# "Shave and a Haircut" song

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 16, 2000, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377 "2000-09-16T02:05:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Andrew\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@Andrew\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_J)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377/1 "2000-09-16T02:05:54Z")

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We all know the traditional seven note ditty often played at the end of an old standard, “Shave and a haircut/Two bits”… Is there anything more to the song than this – a verse, a longer chorus?

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**Author:** ![tomas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tomas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomas)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377/2 "2000-09-16T02:41:59Z")

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How About:

Shave and a haircut,two bits.  
I’ve gotta cow with,six tits.  
Every time I milk it, it shits.  
Shave and a haircut, two bits.

We sang this as children and thought we were oh so clever!

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**Author:** ![spazo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spazo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spazo)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377/3 "2000-09-16T02:47:15Z")

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Yes,there is more to it.Please  
understand I’m not proud that I know this.  
Shave and a haircut two bits  
I’ve got a cow that has six tits  
Every time I milk it,it shits.

Wow,thats a real old one.

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**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377/4 "2000-09-16T03:36:58Z")

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Shave and a hair cut  
Six bits  
Back and a belly rub  
Same price

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**Author:** ![rs0522](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9a28c/32.png) [@rs0522](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rs0522)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377/5 "2000-09-16T18:59:33Z")

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I was told once that this was an advertising jingle.

"Shave and a haircut, six bits.  
Don’t chew tobacco, chew Britt’s.’

Don’t know if the song came first and was adopted for the jingle, or if the jingle came first.

Britt’s was a chewing gum, older even than Black Jack (anybody else remember this?)

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**Author:** ![Malarky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Malarky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malarky)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shave-and-a-haircut-song/33377/6 "2000-09-16T23:30:14Z")

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Err, the only reason I know this song is because I heard it in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Heh, I personally like the cow version tho 😃