# really weird songs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303 "2000-08-06T05:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/21 "2000-08-07T17:02:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SwimmingRiddles \* > \*\*Moxie Fruvous is high on the wierd music list. \*\* Swiddles, you are now even MORE officially my best friend. I love Moxy Fruvous!!! “Once I was the King of Spain…” And they ROCK live. As for other weird songs…TMBG is usually good for a few, especially on the earlier albums. Oh, and I dunno who sings it, but “Star Trekkin” is one of my faves…we used to sing it all the time in college. That and Shatner’s version of “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Yes, we were REALLY weird in my freshman dorm. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/22 "2000-08-07T17:13:10Z")
Falc- “The Firm”- but not the one you’re thinking of. " There’s Klingons on the starboard bow, scrape them off, Jim!" ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/23 "2000-08-07T18:19:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Falcon \* > **Swiddles, you are now even MORE officially my best friend. I love Moxy Fruvous!!! “Once I was the King of Spain…” And they ROCK live.** Yeah! And I was going to mention TMBG, but then decided they might be more quirky than out-and-out wierd. But since you nominated them, I concur! How about BNL’s “If I Had a Million Dollars?” “But not a real green dress, that’s cruel!” What IS it about those quirky Canadian bands? ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/24 "2000-08-07T18:23:17Z")
From my personal collection, I like “Nellie the Elephant” by The Toy Dolls, but Mrs. ricepad can’t stand “Bikini Wax” by Killer Pussy. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/25 "2000-08-07T18:29:53Z")
The Mississippi Squirrel Revival (I b’lieve this is the same fellow that did The Streak) Chewing Gum on the bedpost They’re Coming to take me away The Twelve Days of Christmas (I don’t remember who recorded it, but it includes the line “and a Japanese transistor radio”) ---
**Author:** ![Nocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9fc348/32.png) [@Nocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocturne)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/26 "2000-08-07T18:30:29Z")
“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by the Beatles is a very, very disconcerting song. Perhaps because it’s happy, bouncy, carnival-like tune about an axe murderer. You should go find the lyrics; they frighten me. Another (not as strange but still strange) song is “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffett. How about “I Kissed a Girl” by Jill Sobule? They Might Be Giants…“Particle Man” and “Istanbul, not Constantinople”… “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane. “Too High for the Supermarket” by the Uninvited. (Definitely try to find these lyrics, you will LAUGH!) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/27 "2000-08-07T18:39:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dogsbody \* > The Twelve Days of Christmas (I don’t remember who recorded it, but it includes the line “and a Japanese transistor radio”) \*\* This was written and recorded by Allan Sherman, mentioned above. The first day was a Japanese transitor radio, and every day got more ridiculous. The final verse was: On the 12th day of Christmas, although it may seem strange, on the 12th day of Christmas, I’m going to exchange…and he lists everything. The Chad Mitchell did a 12 day of Christmas take regarding Nazi Germany, and the recent BC/EFA Xmas CD “Carols for a Cure” had "The 12 Days of Phantom. ---
**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/28 "2000-08-07T19:00:01Z")
I’d say a substantial portion of Ween’s output falls into the “weird song” category. I thought that “I Love Little Girls” was really a French song - like one of those things Jacques Brel might sing - and that Boingo was just covering it. In any event, anyone familiar with enough Boingo can’t help but interpret the song as being purposefully creepy. The single weirdest/funniest “song” I have ever heard is a short piece by a short-lived band called “Trotsky Icepick”. I think they were from the Netherlands. The name of the song is “Clown on Fire” and it consists of about a minute and a half of happy calliope music while a clown screams in agony. Still brings down the house when I play it at parties… ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/29 "2000-08-07T19:24:40Z")
How about the stuff the Jonathan Richman did in the late 1970s, after the Modern Lovers became Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (I mean post-“Roadrunner” and “Pablo Picasso,” which were screwy enough in their own right). Stuff like “Hello, Little Insect,” “Lonely Financial Zone,” “Here Come the Martian Martians,” and “New England” ? I love to sing “New England” real loud every time I drive north…“I’ve been to old Israel’s arid plain…It’s magnificent, but…SO’S MAINE!..Dum de dum de dum dum ee dum DAYYYYY…OHHHHHHH NEW ENGLAND! Dum de dum de dum dum ee dum DAYYYYYYYY…OH I LOVE NEW ENGLAND!” Embarrasses the living shit out of my entire family. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/30 "2000-08-07T19:37:33Z")
Ren, I’ll second the Ween nomination. Here’s the lyrics from “Morning Glory” (yoinked from [http://www.ween.net/guava\_lyrics.htm](http://www.ween.net/guava_lyrics.htm) ) cough, cough I swear to god! Look! This is something new you’ve never heard before this. You better take a good look at your mind, fucker. I know what you want to come here for You better take a good look at your mind, fucker. These three little, these three little fuckers. These three little…pumpkin patch. These three little pumpkins went into the woods and they said, They said today we’re gonna find something really good to look at. And they went into the woods and they looked at all the little trees. And they said this woods is really (sounds like continuous?) little trees. You know, 'cause nature is just as part of us as we are to the earth. I said yeah. And the pumpkins, the pumpkins went further into the woods. And they came across this little man…with a big, big head. And the little man said, What’s your fucking idea you fuckers?! What are you fucking high?! And the little pumpkin says, (this next lines pretty sketchy) We’re the pumpkins to join yours for a loose the pumpkin. Oooey! Oooey! Oooey! You ain’t been in my world. You never been in my world. You never will be in my world. You go away and you’ll never be in my world again. The pumpkin boy said, yes you will, yes you will, I think to stay. I wanna be in your world. For you in your world. Yeah you fuckers, you can’t get me off before you leave yourself. You think you can understand but you can’t! Look, you just entered my world, right? You just entered my world (sounds like “are quiet lie”) you go in and for then enjoy nothing but (sounds like “share and progress”) You think you can go from the top of the tree to the top of this too. (unintelligible inaudible ranting for a bit) The two pumpkins looked at the little man and they said, Why, why would he be such a, why would he be such a jerk? And the only thing he does is smoke drugs, And he doesn’t do cocaine, And he doesn’t shoot smack, And he doesn’t even drink beer. Why would he be such a fucker to me? Why would he be such fuckers? All they wanted to do was pumpkins. All they wanted to laugh at was the pumpkins. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/31 "2000-08-07T19:45:43Z")
You just edged me out! I was gonna mention Jonathon Richman. Classics like: “Bitey-witey witey witey wite sir; I am nature’s mosquito” and “The UFO man”. Wow. I got to meet him in 1985 in a tiny little bar in Detmold, Germany. We were the only Americans in the place and kept talking to him on stage. Nice fellow. He also did a song for Sesame Street which went “I’m a little Airplane, nnrrrrmm – nnrrrmm” Also, I can’t believe that noone has mentioned the immortal Frank Zappa. Far too many to list just one weird song from that pantheon of strangeness. However, Billy the Mountain is a favorite that has to be WAY up there (Studebaker Hoch, anyone?) ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/32 "2000-08-07T19:49:06Z")
Oh yeah, one more favorite Richman musical question: \Have you heard about the artist, Vincent VanGogh? He loved color and he let it show… THE BEST PAINTER SINCE JAN VERMEER!\ ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/33 "2000-08-07T20:53:53Z")
fish heads fish heads roly poly fish heads fish heads fish heads eat them up YUM! they don’t play baseball they don’t wear sweaters they’re not good dancers they don’t play drums fish heads fish heads roly poly fish heads fish heads fish heads eat them up YUM! Then there is the ever popular Dead Puppies: Dead Puppies, laying in the hall dead puppies aren’t much fun…I don’t remember all the lyrics for this one ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/34 "2000-08-07T20:57:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ukulele Ike \* > \*\*How about the stuff the Jonathan Richman did in the late 1970s, after the Modern Lovers became Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (I mean post-“Roadrunner” and “Pablo Picasso,” which were screwy enough in their own right). > > Stuff like “Hello, Little Insect,” “Lonely Financial Zone,” “Here Come the Martian Martians,” and “New England” ? > > I love to sing “New England” real loud every time I drive north…“I’ve been to old Israel’s arid plain…It’s magnificent, but…SO’S MAINE!..Dum de dum de dum dum ee dum DAYYYYY…OHHHHHHH NEW ENGLAND! Dum de dum de dum dum ee dum DAYYYYYYYY…OH I LOVE NEW ENGLAND!” > > Embarrasses the living shit out of my entire family. \*\* Having to drive a 1975 Dodge Dart sedan through most of high school, I particularly appreciated certain lines in “Dodge Veg-o-matic” from _Rock and Roll with the Modern Lovers_: > [@](#): > > (Jonathan):Well the brakes are made of glass > and the tires are made of vinyl > (Modern Lovers): _Dodge Veg-o-matic, there in the parking lot_ > (Jonathan):You wanna take it back, > but you find out that all sales are final . . . > (Modern Lovers): _Dodge Veg-o-matic, there in the parking lot_ I’m sure the song was about the infinitely cooler early sixties Darts (and Plymouth Valiants) with the blender-push-button gear selector, but I loved it anyway. Not to mention “Roller Coaster by the Sea”: > [@](#): > > Oh roller coaster by the sea, > Thank you for helping me . . . > Roller coaster by the water > You made me feel just like I oughta . . . . And since we’re headed down this particular path, how about the covers of “Bad Moon Rising” and “Boris the Spider” on _Spitballs_, the album of covers recorded by a loose collective of all the artists on the Beserkley label at the time: Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn, the Rubinoos, etc. ---
**Author:** ![ren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@ren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ren)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/35 "2000-08-07T21:02:22Z")
Speaking of weird songs, can anybody remember the name of the band that wrote this little gem? I’ve been trying to recall the artist for weeks: Happy Boy Well one day my dog got run over by a car hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba Put his guts in a jar and put him in a drawer hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba Well I’m a happy boy (happy boy!) I’m a happy boy (happy boy!) Ain’t life grand when things are goin’ your way? (hey hey!) Forgot all about it for a month and a half hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba Opened the drawer and I just had to laugh hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba 'cause I’m a happy boy (happy boy!) etc… They also wrote a song called “The Devil is My Friend”… ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/36 "2000-08-07T21:24:45Z")
that would be, if I’m not mistaken. The beat farmers. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/37 "2000-08-07T21:44:22Z")
Alice Cooper had some weird ones. From Welcome to my Nightmare, remember Cold Ethel? The One-Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/38 "2000-08-07T21:49:20Z")
Well, there’s plenty of mainstream weirdness represented here, but I’m trying to look a little bit off the weirdly beaten path. _Your Father and I_ by The Beautiful South. A man and a woman recount the events leading up to their child’s birth, but from different viewpoints. It’s like the Jerry Springer show set to music. And good. _Little Skipper_ by Mel Cooleys. A song about Barbie’s little sister going through a rebellious phase, and dating a guy who could, quote, rip the arms off Ken. _Everything Reminds Me of My Dog_ by Jane Siberry. Self-explanatory. **SwimmingRiddles** , I would love to trade tapes with you someday. The only problem would be finding something you haven’t already heard. I picked up Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Are a Drag and it’s amazing. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/39 "2000-08-07T22:04:44Z")
The Kingston Trio. With such songs as: To Morrow The Tattooed Lady With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm (about Anne Boelyn, I may have the title wrong) And (my personal favorite, although I’m not sure it’s weird enough for this thread) The Merry Minuet (which is all about hate and the Bomb) ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2000, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303/40 "2000-08-07T22:55:06Z")
So far I haven’t seen anyone mention Tom Leher. Not like I’d admit in front of my friends that I love listing to folky songs from the 50’s but he kicks ass. Also kind of the same Genre, There used(or maybe it is still there) to be a place in Aspen(or maybe Vail) called the Crystal Palace(or something like that) that was kind of like a dinner theater, that had some funny songs they put out on an album. For more current, heavy, and nihilistic, wierd songs Mr. Bungle is great. It headed by the same guy from Faith No More(can’t remember his name). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-weird-songs/28303.md?page=3)