# "Coo coo ca-choo"-Where does it come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980 "2000-02-07T20:03:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/1 "2000-02-08T06:20:00Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/2 "2000-02-08T06:39:00Z")
I aussmed it came from paul mcCartney in I am the walrus… 🙂 * * * “I think it speaks to the duality of man sir.” (private Joker in Full Metal Jacket) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/3 "2000-02-07T20:03:00Z")
aha- No, I am certain that it is a literary reference, to which both Paul Simon and Paul McCartney were referring. Just trying to find the source… BTW, didn’t “Mrs. Robinson” come **before** “I Am the Walrus”? (Which is a Lennon song, not McCartney, unless I am mistaken.) ---
**Author:** ![beefymeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@beefymeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beefymeg)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/4 "2000-02-07T20:23:00Z")
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.” Do with that what you will. * * * Sucks to your assmar. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/5 "2000-02-07T21:02:00Z")
I’m pretty sure that the phrase “Goo-goo-Ga-Joob” comes from James Joyce. Probably Finnigan’s Wake or Ulysses. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/6 "2000-02-07T21:13:00Z")
Fenris– 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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/7 "2000-02-07T21:41:00Z")
Actually, the song “Mrs Robinson,” while being in “The Graduate,” was written some time before there the movie and had a different title. The song was actually a thinly-veiled look at someone in an insane asylum. “We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files.” “Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home.” “It’s a little secret, just the Robinsons’ affair.” Read the words. You’ll see. And “Coo-coo ka-choo,” is a reference that the person is “cuckoo.” ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/8 "2000-02-07T22:33:00Z")
## An asylum? Funny, I always pictured Mrs. R’s first day in heaven.The line “Heaven holds a place for those who pray” probably influenced my imagery. AskNott ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/9 "2000-02-07T22:38:00Z")
OK, this is getting “curiouser and curiouser.” 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 > [@](#): > > And “Coo-coo ka-choo,” is a reference that the person is “cuckoo.” 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. Help, O Teeming Millions! ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2000, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/10 "2000-02-07T23:49:00Z")
“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. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/11 "2000-02-08T00:14:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/12 "2000-02-08T00:17:00Z")
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](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… ---
**Author:** ![APB9999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB9999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB9999)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/13 "2000-02-08T00:19:00Z")
I can add this much: 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? ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/14 "2000-02-08T00:20:00Z")
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: > [@](#): > > …As a matter of fact, one erudite Beatlemaniac detected a clue in “I Am the Walrus”'s “goo goo goo joob” chorus; in “Finnegan’s Wake” these are Humpty Dumpty’s last words before he takes a fall and cracks his head. “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. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/15 "2000-02-08T00:31:00Z")
**APB9999** - 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. ---
**Author:** ![APB9999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB9999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB9999)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/16 "2000-02-08T01:27:00Z")
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_! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/17 "2000-02-08T01:41:00Z")
Could be a version of “coochie-coochie”, said when you tickle a baby. Or; it could just be a nonsense sound for use in a song. Like “da-do-ron-ron” or “shoobie-doobie”. WAGs. ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/18 "2000-02-08T02:23:00Z")
Anh. Some toddler allergic to doves started it all. Ray (My litter atchour request) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/19 "2000-02-08T14:29:00Z")
Everybody’s a comedian! 😉 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). ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2000, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980/20 "2000-02-08T14:58:00Z")
Mjollnir wrote > [@](#): > > Actually, the song “Mrs Robinson,” while being in “The Graduate,” was written some time before there the movie and had a different title. > The song was actually a thinly-veiled look at someone in an insane asylum. 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. Fenris [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coo-coo-ca-choo-where-does-it-come-from/6980.md?page=2)