SONG with UKULELE CHORDS
...... in a fallout shelter?
MUSICAL UNDERPINNINGS: "The Elements", Tom Lehrer, 1959.
PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2015. Originally a poem, the construct developed into a song, and is now the sixth of nine in the series on Word-Pairs. You can find the links to the previous songs at the bottom of the post.
To return to the corresponding post on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" (and to see the lyrics without the chord-chart indications) click HERE.
WORDPLAY LINK: For further discussion of reduplications on our sister blogsite "EDIFYING NONSENSE", click HERE.
UKULELE-FRIENDLY FORMAT:
(Click on any chord-chart slide to move to 'song-presentation mode'; then navigate through thumbnails at bottom of page.)
* German= "off-sound", term coined in the 16th century to indicate a systematic change in the vowel of a word-root to convey a difference in meaning; rhymes with shout
* Hawaiian for quickly or bus !!
9) Add-On: A Singable Lexicon of Reduplicates
See the relevant posts.
ORIGINAL SONG-LYRICS
Click on any chord chart to enlarge and enter thumbnail mode (the slides for both the parody and the original versions can then be enlarged and viewed in any order).
Click on any chord chart to enlarge and enter thumbnail mode (the slides for both the parody and the original versions can then be enlarged and viewed in any order).
The remaining 6 slides in Lehrer's original song, "The Elements" can be viewed as a supplement to our parody-song-blogpost "No Elements". Click HERE to proceed.
1) Introduction
I’m so enthralled with lyrics – their inherent musicality;
I love the words I’ve heard, for both their quantity and quality.
And so I’ll share with you this recent lexic revelation –
My favorite word-device goes by the name ‘reduplication’.
I’m so enthralled with lyrics – their inherent musicality;
I love the words I’ve heard, for both their quantity and quality.
And so I’ll share with you this recent lexic revelation –
My favorite word-device goes by the name ‘reduplication’.
This humble term is used for killer-diller innovations,
Some recent lulus – chick flick, boy-toy – marvellous creations.
For others, spoke with reverence, their birth can date back centuries
Like hully-gully, boogie-woogie, riff-raff, and hurdy-gurdy.
Some recent lulus – chick flick, boy-toy – marvellous creations.
For others, spoke with reverence, their birth can date back centuries
Like hully-gully, boogie-woogie, riff-raff, and hurdy-gurdy.
These fuzzy-wuzzy friends are formed by vocal repetition,
With wi-fi you might find them in Wiki’s current edition;
The three important sub-types you will wiki-wiki* learn about
With wi-fi you might find them in Wiki’s current edition;
The three important sub-types you will wiki-wiki* learn about
Are known as Rhyming, Exact, and the oddly German-named Ablaut *.
2) Rhyming Reduplicates
Hear hear! some fine examples start with “H”, like helter-skelter, see!
Hodge-podge, humdrum, hubbub, hillbilly, and higgledy-piggledy.
Although the showing’s not so glowing for some, like the letter “D”
Just ding-aling and Double-Bubble, and surname of H.-Dumpty.
3) Exact Reduplicates
As toddlers we knew quite precisely what pee-pee and yum-yum meant
They’re constituted by exact repeating of each element.
Extension into adult life – tsk-tsk! it doesn’t matter
For mahi-mahi, rah-rah! hubba-hubba, night-night, yada-yada.
As toddlers we knew quite precisely what pee-pee and yum-yum meant
They’re constituted by exact repeating of each element.
Extension into adult life – tsk-tsk! it doesn’t matter
For mahi-mahi, rah-rah! hubba-hubba, night-night, yada-yada.
4) Ablaut Reduplicates
Linguistic term that might put off, but don’t throw in the towel
To form the second part you merely change a single vowel.
Criss-cross, splish-splash, King Kong, mish-mash provide the explanation;
Though tidbit, boob-tube, whipper-snapper show some variation.
Linguistic term that might put off, but don’t throw in the towel
To form the second part you merely change a single vowel.
Criss-cross, splish-splash, King Kong, mish-mash provide the explanation;
Though tidbit, boob-tube, whipper-snapper show some variation.
5) Borrowings from Other Languages
Some foreign words sound quite absurd, and might be greeted with yuk-yuks,
Like chi-chi, tutu, tête-à-tête, and tse-tse, muu-muu and mukluks.
Some foreign words sound quite absurd, and might be greeted with yuk-yuks,
Like chi-chi, tutu, tête-à-tête, and tse-tse, muu-muu and mukluks.
6) 'Shm-Reduplicates'
And many word-shmords are employed by speaker-shmeakers of Yiddish,
Like fancy-shmancy, choosy-shmoozy, horseradish(mmh!), gefilte-fish.
7) Related Forms e.g. collocation
Dream Teams of paired words get primetime - in rhyming collocation;
These catchy terms, like kitty-cat, aren’t true reduplications.
Tut-tut! for many wild-child words, there's no accord on how they're grouped,
Like fuddle-duddle, Walla Walla, voodoo, wiseguys, hula-hoop.
8) Conclusion
The lesson's sung, my cha-cha's done, we’ve reached our termination.
(Boo-hoo!) True blue, and through and through we’ve viewed reduplication;
But while we bid our fond ta-tas, I leave this final message – “HI!”
These phrases love to start with “H”, and their initial vowel – “I”.
The lesson's sung, my cha-cha's done, we’ve reached our termination.
(Boo-hoo!) True blue, and through and through we’ve viewed reduplication;
But while we bid our fond ta-tas, I leave this final message – “HI!”
These phrases love to start with “H”, and their initial vowel – “I”.
This song represents the sixth set of parody-lyrics in a song-cycle dealing with word-pairs.
HOT LINKS to the SONGS in the WORD-PAIR CYCLE (Updated, 2021)
Uke-friendly versions here on "Silly Songs and Satire"
Echoic Binomials"Again and Again"
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| of the original songs in our parody suite about word-pairs 7/10 derive inspiration from the unparalleled work of Tom Lehrer |
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