
Thanks for clarifying, ITD!
Quasi
'Like Lincoln. ’
That said, I’ve been trying to get ‘Like René Lévesque’ going in here in Canada, but so far it hasn’t caught on.
“Like Bobby Orr…”
No, Lincoln has two few. All of the “like” words have three or four syllables: Pinocchio, Monopoly, a light bulb.