# They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 3, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689 "2017-04-03T22:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/1 "2017-04-03T22:47:16Z")
So, if you listen to this odd novelty tune, three things appear possible: He is talking to his girlfriend, who he compares to a dog he is singing to his dog who ran away. Both- first verses are to GF, then switches to dog. [They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They%27re_Coming_to_Take_Me_Away,_Ha-Haaa)! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/2 "2017-04-03T23:01:56Z")
No. There’s only one interpretation: he’s talking about a dog all along. The joke is that you’ve been misdirected into thinking he was talking about his girlfriend. And that, while going insane over a girl is unlikely, going insane over a dog is a sign that he was insane to begin with. Any other interpretation isn’t funny. The only reason for the song to exist is to be funny. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/3 "2017-04-03T23:02:17Z")
I’m gonna say it’s all about his girlfriend, that mangy mutt. That takes me back to listening to oldies on Saturday night – Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/4 "2017-04-03T23:16:09Z")
“Late one night while on a lark, Goosing statues in the park, If Sherman’s Horse can take it, why can’t you?” “This is the day we give babies away, With a half a pound of cheese.” Verses learned at my mother’s knee and other low joints. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/5 "2017-04-03T23:21:14Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > That takes me back to listening to oldies on Saturday night Takes me to coming home from middle school and turning on [WNBC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KQr8cAGdaA). ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/6 "2017-04-03T23:59:40Z")
Amusing little fact: The “B” side is the song played backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/7 "2017-04-04T00:02:44Z")
Requisite link to the Doctor’s website: [Dr. Demento - Streaming](http://www.drdemento.com/online.html) ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/8 "2017-04-04T00:39:47Z")
First, I love that song but had totally forgotten it so thanks for the reminder. Second, I’ve always believed it was about a dog. At one the character says “You just wait, they’ll find you yet and when they do they’ll put you in the ASPCA.” That would be a strange thing to say about a breakup because: 1. Who would be searching for her? 2. Why when they find her would they bring her to the ASPCA? But this lyric works for a runaway dog. Unless the character really is crazy, which is possible. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/9 "2017-04-04T01:41:01Z")
thanks for the link now I can find the full version of boot to the head… the one where they mixed the ti kwon leap skit with the song… you tube only has the skit, ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/10 "2017-04-04T02:01:45Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > thanks for the link now I can find the full version of boot to the head… the one where they mixed the ti kwon leap skit with the song… you tube only has the skit, You can buy it on iTunes. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/11 "2017-04-04T04:21:21Z")
That may be the censored version. After Ed Gruberman says “Listen, shrimp”, the original original version has him saying “All this fag talk is starting to piss me off”. And then there’s yet another version, which has major differences. The same character is named Ed Fegley. He kicks at the sensei and connects. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/12 "2017-04-04T21:37:47Z")
The singer is clearly insane, and is raging at the world in general which has driven him mad. The reference to a mangy mutt is merely his metaphor about how the entire universe has done him wrong. Unless I’m whooshing myself! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/13 "2017-04-04T21:54:54Z")
Another classic misdirection song is[My Girl Bill.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHGV3PhEg5c) Remember gang, punctuation counts! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/14 "2017-04-04T23:25:41Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Amusing little fact: The “B” side is the song played backwards. There was also an LP with several different songs, plus the backward version. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-haaa/783689/15 "2017-04-05T00:11:30Z")
Novelty songs are fun in so many ways. IMHO, he is talking to his dog all the way.