Copyright ⓒ 2008-12 Helen Silverwood
tel: 01937 558053
mob: 07519 801450
contact@2keepforeverpoems.com
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Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday dear ____,
Happy Birthday to you!
Everyone knows this Birthday song; it must be the most well-known song in the whole world, sung to billions of people on their birthdays every year, and recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the most popular songs worldwide. Many people will also remember the age-old alternative joke birthday lyrics below:
Doesn't make for a particularly appetising sounding birthday tea does it? And imagine a little girl's horror when she first hears the following version being sung to her on her birthday:
Squashed tomatoes and stew,
Bread and butter in the gutter,
Happy Birthday to you!
I went to the zoo,
I saw a fat monkey,
And I thought it was you!
It's a funny culture that we are in, insulting songs like that being sung to people on their birthdays! It is only meant to be a joke, but some birthday boys and girls may still wonder if the people singing it really mean it; and some folk may well be singing it to be nasty! It certainly can be a fine line between humour and insult.
And what about the following offensive version of the Birthday Song!?
Stick your head down the loo,
Taste it don't waste it,
Happy Birthday to you!
Now lets try one that is not at all insulting:
An amazing day too,
A fantastic cool party,
And lots of presents 4 u!
You smell just like pooh;
No-one likes your hairstyle,
And no-one likes you!
Now maybe that is going a bit too far! A little girl who had just got a new hairdo for her birthday party might well be upset even if she did know it was a joke!
Here at 2 Keep Forever Personalised Poems we pride ourselves on getting the humour in our poetry just right so that it amuses people without causing them any offence. So if you want to touch someone's heart and make them laugh on their birthday, then order a unique personalized birthday poem from us - it really will be the icing on the cake!
We are intrigued by the origins of alternative birthday songs like the ones above, and also how they have spread. If you know of any please tell us about them, and where and when you have heard them, or any other comment you would like to make in the comments box below.
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Comments
i thought i was going to be sick when my dad sang
Happy Birthday to you,
Squashed tomatoes and stew,
Bread and butter in the gutter,
Happy Birthday to you!
LOL I remember these birthday songs from the '70's in the South East of England. I was the little girl who got worried by the fat monkey version!