Ten Green Bottles
Encyclopedia
Ten Green Bottles is a song for children that is popular in the United Kingdom
. In essence the song is a single verse repeated, each time with one bottle fewer:
There are variants with standing or hanging instead of sitting. Other variants include Ten German Bombers
and the American 99 Bottles of Beer
.
There is also a variation in French called Les Moutons (The Sheep) sung by Jacques Brel in the album Les flamandes (1961).
and Hugo Weaving
sing a parody of "Ten Green Bottles" called "Ten Fat Trannies" in the film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
" (1993).
In Sue Townsend
's novel The Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole
, Adrian's class starts singing "Ten Green Bottles" on the bus during a school trip. They then start singing "Ten Green Snotrags" and the bus driver yells at them.
In the episode "Summer" of the television show The Vicar of Dibley
, Rev. Geraldine and the other members of the church council chain themselves to the church in protest. In the middle of the night, to combat boredom, Frank Pickle (the most dry and boring council member) starts singing, "One hundred thousand green bottles, hanging on the wall. One hundred thousand green bottles, hanging on the wall. And if one green bottle, should accidentally fall, there'll be ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine green bottles, hanging on the wall!" By this time, everyone has joined in.
In Romanian there is a version: "Ten elephants were swinging on a spider web..." (Zece elefanti se leganau pe o panza de paianjen...). In Spanish, a similar version exists, starting with one elephant, who sees that it does not fall, so it calls a comrade (Diez elefantes se balanceaban...)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In essence the song is a single verse repeated, each time with one bottle fewer:
- Ten green bottles sitting (or hanging) on the wall,
- Ten green bottles sitting (or hanging) on the wall,
- And if one green bottle should accidentally fall,
- There'll be nine green bottles sitting on the wall.
There are variants with standing or hanging instead of sitting. Other variants include Ten German Bombers
Ten German Bombers
Ten German Bombers was originally a song sung by English school children during World War II. It uses the same tune as 'She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain' though its verse and chorus follow the format of the song 'Ten Green Bottles' however since 2000 has been a song commonly sung by football...
and the American 99 Bottles of Beer
99 Bottles of Beer
"99 Bottles of Beer" is a traditional song in the United States and Canada. It is popular to sing on long trips, as it has a very repetitive format which is easy to memorize, and can take a long time to sing. In particular the song is frequently sung by children on long bus trips, such as class...
.
There is also a variation in French called Les Moutons (The Sheep) sung by Jacques Brel in the album Les flamandes (1961).
Parodies
Actors Guy PearceGuy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
and Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
sing a parody of "Ten Green Bottles" called "Ten Fat Trannies" in the film "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
" (1993).
In Sue Townsend
Sue Townsend
-Adrian Mole series:* The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ , her best selling book, and the best-selling new British fiction book of the 1980s.* The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole * The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole...
's novel The Secret Diaries of Adrian Mole
Adrian Mole
Adrian Albert Mole is the fictional protagonist in a series of books by English author Sue Townsend. The character first appeared in a BBC Radio 4 play in 1982. The books are written in the form of a diary, with some additional content such as correspondence...
, Adrian's class starts singing "Ten Green Bottles" on the bus during a school trip. They then start singing "Ten Green Snotrags" and the bus driver yells at them.
In the episode "Summer" of the television show The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
, Rev. Geraldine and the other members of the church council chain themselves to the church in protest. In the middle of the night, to combat boredom, Frank Pickle (the most dry and boring council member) starts singing, "One hundred thousand green bottles, hanging on the wall. One hundred thousand green bottles, hanging on the wall. And if one green bottle, should accidentally fall, there'll be ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine green bottles, hanging on the wall!" By this time, everyone has joined in.
In Romanian there is a version: "Ten elephants were swinging on a spider web..." (Zece elefanti se leganau pe o panza de paianjen...). In Spanish, a similar version exists, starting with one elephant, who sees that it does not fall, so it calls a comrade (Diez elefantes se balanceaban...)