A song in the
public domain, often sung by children at
summer camp. The
tune is usually "
Turkey in the Straw," but it works with other tunes, notably the "
Sailor's Hornpipe."
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them o'er your shoulder
Like a Continental Soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
Do your ears hang high?
Do they reach up to the sky?
Do they wrinkle when they're wet?
Do they straighten when they're dry?
Can you semaphore your neighbor
With a minimum of labor?
Do your ears hang high?
Do your ears hang wide?
Do they flap from side to side?
Do they wave in the breeze
From the slightest little sneeze?
Can you soar above the nation
With a feeling of elevation?
Do your ears hang wide?
Do your ears fall off
When you give a great big cough?
Do they lie there on the ground
Or bounce up at every sound?
Can you stick them in your pocket
Just like Davy Crockett?
Do your ears fall off?
Does your tongue hang down?
Does it flop all around?
Can you tie it in a knot?
Can you tie it in a bow?
Can you throw it o'er your shoulder
Like a Continental Soldier?
Does your tongue hang down?
Is your nose too long?
Does it look right or wrong?
Can you wave it to and fro
While you sing a silly song?
Do you look like a beagle
Or a bald-headed eagle?
Is you nose too long?
Is your mouth too wide?
Does it tilt from side to side?
Do you have a funny smile?
Do you look cross-eyed?
Do you purr like a cat?
Do you look nice and fat?
Is your mouth too wide?
Do your eyes pop out?
Do they bounce all about?
Can you catch them in your hand?
Or do people scream and shout?
Can you catch them in a dishy
Or are the darn things just too squishy?
Do your eyes pop out?
Do your teeth hang out?
Do they rub against your snout?
Can you use them like a pick?
Can you take them in and out?
Can they do the boogie woogie
Like they do in any movie?
Do your teeth hang out?
You can never change your nature
That is quite beyond your reach
If you're born to be a lemon
You can never be a peach
But the law of compensation,
This good lesson tries to teach
You can always squeeze a lemon
But you cannot squeeze a peach!
Like all songs in the
folk tradition, new
verses are made up and passed on via the
oral tradition all the time. These lyrics themselves are an adaptation suitable for children from the original song, "
Do Your Balls Hang Low?" which has its origins in the
military.