One day last week I posted a comment on my son's Facebook page to register my joy over something he said. "Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" expressed my feelings exactly. Soon enough a friend helpfully pointed out that I had misspelled the word "fabulous." I explained that it was a line from the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. I thought everyone had been made to memorize it in high school, just like me. Later that day I asked my husband if he knew the reference. He did not. I prodded him with, "twas brillig and the slithy toves....." Still nothing. Armed with this new information I briefly wondered how we could remain together, but decided that he had so many other good qualities, divorce would be an over-reaction. Nevertheless, I was disappointed.This morning, as Mitch was cooking his eggs, he began to recite a long poem. I was impressed, thinking, "Aha, he is not illiterate after all!" But then he got to the part about Jeb becoming a millionaire. It turned out to be the opening jingle to the old TV show, "The Beverly Hillbillies." Mitch knew every word. In fact, as he demonstrated during breakfast, his retro-TV show repertoire also includes all the words for "Flipper" and "Mr. Ed," two shows I never even watched, forget learning the inane jingles.
I am convinced that the brain has limited space and should be cleared out from time to time. I am keeping "Jabberwocky," but I might get rid of some other stuff. What's clogging yours?
Most modern music and all commercial jingles: Get them outta my head!!! Otherwise, I enjoying being, as my big sis puts it, "The Big Book of Useless Everything."
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the dude's name is Jed.
ReplyDeleteSecond, is this not poetry?:
Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Well the first thing you know ol Jed's a millionaire,
Kinfolk said "Jed move away from there"
Said "Californy is the place you ought to be"
So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.
Hills, that is. Swimmin pools, movie stars.
Well now its time to say good by to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality
Hillybilly that is. Set a spell, Take your shoes off.
Y'all come back now, y'hear?.
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/
Never heard of the poem, but I too can recite a lot of old TV shows. I can even recite the Schaefer Beer jingle. Use to hear it so much when we were in NYC, which was a lot. The key is, what interests you. That poem, nope.
ReplyDeleteGL
GL, if you ever read "Alice in Wonderland," you would have read that poem--it's part of that book.
DeleteMy brain used to be clogged with mean things from the bad guy. but finally, after about 20 years, the bad guy lives in the corner of my therapist's office. good riddance.
ReplyDeletemy beer is rheingold the dry beer, think of rheingold whenever you buy beer, it's refreshing not sweer its the extra gold treat won't you try extra dry rheingold beer?
ReplyDeleteSorry honey, but I believe it went "it's not bitter, not sweet" as opposed to "it's refreshing, not sweet"
Deleteride the coaster get cool in the waves in the pool, you'll have fun, so come on over
ReplyDelete(this one was for Rye Playland amusement park)
this is the junk that is clogging my brain
ReplyDeleteDon't like Alice in Wonderland. Book, Movie, Play, whatever.
ReplyDeleteGL