2011-04-01

Ear Worms and Hiccups

My husband likes to tell me he has no sense of humour, but we both know he's bluffing because he's always making me laugh.  He has this thing that he does - a sort of verbal hiccup that erupts at surprising moments and always cracks me up.

Do you ever get ear worms?  You know - those songs that get stuck in your head?  My husband gets a lot of ear worms, but they don't always have be songs - odd phrases, funny voices or random cartoon-ish squeeks and beeps will all get stuck in his brain waiting to pop out of his mouth when I least expect it.

Last evening, during a quiet and serious moment in a TV show, out comes the perfectly delivered line, "Don' you go rounin' roun Re Ro" from a Saturday Night Live skit.  The guy is hilarious!

He also has this little song he whistles whenever we are working together at some household task.  Whether we are doing the dishes, folding laundry, cleaning the yard, whatever  - he'll be whistling his tune.  He's not even aware he does it. 

I once asked him about it, and he gave me this puzzled looked and just shrugged, "Sunday school, maybe?"  He doesn't know the name of the song, or even the words, but give us a domestic task, and out it pops.

So... being the Googleholic that I am, I search the Internet until I finally discovered the name and lyrics to the song he whistles.  It's an old traditional American song called "Billy Boy".  Here are the lyrics:

 "Oh, where have you been,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Oh, where have you been,
Charming Billy?
I have been to see my wife,
She's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother."
The song goes on in praise of his wife's domestic accomplishments.  Isn't that sweet?  I'm choosing to believe it's a Freudian thing.  I love my guy.


Here's the SNL skit - listen for the line.





Do you ever get ear worms?






18 comments:

  1. Oh yes! I have had the "Zooboomafoo", "Dora theme" and "Caillou" on repeat since I had children old enough to watch them!
    Sadly, I am more prone to "Brain Farts"....you know when you do something so DUH...you can't believe it? Like if I was any dumber, they'd have to water me. LOL

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  2. Ear worms - that made me think of when my boy tries to tell me he has "an ant in his ear" at bedtime because he thinks I'll let him sleep with me if he is sick.

    The ear worms you're talking about - oh yeah - I get - Chicken to China the Chinese Chicken you have a drumstick and your brain starts tickin.

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  3. RoryBore: Kids' music! *groan* ear worms of the worst kind!

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  4. Kristy: The line from the Barenaked Ladies song? LOL. That IS a nasty ear worm!

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  5. I think i love your guy too. On your behalf only. He sounds very wonderfully splendid. A lot like my guy, brain worms and all.

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  6. Oh, yes! Never heard it called an ear worm before, but it fits. With me, it's usually the last song I happened to hear that gets stuck in my head until another one comes along to kick it out. Makes me insane when a song I hate gets in there. Funniest EVER was when I was cleaning the church, and unfortunately, it was right after listening to my daughter's Grateful Dead tape with her. So there I was, singing, "Riding that train, high on cocaine ..." (Luckily, our minister had a good sense of humor.)

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  7. Yes, I get them. And some are from SNL---but back in the way day. Our SIL does this all the time- HILARIOUS! I can see why you laugh at your hubby.

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  8. Nicki: Yah..I think I'll keep him ;)

    Susan: Definately NOT the best ear worm to be singing in church! LOL

    EmptyNester: Now you've got me grinning with memories of the Cone Heads, Roseanne Roseannadanna and Eddie Murphy's "O-Tay!" LOL!

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  9. I have voices in my head. And so do I.
    Does that count?

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  10. i always get earworms... im such a words person/music person that things remind me of songs all the time, and persistent earworms of songs that annoy you are the worst!!

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  11. All the time with the earworms! I've learned how to replace an. annoying one with a song that I like that like that I know will stick in my head (usually something by Joni Mitchell).

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  12. My earworms are when I am subjected to watching the same kids movie over and over... lately it is the soundtrack for Dispicable Me... great show, but tough to get the songs out of my head!

    On another note, I like your blog so much I had to nominate you for the Stylish Blogger Award -

    http://www.the-upper-hand.com/2011/04/stylish-blogger-award.html

    Cheers and keep Scattering the Joy!
    Flora

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  13. I love this term! I've been humming the same tune all day!

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  14. Al: You goof!
    Jenna: Yes - annoying songs are definately the worst earworms!
    Erin: Joni Mitchell? Thanks - now I've got Big Yellow Taxi on the brain!
    Flora: Thank you so much for the Stylish Blogger award! You made my day!
    Galen: Hope it's a good one!

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  15. My earworms are when I am subjected to watching the same kids movie over and over... lately it is the soundtrack for Dispicable Me... great show, but tough to get the songs out of my head!

    On another note, I like your blog so much I had to nominate you for the Stylish Blogger Award -

    http://www.the-upper-hand.com/2011/04/stylish-blogger-award.html

    Cheers and keep Scattering the Joy!
    Flora

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  16. Yes, I get them. And some are from SNL---but back in the way day. Our SIL does this all the time- HILARIOUS! I can see why you laugh at your hubby.

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  17. I think i love your guy too. On your behalf only. He sounds very wonderfully splendid. A lot like my guy, brain worms and all.

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