Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts
Encyclopedia
"Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts" is an anonymous
folk song popular among school children. It is usually sung to the tune of "The Old Gray Mare
."
description of disgust
ing foodstuffs, usually parts of human or animal bodies not customarily eaten in the areas in which it is sung.
The song appears on the Smithsonian
Folkways
collection A Fish That's a Song, a collection of traditional children's songs from the United States
, where it is performed by Mika Seeger
. The Smithsonian recording came from an earlier recording called The Sounds of Camp, originally released in 1959. No author nor copyright in the song is credited on the Smithsonian recording. The lyrics performed by Mika Seeger are:
Here is the whole song including verses written by Tom Glazer
Great, Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts
(Tom Glazer)
CHO: Great, green gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts,
Mutilated monkey meat, itty bitty birdie feet.
Great, green gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts,
And me without a spoon.
Some people eat hamburger meat while others like potatoes,
And some must chew their Irish stew along with ripe tomatoes.
I can't understand why in ev'ry land, they serve such peculiar dishes.
For wherever I go, they always say "No!" when I tell them what my wish is.
I scream for ... (Chorus)
I can pay my way in a French café which is big and quite expensive,
Where the diners dine and the wine is fine, but I'm always apprehensive.
When the menu comes, I twiddle my thumbs at the list of fancy dishes:
Caviar and steaks, champagne and cake, is never what my wish is.
I beg for ... (Chorus)
In the life to come, I intend to hum this hymn to old Saint Peter:
I won't need much, when my harp I touch, and become a heavenly eater.
I won't ask for money or milk and honey, and my voice will never falter
While the trumpets blare on the Golden Stair as I stand at the Shining Altar.
I yell for ... (Chorus)
(Tag:) And me without a spoon! Yuck!
copyright Tom Glazer
Here are the other variations:
Countless variations have sprung up over the decades, incorporating virtually any disgusting combination of descriptive words and animal organs.
Another variation is:
"Great green globs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts,
Simulated monkey feet, chopped up baby parakeet.!"
Some versions add a line after the forgotten spoon:
Today, it is sung like:
Other variations include replacing the 2nd "Great green globs of..." with "16 eyeballs rolling down the main street", as well as another version.
Another version:
And another:
And this one:
Another version:
This variation turns the song into an insult:
Yet another variant (As memory serves from the 1950s):
A summer camp variation:
Here is one more:
And still another one is:
And one more from the '70s in GA.
A longer version:
Here is the original that we sang when I was younger:
Great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Tiny little birdie's feet
Great big plops of all purporse porpoise pus
And here I am without a spoon
I....got...a...straw!
Another version, Horace Mann Day Camp, NY, NY circa 1983-1985
Great green gobs of greasy, grimey gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
chopped up baby parakeets
All these things are very very good to eat
But I forgot my spoon
So they served me
A ham sandwich
with boogers on top
monkey vomit
and camel snot
parakeet eyeballs mixed with goo
all these things are very good for you
What's for dinner
Horse manure
Where'd they find it
In the sewer
This is a Michigan version cerca 1968
Great green gobs of greasy, grimey gopher guts
Concentrated monkey meat
Little birdies dirty feet
ALl mixed up in antelopes vomiting
Don't you wish you had a spoon?
Fried boogers sprinkled on top
Monkeys eyes and camel snot
Chopped up eyeballs mixed with glue
Refreshing while it's helping you!
Maine (80s):
Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Little turdy birdy feet
All wrapped up in one big bloody sheet
And me without my spoon.
Anonymous work
Anonymous works are works, such as art or literature, that have an anonymous, undisclosed, or unknown creator or author. In the United States it is legally defined as "a work on the copies or phonorecords of which no natural person is identified as author."...
folk song popular among school children. It is usually sung to the tune of "The Old Gray Mare
The Old Gray Mare
The Old Gray Mare is an old folk song, more recently regarded as a children's song. Although nominally about horses, it can also be interpreted as referring to women who are well past their prime....
."
The song
There are many local and regional variants among the lyrics, although most of them feature the phrase "Great green g(l)obs of greasy grimy gopher guts" in the opening line. The song derives its power to amuse children through alliterativeAlliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
description of disgust
Disgust
Disgust is a type of aversion that involves withdrawing from a person or object with strong expressions of revulsion whether real or pretended. It is one of the basic emotions and is typically associated with things that are regarded as unclean, inedible, infectious, gory or otherwise offensive...
ing foodstuffs, usually parts of human or animal bodies not customarily eaten in the areas in which it is sung.
The song appears on the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
Folkways
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
collection A Fish That's a Song, a collection of traditional children's songs from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where it is performed by Mika Seeger
Mika Seeger
Mika Seeger is an American ceramic artist of Rhode Island. Although not primarily a musical artist, she did record a definitive version of Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts...
. The Smithsonian recording came from an earlier recording called The Sounds of Camp, originally released in 1959. No author nor copyright in the song is credited on the Smithsonian recording. The lyrics performed by Mika Seeger are:
Here is the whole song including verses written by Tom Glazer
Great, Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts
(Tom Glazer)
CHO: Great, green gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts,
Mutilated monkey meat, itty bitty birdie feet.
Great, green gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts,
And me without a spoon.
Some people eat hamburger meat while others like potatoes,
And some must chew their Irish stew along with ripe tomatoes.
I can't understand why in ev'ry land, they serve such peculiar dishes.
For wherever I go, they always say "No!" when I tell them what my wish is.
I scream for ... (Chorus)
I can pay my way in a French café which is big and quite expensive,
Where the diners dine and the wine is fine, but I'm always apprehensive.
When the menu comes, I twiddle my thumbs at the list of fancy dishes:
Caviar and steaks, champagne and cake, is never what my wish is.
I beg for ... (Chorus)
In the life to come, I intend to hum this hymn to old Saint Peter:
I won't need much, when my harp I touch, and become a heavenly eater.
I won't ask for money or milk and honey, and my voice will never falter
While the trumpets blare on the Golden Stair as I stand at the Shining Altar.
I yell for ... (Chorus)
(Tag:) And me without a spoon! Yuck!
copyright Tom Glazer
Here are the other variations:
- Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- Mutilated monkey meat
- little Dirty birdie feet.
- french fried eye balls boiled in a bowl of blood
- and thats what I had for lunch and it was good.
Countless variations have sprung up over the decades, incorporating virtually any disgusting combination of descriptive words and animal organs.
Another variation is:
"Great green globs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts,
Simulated monkey feet, chopped up baby parakeet.!"
Some versions add a line after the forgotten spoon:
- "Does anybody have a straw?" or "And I forgot my straw!" or even "But I have a straw."
Today, it is sung like:
- Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- Mutilated monkey feet
- Chopped up baby parakeet
- Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- And me without my spoon
Other variations include replacing the 2nd "Great green globs of..." with "16 eyeballs rolling down the main street", as well as another version.
- Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- Mutilated monkey feet
- Horse's head and piggy feet
- And I forgot my spoon
- But I have a straw
- Scab sandwich with pus on top
- Monkey Eyeballs and Camel snot
- Great big Gobs of Greasy Grimey Gopher Guts
- And I forgot my Spoon (Boo, Hoo)
- Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- Mutilated monkey meat
- Charbroiled turkey feet
- One pint jar of all purpose porpoise pus
- And I forgot my spoon
- -Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- -Mutilated monkey feet
- -Pussy Pickled parrots feet
- -French Fried eyeballs rolling down a muddy street
- -And I forgot my spoon... but I got a straw!
- Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- Mutilated monkey butts
- itty bitty birdie feet
- pretty pink piles of percolated peacock puke
- And me without a spoon
Another version:
- Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- Mutilated monkey meat,
- Chopped up baby birdie feet,
- French fried eye balls,
- Rolling up and down the street.
- And I'm without my spoon.
And another:
- Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- Mutilated monkey meat,
- Dirty little birdie feet,
- All ("chopped up in" or "topped off with") purple vulture vomit,
- And me with out my spoon!
And this one:
- Great big gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- mutilated monkey meat,
- itty bitty birdie feet.
- Put 'em all together and whaddya got?
- That's what I had for lunch
- without a spoon....
Another version:
- Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- mutilated monkey meat,
- dirty little birdie feet.
- great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- and I forgot my spoon
This variation turns the song into an insult:
- Great big gobs of greasy-grimy-gopher-guts,
- Mutilated monkey meat,
- Itsy bitsy birdie's feet.
- French-fried eye-balls swimming in a pool of blood
- And
remembered his spoon!
Yet another variant (As memory serves from the 1950s):
- Great green gobs of greasy-grimy-gopher-guts,
- Mutilated Porcupine, little dirty birdie feet
- Great green globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- And me, without a spoon
A summer camp variation:
- Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
- mutilated monkey meat, little lurkey turkey feet.
- Great green gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts...
- That's what I had for LUNCH! YUM!
Here is one more:
- Great big globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,
- mutilated monkey meat, little bloody birdy feet,
- two hairy eyeballs rollin' on down the street
- oops, I forgot my spoon
And still another one is:
- Great Big Gobs of green, greasy gopher guts,
- mutilated monkey meat, little birdie's dirty feet.
- Great big gobs of green, greasy gopher guts,
- and I forgot my spoon.
And one more from the '70s in GA.
- Great Big Gobs of green, greasy gopher guts,
- mutilated monkey meat, dirty little birdie's dirty feet.
- French Fried Eyeballs Rollin' in a puddle of blood.
- That's what girl's are made of................
A longer version:
- Great big globs of greasy grimy gopher guts,
- mutilated monkey meat, itty bitty birdie feet.
- French fried eyeballs sitting in a pool of blood,
- and I forgot my spoon.
- So give me a scaaaab sandwhich, mmmm, mustard on top,
- eagle eyeballs and camel snot.
- All these things are cooked in a pot,
- So give me some puke with sugar on top!
Here is the original that we sang when I was younger:
Great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Tiny little birdie's feet
Great big plops of all purporse porpoise pus
And here I am without a spoon
I....got...a...straw!
Another version, Horace Mann Day Camp, NY, NY circa 1983-1985
Great green gobs of greasy, grimey gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
chopped up baby parakeets
All these things are very very good to eat
But I forgot my spoon
So they served me
A ham sandwich
with boogers on top
monkey vomit
and camel snot
parakeet eyeballs mixed with goo
all these things are very good for you
What's for dinner
Horse manure
Where'd they find it
In the sewer
This is a Michigan version cerca 1968
Great green gobs of greasy, grimey gopher guts
Concentrated monkey meat
Little birdies dirty feet
ALl mixed up in antelopes vomiting
Don't you wish you had a spoon?
Fried boogers sprinkled on top
Monkeys eyes and camel snot
Chopped up eyeballs mixed with glue
Refreshing while it's helping you!
Maine (80s):
Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Little turdy birdy feet
All wrapped up in one big bloody sheet
And me without my spoon.
Appearances in media
- This song was sung by Bloo in the animated television show Foster's Home for Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary FriendsFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an American animated television series created and produced at Cartoon Network Studios by animator Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls. It first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minute television movie, which led to a series...
to calm down an imaginary friend named Cheese when he was screaming from a previous event. It calmed him down for a moment, but Bloo looked forward to the finish of the song by singing "and I don't got a spoonSpoonA spoon is a utensil consisting of a small shallow bowl, oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery , especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for serving. Spoons are also used in food preparation to measure, mix, stir and toss ingredients...
", Cheese took notice to this part by repeating "No spoon?" and resumed screaming as he did before, with Bloo taking great amusement.
- It appeared in an early episode of Ren and Stimpy; Stimpy sings it in the kitchen while mixing some batter using the line "smothered in a pool of blood".
- It also appeared in the film CaddyshackCaddyshackCaddyshack is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis, and Douglas Kenney. It stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, and Bill Murray...
in which it was sung by Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
's character Carl Spackler.
- Artist Dr. Demento has made a cover of this song, though he replaces the last line with "I made it all for you" instead of "And me without my spoon."
- Penn Jillette - [Great Green Gobs (MP3)] - An all-time favorite at dinner parties, performed by magician, skeptic, and record producer Penn Jillette, the talking half of Penn & Teller. Also shows up on GreatGreenGobs.com.
- This song was sung by George ClooneyGeorge ClooneyGeorge Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
(Jack Taylor) and Mae WhitmanMae WhitmanMae Margaret Whitman is an American television, movie and voice actress. She is known for her role as Ann Veal in the TV series Arrested Development, her role as Amber on the TV series Parenthood, her role as Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim vs...
(Maggie Taylor) in the movie One Fine Day (1996). The scene takes place in the back of a taxi cab where Clooney, Whitman, Michelle PfeifferMichelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
(Melanie Parker) and Alex D. LinzAlex D. LinzAlexander David Linz is an American actor who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and television programs as a child actor. His notable film roles include Home Alone 3 and Max Keeble's Big Move ....
(Sammy Parker) are on their way to their kids' soccer game and Melanie remembers she has to meet her boss and two clients for drinks across town at Club 21Club 21Club 21 is a luxury retail company established in 1972 by Singaporean entrepreneur-hotelier Christina Ong.Club 21 started as a small boutique in Singapore’s Tanglin Shopping Centre and has expanded to operate multi-label fashion stores at Four Seasons Singapore, as well as licensed boutiques in...
. She scrambles to get ready for the meeting, handing her brush to Jack saying "Hold this", then Jack and Maggie use the brush as a microphone to sing the song.
- A version of this song also appeared in the book The Fledgling (1980) by Jane Langton. It appears on page 26 when Oliver, Eddy's huge, pesky friend appears to tease Eleanor as she plays in her yard with Eddy.
- A version of this song was sung by Bug Hall in "Honey, We Shrunk OurselvesHoney, We Shrunk OurselvesHoney, We Shrunk Ourselves is a 1997 direct-to-video sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. It is the last film in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise...
" (1997) when he is getting the volcano from his room for the chili volcano.
- A version of this song was sung by Drew, Kate, Lewis and Oswald in the final episode of Season 2 of the Drew Carey show as the gang is driving to New York in an ice cream truck.
- This song (and its lyrics) were mentioned in "Runaway RalphRunaway RalphRunaway Ralph is the second in a children's novel trilogy written by Beverly Cleary, first published in 1970.Keith gave him , Ralph speeds down the road toward Happy Acres Camp, where he is captured by a boy named Garf and kept as a pet...
" by Beverly ClearyBeverly ClearyBeverly Cleary is an American author. Educated at colleges in California and Washington, she worked as a librarian before writing children's books. Cleary has written more than 30 books for young adults and children. Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice Quimby, her...
.
- In a deleted scene cut from the final version of The Good Son Henry and Mark sing this during their walk in the woods,the scene can be seen during the trailer, it was used in the novel. The film trailer variation sung by Macaulay CulkinMacaulay CulkinMacaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
and Elijah WoodElijah WoodElijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
is as follows:
- "Great Big Gobs of Mutilated Monkey Meat
- Greasy, Grimy, Gopher Guts
- Chopped Up Little Piggy Feet
- French Fried Eyeballs
- Swimming in a Pool of Blood
- Mmmmm, That Sure Tastes Good!"
- In an episode of Histeria!Histeria!Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
Loud Kiddington sings this song to annoy some Indians.
- In the comic strip Soup to NutzSoup to NutzSoup to Nutz is a daily comic strip drawn by Rick Stromoski, who also is the artist behind The Mullets. The comic launched in March 2000, and is syndicated by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. It centers around the Nutz family, particularly the three children in the family.- Characters :Roy...
on June 4th, 2010. Sung by Royboy on the phone.
- In the Bobby's WorldBobby's WorldBobby's World is an American animated television series, which ran from 1990 to 1998, on FOX Kids. It was about the daily life of Bobby Generic and his very overactive imagination on how he sees the world. The show was created by Canadian actor-comedian Howie Mandel...
episode "Psycho Bobby" Bobby sings this song for his mother at her birthday.
See also
- Children's street cultureChildren's street cultureChildren's street culture refers to the cumulative culture created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children . It is most common in children between the ages...
- Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)