Mermaid Song for Summer

This summer many libraries will be using the ocean-related Collaborative Summer Library Program theme.  This lets me use a program that has long been popular, the Storytelling Cruise Around the World.  My puppy puppet, Buzz, is already practicing his part . . . you guessed it, the Dog Paddle!

GRRRrrrr!

O.k. he does do a bit more because I like to include the audience in my program.  Each child receives a raffle-style ticket and I let Buzz draw out a ticket between stories for a chance to choose a water-related joke or riddle.  When it's a riddle, the ticket holder can try to answer it and, if unsuccessful, choose someone else to try before letting the whole audience guess.  

I'm happy with the stories I use as they have been popular with such varied audiences from the Jackson StoryFest to the Detroit Institute of Arts and at libraries and schools.  Because they are mainly stories using audience participation, it keeps the program interactive even without the raffle tickets.  Now bringing the program out after not telling it for a while, I re-evaluated everything.  Yes, I was happy with it until I realized it had no music!  Oh well, I told myself it wasn't necessary until . . . 

Earlier this week on Storytell, the email discussion list I've often mentioned, storyteller Pat Nease offered a mermaid song parody.  She graciously consented to let me post it here for all to sing.  Pat said it was inspired by 

"a book by Lucille Colandro titled 'There was an Old Mermaid Who Swallowed a Shark!' I thought it such a clever idea, but the book goes from large to small and I prefer the small to large arrangement, plus I needed an ending.  So I wrote my own (I'll do a brief food chain with my listeners so they'll know what krill is.)"  

 

I worried about posting it here, but even Colandro's series admits it and each of her other beginning readers in the series use the traditional song, "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly."  That series is good silly fun that sometimes uses the original song idea of an "old lady", but some others have an old pirate, an old astronaut, or an old scientist, as well as great variety in the objects swallowed.  The fun of the series is increased even more with illustrations by Jared Lee, which also help reading beginners figure out the objects swallowed.

Here's Pat's parody and then at the end, for those like me who want to play an instrument while singing, I'll give the chords rather than interrupt her lyrics.

There Was an Old Mermaid

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed some Krill.

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed some shrimp.

She looked like a blimp, she ate so much shrimp!

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed a sea star.

She had to swim far, to swallow that star.

She swallowed the star to light up the shrimp,

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed a crab.

It was real tough to grab, but she swallowed that crab.

She swallowed the crab to pinch the star,

She swallowed the star to light up the shrimp,

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed a fish.

A tropical fish, that was her wish.

She swallowed the fish to tease the crab,

She swallowed the crab to pinch the star,

She swallowed the star to light up the shrimp,

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed an eel

She let out a squeal when she swallowed that eel.

She swallowed the eel to dance with the fish,

She swallowed the fish to tease the crab,

She swallowed the crab to pinch the star,

She swallowed the star to light up the shrimp,

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed a squid.

That’s what she did, she swallowed a squid.

She swallowed the squid to tickle the eel,

She swallowed the eel to dance with the fish,

She swallowed the fish to tease the crab,

She swallowed the crab to pinch the star,

She swallowed the star to light up the shrimp,

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed a shark.

Well, it was dark when she swallowed that shark.

She swallowed the shark to catch the squid,

She swallowed the squid to tickle the eel,

She swallowed the eel to dance with the fish,

She swallowed the fish to tease the crab,

She swallowed the crab to pinch the star,

She swallowed the star to light up the shrimp,

She swallowed the shrimp to play with the krill,

Oh, what a thrill, to swallow that krill.  She might be ill.

 

There was an old Mermaid who swallowed a whale.

And that, my friends, is the end of this tale.

The whale prevails.

 

For those of you playing chords, the first line is always a G; the second line is A for the first phrase and D for the second phrase.  From there on for each ending it's D for "she might be", ending with G for "ill." As repetition starts in the following verses, just keep playing a G chord as the mermaid swallows more and more, each time ending in (A) Oh what a thrill, (D) To swallow that krill. (D) She might be (G) ill.

It's worth suggesting to your audiences they should join in as much as they can manage to remember.  It can be a great challenge for you and them!

May you and your audiences swallow up this bit of silliness, some stories, and a lot of summer reading!