# Jerimiah was a what now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456 "2004-12-12T15:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/21 "2004-12-12T22:32:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > There were a LOT of sort-of-make-sense-but-not-really songs in that time period. If you want a group that really makes TDN look like art musicians, try America. You say that like it’s stopped. Have you ever heard this [song](http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/MATCHBOX-20/Busted.html) or [this one](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/bush/insect-kin.html) or [this](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/the-smashing-pumpkins/x-y-u.html) or [this](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/at-the-drive-in/one-armed-scissors.html), [this](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/incubus/vitamin.html) [this](http://www.vlyrics.com/n/nullset10796/smokewood345463.html) or [this](http://www.123lyrics.net/l/loudermilk/estrogen-oxygen-aches-in-the-teeth-again.html)? Those are all from the past 5-10 years… And if you ever get a chance to listen to “Like Tiny Swords” by Forgotten Cassettes, which is apparently either too new or two unpopular to have their lyics up anywhere, you’ll hear that sort-of-but-not-really-sensical songs are still going strong. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/22 "2004-12-12T22:36:36Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > or [this](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/the-smashing-pumpkins/x-y-u.html) Good call. That kind of dreck cements Billy Corgan’s place as the most overdramatic, pretentious, unintentionally funny singer of his time. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/23 "2004-12-12T22:43:59Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > (Charles Schultz had Sally talking about “Gladly, the cross-eyed bear” and I didn’t get that one for years) … > **edited by Bosda** Que? 😕😕😕 ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/24 "2004-12-12T23:03:33Z")
Hehe, [here’s](http://www.angelfire.com/nj/linkapoolzamedia/bullfrog.html) a webpage that’s got a midi version “Joy to the World” playing. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/25 "2004-12-12T23:06:23Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Que? > 😕😕😕 It was a mondegreen for the hymn “Gladly the cross I’d bear”. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/26 "2004-12-12T23:10:48Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Que? > 😕😕😕 Apparently there is a traditional hymn entitled “Gladly the cross I’d bear”. It has nothing to do with ursines with misaligned visual organs. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/27 "2004-12-13T04:55:12Z")
> [@Cabbage](#): > > Hoyt Axton originally wrote the song for an (abandoned) children’s animated TV special, but that’s about all I know: > > > [@](#): > > > > He (Axton) had mentioned before that he was writing a ninety-minute animated children’s TV show called The Happy Song. It was the story of a bunch of children in fantasy land and their adventures and misadventures. He wrote it so it could be played at any time of the year – Christmas, Halloween, New Year’s – any holiday. > > > > Well, Hoyt never got it together, really, never finished it. So he decided to peddle the songs around to various artist friends. One of those tunes was ‘Joy to the World.’ > > [http://www.superseventies.com/1971\_1singles.html](http://www.superseventies.com/1971_1singles.html) TDN originally took a pass on the song but later realized that they needed a track - either to fill out the minimum number of tracks on an album or the B side of a single, I don’t remember. Anyway, they went ahead and recorded Hoyt’s little ditty then left the country prior to release, probably a tour of some sort. When they returned, they discovered that the song - which they thought would go nowhere - turned out to be a huge hit. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/28 "2004-12-13T13:57:08Z")
Gliddy, glup, gloopy Nibby nabby noopy La, la, la, lo, lo Sabba sibby sabba Nooby abba nabba Le, le, lo, lo Tooby ooby walla Nooby abba nabba Early morning singing song ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456/29 "2004-12-13T17:16:52Z")
I have nothing to add to the “Jerimiah was a bullfrog” question, but I will note that Mary Travis (“Mary” of Peter, Paul, and Mary) looks more and more like her “Big Blue Frog” every year… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerimiah-was-a-what-now/279456.md?page=1)