Children's chant

[Wilson Gray]

On Feb 1, 2005, at 10:13 AM, George Thompson wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Children's chant
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Larry Horn submits:
>
>> and then there was the related (via Col. Bogey rather than Disney, of
>> course) verse, discussed on the list some years ago,
>>
>> Hitler # had only one, left ball,
>> Goering #  had two but they were small.
>> Himmler #  had something similar,
>> And Goebbals
>> Had no balls
>> At all.
>>
>
> Brendan Behan quotes this in Borstal Boy.
>
> GAT
>
> George A. Thompson
> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>

This was also very popular as a barracks time-killer and
mood-lightener, when I was in the Army, except that it was Hitler who
had no balls at all.

There were a couple of other barracks ballads that I can't quite
recall, but which someone else may recognize.

I don't want to join the Army
I don't want to go to war
I don't want to get me arse shah-toff
Etc.

?...?
?...?
A gentleman dapper
Stepped out of the crapper
?...?
?...?
Her mother never told (or "taught"?) her
The things a young girl should know
Etc.

There was also a chant used only by NCO's to troops being formed up for
inspection:

Dress right!
Dress!
Dress and cover!
Dress and cover!
Dress it up and cover down!
Eighteen inches all around!
Dress and cover!
Dress and cover!

-Wilson Gray