Ice cream trucks in most of the US would never use Greensleeves, since that tune is mostly recognized as “What Child is This”, a Christmas carol, around here. Kids would just get confused by hearing Christmas songs in the middle of the summer.
Adding something to this older thread. I just heard the “ears” version on a children’s TV show with slightly different lyrics than I remember as a campfire song when I was a kid in the 70’s. We sang “ears” but also in jest sang “boobs” figuring it was a “dirty” version made up later. I decided to research it, and found the usual uncertainty, but some reference to military origins with “balls” and “tits” before the “ears” version (allegedly from 1939 to 49 - Britain; 1941 - U.S.).
I then did what I usually do when the origin of words and phrases are in question - - I consulted movie quotes (which tends to document trends of the times). I found the following lines in the 1969 film “Easy Rider:”
“00:34:32 Hark ye gentles! Hark ye all.
00:34:35 Time has come for curtain call.
00:34:42 How do you wear your hair Does your hair hang low
00:34:45 Do you tie it in a ribbon Do you tie it in a bow
00:34:47 Do you wear it over your shoulder Like a Continental soldier…
00:35:19 Are you an Aquarius?
00:35:31 Pisces?”
At least this documents the comment of wearing hair “over your shoulder like a Continental soldier” as early as 1969. I’m still looking to find earlier documentation of military songs with other lyrics.
I never knew that.
But I can’t picture an ice cream truck playing Greensleeves, simply because it’s a slow ballad type of song, not a more lively catchy tune that would be more attractive to children. (What tune do you supposed the Pied Piper of Hamelin played?)
Like si_blakely says, some play Music Box Dancer – There’s one in Fresno I heard with this. I’ve also heard the theme song from The Sting.
But mostly, ice cream trucks all seem to play Turkey In The Straw or Pop Goes The Weasel (or occasionally Camptown Races), all of them very badly.
Is it five years too late to acknowledge the cool thread topic/OP combination?
Both my sister and her daughter, as well as a niece, when hummed the tune (I’m male) reacted as if “males aren’t supposed to know that”.
In addition, I saw a birthday card in a bin labelled (“for a woman on her 40th”) with
“Do your boobs hang low” on the outside; inside was “Somehow the song isn’t so funny anymore”.
It’s like s’mores - cute tacky things young girls learn at summer camp.
I put them together from the Animaniacs singing “ears” and the birthday card.
I first heard this in the 40s, and understood it to be the redcoats insulting the continentals as having jackass’ ears. ((I wrote this once before, but the program moved it to another thread, don’t know how, where I am sure it makes no sense.))
Not good enough. If you’re talking about what reality is, then you have to discount the ball aspect, since you can’t throw them over your shoulder. Not in the sense of the song, at least.
Also, ears **do **wobble, and hang. Not to get into popular references too deeply, but, on Gunsmoke, in the 60s, there was some talk of somebody shooting off of one of Festus’ relatives the ‘little hangy down part’ of the ear. I’m supposing the lobes. Also, older peoples ears get larger, IIRC, and can actually wobble. And on, and on.
Equally, there could be some sort of reference to dog ears, such as they also wobble and hang. I’m unfamiliar with dog breeds, so, I can’t really ID any. If it’s a kid song, then the ear thing is quite appropriate.
Because then we wouldn’t be having this great conversation about testicles. 
Definitely “Balls” at Melbourne University (AUS) in the late 60’s (published song sheet of the engineering student association)
So Kumbaya doesn’t mean what I think it means either? 
I’d always assumed it was about animals, as that’s how it was presented to me as a kid, in a Kidsongs video. There’s even a second verse about your ears hanging high and reaching and touching the sky.
Here’s a link to the version I’ve heard. And here’s a link to the Kidsongs version on YouTube.
If this isn’t a joke, then it does mean what you think. Cecil’s covered it. However, the original melody may not be what you think it is
It was a joke, but I appreciate the links. I never knew the origin of the song. Thanks!