Songs that scan to other songs

[Aspidistra]

There’s a tune for singing the alphabet to that I call the “Commonwealth Alphabet Song”, because it has the virtue of rhyming Z (“Zed”) with M, not V. The tune is basically “Polly Wolly Doodle” in 3/4 time and with fewer notes. You can also sing a wide variety of nursery rhymes to the same tune:

Little Miss Muffet
Jack and Jill
Doctor Foster went to Gloucester
Little Jack Horner
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Mary Mary Quite Contrary

We have a game where we start off with an “alphabet” chorus and then see hom many nursery rhyme verses we can find till we run out of nursery rhymes.

Actually, most of these could go with the “Amazing Grace” group if you’re willing to play as fast and loose with extra syllables as in the big long list above…

[25.1327_Octopi]

@Labdad

The lyrics to the theme from “Green Acres” scan pretty well to “Purple Haze.”

(“Green Haze?”)

As a matter of fact, yes.

[Hazle_Weatherfield]

Almost EVERYTHING scans to “House of the Rising Sun…” Go ahead…try it!

[foolsguinea]

@tracer

Sing the following words to the tune of the MASH* theme song:

Just a good old boys, never meanin’ no harm,
Been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.
Makin’ their way, trappin’ their kill,
Someday the mountain might get 'em, but the law never wi-iiiiiiill

It’s the Dukes of Mash!

I’m not getting those into the tune of “Suicide Is Painless.”

[Flymaster]

Talk Dirty To Me by Poison works remarkably well with Smells Like Teen Spirit. Beau Hall (Hill?) does a version called “Smells Like Teen Poison”. It’s great.

[don_t_ask]

@Kyla

“Waltzing Matilda” is not the Australian national anthem. “Advance Australia Fair” is.

And is done much better in the manner Adam Hills demonstrates.

[Chronos]

And of course, everything scans to “Greensleaves”

That’s what I was going to mention. I’ve yet to find a song that can’t be sung to the tune of Greensleeves.

Alas, my love, you’ve done me hurt
You’ve sewn green sleeves on my purple shirt.
And, what’s worst of all
You went and made me wear it.

[sco3tt]

The verses of “Pinball Wizard” fit nicely with the music of “Wabash Cannonball”. This struck me one day as I was struggling to remember the lyrics to the latter and found myself filling the gaps with lines from the former.

Compare:

From the great Atlantic Ocean
To the wide Pacific shore
From the green of glowing mountains
To the south belle by the shore
She’s mighty tall and handsome
And known quite well by all,
She’s the combination
On the Wabash Cannonball.

with

Ever since I was a young boy
I played the silver ball
From Soho down to Brighton
I must’ve played 'em all
But I ain’t seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

[kidneyfailure]

There’s an entire neo-genre devoted to this very concept: the mash-up

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(music)