Not That He Just Wrote Novelty Songs -- "King of the Road," Anyone?

[snurri]

Today, for no reason whatsoever, the lyrics to two songs by Roger Miller. You really need to hear his delivery to get the full effect, but even without it this stuff is classic:

"Chug-a-Lug"

CHORUS:
Chug-a-lug chug-a-lug
Make you wanna holler hi-de-ho
Burns your tummy don't you know
Chug-a-lug chug-a-lug

Grape wine in a Mason jar
Homemade and brought to school
By a friend of mine after class
Me and him and this other fool decided that we'll drink up what's left
Chug-a-lug so we helped ourselves
First time for everythin'
Ummm
My ears still ring

Chug-a-lug chug-a-lug...

4-H and FFA
On a field trip to the farm
Me and a friend sneak off behind
This big ol' barn where we uncovered a covered up moonshine still
And we thought we'd drink our fill
I swallered it with a smile
Brrr
I run ten miles

Chug-a-lug chug-a-lug...

Jukebox and sawdust floor
Somethin' like I ain't never seen
And I'm just goin' on fifteen
But with the help of my finaglin' Uncle I get snuck in
For my first taste of sin
I said lemme have a big ol' sip
Brrr
I done a double black flip

Chug-a-lug chug-a-lug...

This next one is so unapologetically fucking weird that you have to love it:

"My Uncle Used to Love Me but She Died"

CHORUS:
My uncle used to love me but she died
A chicken ain't chicken till it's licken good fried
Keep on the sunny side
My uncle used to love me but she died

Who'll give me quarter thirty cents for a ring of keys
Three sixty-five for a dollar bill of groceries
I'll have me a car of my own someday but till then I need me a ride
My uncle used to love me but she died

My uncle used to love me but she died...

Hamburger cup of coffee lettuce and tomato
Two times a dime to see a man kiss the alligator
One more time around free on the ferries wheel ride
My uncle used to love me but she died

My uncle used to love me but she died...

Apples are for eatin' and sneaks are for hissin'
I heard about a huggin' and I heard about a kissin'
I read about it free in a thirty cents illustrated guide
My uncle used to love me but she died

My uncle used to love me but she died...

Well my uncle used to love me but she died...

Man, I love me some novelty country . . .

Comments

[sallytuppence.livejournal.com]

Ah, he sang the one with the chickens in it on the Muppet Show.

The chickens didn't like the bit about the chickens...

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Those chickens are so touchy. They get that diva behavior from Miss Piggy, you know. Once I went to lunch with her and ordered a BLT and she got all huffy. Seriously, GET OVER YOURSELF.

[sallytuppence.livejournal.com]

That comment led me down a train of thought that ended up here:

I wonder where this saying comes from "living high on the hog."

[snurri.livejournal.com]

The serious answer is that better meat is supposed to come from the upper parts of the pig.

For the non-serious answer I think it would be best to ask Kermit . . .

[shaolingrrl.livejournal.com]

I have his voice in my head for "Chug-a-lug." I grew up around Future Farmers and 4-H kids....

Sometimes I think I *lived* country novelty.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

My mom was in 4-H. She brought a pig to the State Fair.

[shaolingrrl.livejournal.com]

Cool! I never belonged myself (I remained loyal to Camp Fire Girls) but I had friends who entered steers, lambs, guinea pigs, rabbits. The friend with the lamb was so devastated by having to auction off her animal (Hello! That's the whole point!) that she never did it again.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Her name wasn't Clarice Starling, by any chance?

[shaolingrrl.livejournal.com]

Cynthia Bittleston, actually.

I can't believe I used the word "devastated." It's on my list of currently over-used words. Way over used.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

At least you spelled it right . . .