4/3/2010 - Spike Jones

Continuing on in my quest for dementia history, I today present to you Spike Jones. Spike Jones was a popular big band leader of the 40's and early 50's who played comedy songs. He was hired by Warner Brothers a couple of times to do music for Bugs Bunny cartoons, including the song, "Hiel, In the Fuhrer's Face."
In the mid 40's, he tried to make two different sides to his style. His orchestra, "The City Slickers" was his comedy orchestra, while "The Other Orchestra" was his serious stuff. When going out to clubs and playing on tour, though, the demand was for the City Slickers to play and The Other Orchestra was not successful at all.
So, my kids got a bunny last week. Just one. Only one. Unlike Spike Jones' child persona who bought 2. And got more than his money bargained for. This song is called, "Ya Wanna Buy a Bunny?" I like his child voice a lot. He does it very well, in other songs such as "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." Max DeGroot was right -- Spike Jones is still funny after all these years.
Here's Spike Jones with "Ya Wanna Buy a Bunny?" Enjoy:



Lyrics
Recitative:

My 'rithmatic is gettin' bad.
I don't know what to do.
I bought a little bunny,
Then I bought another bunny.
Don't one and one make two?

Chorus:

Now when I'm lookin' at the funnies
I get as mad as mad as I can be
'Cause now there are so many bunnies --
Oh me, Oh my, YA WANNA BUY A BUNNY?

And when I'm eating bread and honey
Those silly little bunnies pester me
'Cause all the bunnies beg for honey --
Oh gee, Oh gosh, YA WANNA BUY A BUNNY?

When we're playing hide and seek
At my heels they sneak, sneak, sneak,
When I hide they peek, peek, peek,
I get so mad I could shriek: EEEEK!

If you want a fuzzy bunny
That's got a wigg'ly nose and cotton tail
I wish that you would buy a bunny
'Cause I got lots of bunnies for sale.

Recitative:

An' when I get up early in the morning to go out to the chicken house
to feed my little tiny baby chickens, all those crazy little bunnies
just follow around after me, just hop-hop-hop-hop-hop-hop-hoppin' like the dickens.
Here, chicky, chicky, chicky, chicky! Get away from me, bunny. Ya bother me.
Get outa here, ya crazy little bunnies!

And when I sneak my little tiny puppy dog, Rover, upstairs with me to bed,
the bed is full of them silly little bunnies, from the foot up to the head.
Get out of my bed, you bad little bunnies! Go on, now, bunnies! Get outa here!
Go on, now!

Chorus:

Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, everywhere.
There's bunnies on the table and there's bunnies on the chair.
Bunnies on the sofa and there's bunnies on the floor,
And there's some new ones coming through the door: more?!

Please come on and buy a bunny.
I'd even like to sell you two or three.
But if you don't have any money,
I'll give you a bunny.
'Cause there's just...

Spoken:

....too darn many bunnies for me! There's bunnies all over the place.
Bunnies under my feet, bunnies on my bed. Every place that I go,
those silly little bunnies.... (fade out)