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Song Parodies -> "A Flight Across The Puddle (Part 1) Texas"

Original Song Title:

"I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General"

Original Performer:

Gilbert & Sullivan

Parody Song Title:

"A Flight Across The Puddle (Part 1) Texas"

Parody Written by:

Andy Primus

The Lyrics

This parody is done to match the Delacorte Theater version with George Rose as the MG (from YouTube).
(There are other versions – this is the one where he is wearing a white uniform with a red sash).

All words or phrases marked with * have a meaning listed in the table below the parody.
A lot of UK slang will mean something completely different to someone from the US.
Some words have been added because they can have other, more obvious, meanings as well.
There are a few pacing anomalies in the song that are also explained below the parody.

A flight across the puddle; I’m in Texas, in the USA
I’m in ya nation for some study: need to write that new essay
I’m based in Haltom, Fort Worth; there’d be more delights in *Isabel
I’m rubbered up: I bought a few; I’m hopin’ I can jizz a belle

A cruddy smell: a stain of poo; this hooker’s come from Arkansas
A dunderhead; she’s ragged; boy, this simpleton is stark an’ poor
The hair is greasy an’ ears, big; she’s teeming with a lot o’ ticks
(Spoken line)
Ooh, dirty chicks, flirty hicks…rated!
(Resume singing)
She’ll do for sinful acts; I bet her lair has seen a lot o’ tricks

(She’ll do for sinful acts; I bet her pair ain’t clean: no lot o’ licks)
(She’ll do for ‘skin pull acts; I bet her “there” has seen a lot o’ dicks)
(She’ll do for chin full acts; I wonder where she’s been; should do a lot o’ *flicks)

I’m off to meet the Fiddlegirl; my motive is nefarious
For if she has terrific friends, I hope to straddle various
A *raft o’ flowers: *riggin’ marks, nil; I’m a fool, and monkeyin’
She’s pissed: the final no go; I won’t see ‘em, so no gunkyin’

(An after hours gig in Clarksville, in a cool and funky inn)
(I’ve missed the “final loco”; I won’t see ‘em, so no Monkee-in’)

-----

I know that Sissy Spacek is from Quitman; she was Carrie White
I won’t see Barrence Carter, who was better known as Barry White
“The Walrus” was a giant on the waves of radio poppyness
His sonics form the core of ev’rythin’ that’s love an’ soppiness

I…know well of Charlie’s sassy belles; were always wow if scuffling
I’ll try to see his concert, if ol’ Scaggs is Lido Shuffling
An’ I dig Chuck; a fist, of which is hard if used for bashin’ ‘em
(Spoken line)
Ooh, thrashin’ ‘em, smashin’ ‘em…love it!
(Resume singing)
He’ll bristle if they stare, an’ then he’ll pretty soon be mashin’ ‘em

(Their diss’ll make him flare, an’ then he’ll pretty soon be dashin’ ‘em)
(Some miss’ll make him care, an’ then he’ll pretty soon be trashin’ ‘em)
(He’ll whistle at her pair, an’ then she’ll pretty soon be up for flashin’ ‘em)

The guy who died at forty two was fabbytastic Freddie King
I knew who Jerry Hall was when the Jagger was her steady thing
His sport: he battered ev’ry rival; Anderson: unstoppable
He was the wres’ler “Austin”; he’s not gangly; was undroppable

(His sport is shattered; ever trifle, and a con; it’s boo-able)
(It’s not the best, an’ often is too spangly and unviewable)

-----

So sad, now Stevie Ray is dead; when “Wham!” is on, it’s merryin’
The ‘copter fell that night an’ left his brother, Jimmie, buryin’
Hope much, that John’s with angels; he met Chapman, then he heard a shot
And talkin’ ‘bout them angels, in my dreams, that Farrah purred a lot

When Anna Smith wed Marshall it was made to be all Dallas-y
That I said, “More for cash fix, than for love”, is not a fallacy
He’d stalk, that Richard Ramirez; in LA he was killin’ ‘em
(Spoken line)
Ooh, I say, that’s a bad one, *innit; killin’ ‘em; jail… no, no, no, no…kill ‘im!
(Resume singing)
Want *licks o’ Henley, in some Eagles pop; he’s ever chill in ‘em

(Want licks o’ Billy, as a ZZ Top: he’s ever skill in ‘em)
(Want flicks o’ Weller as a Robocop; was ever *brill in ‘em)
(Hot chicks, had Larry, as a Dallas fop; was never slow in drillin’ ‘em)

As for junkie Janis Joplin, she was sucky and a hippy chick
An’ when she did that *brown, she was a grinning, awful, trippy chick
So now in matters Tex an’ famous, through ‘em all, I’ve had a trawl
I’d like to do some more of, but it’s time for home; I’ve had a fall

(Coz now in matters Mex an’ mugshot, through ‘em all, I’ve had a trawl)
(Some *tyke I view; I’m sure of; now it’s time for home; not had a ball)



A few points on pacing anomalies – don’t know if all versions are the same:
(a-BOUT bi-NO-mi-al THEO-rem) = (The hair is greasy an’ ears, big)
(all the CRIMES of HE-li-o-GAB-a-lus) = (on the waves of radio poppyness)
(I…can TELL un-DOUBT-ed RAPH-a-ELS) = (I know well of Charlie’s sassy belles)
(for my MIL-i-TAR-y KNOW-ledge) = (As for junkie Janis Joplin)

There are 2 extra syllables (in the last lines only) in each section of triple repeated lines (in brackets)

Isabel = Port Isabel, on the Texas coast
Flicks = films
Raft = a large amount of something
Rigging = acting fraudulently so as to gain an advantage
Innit = isn’t it
Licks = musical licks
Brill = excellent
Brown = street name for heroin
Tyke = an unpleasant man

Texans, or with a strong connection to Texas:
01) Robert Michael Nesmith (b. 1942 Houston) – “Last Train to Clarksville” single by The Monkees
02) Mary “Sissy” Spacek (b. 1949 Quitman) – Carrie White in Stephen King’s “Carrie”
03) Barrence Carter (b. 1944 Galveston d. 2003) – Barry White (The Walrus of Love)
04) Farrah Fawcett (b. 1947 Corpus Christi d. 2007) – Jill Munroe in “Charlie’s Angels”
05) Jaclyn Smith (b. 1947 Houston) – Kelly Garrett in “Charlie’s Angels”
06) William “Boz” Scaggs (b. 1944 Ohio; moved to Plano as a young boy) – “Lido Shuffle” single
07) Carlos “Chuck” Norris (b. 1940 Oklahoma) – Cordell Walker in “Walker, Texas Ranger”
08) Freddie King (b. 1934 Gilmer d. 1976) – blues singer/guitarist
09) Jerry Hall (b. 1956 Gonzales) – model & actress
10) Steven Anderson (b. 1964 Austin) – ex-wrestler (“Stone Cold” Steve Austin)
11) Stevie Ray Vaughan (b. 1954 Dallas d. 1990) – blues singer/guitarist (covered Lonnie Mack’s “Wham!”)
12) Jimmie Vaughan (b. 1951 Dallas) – blues singer/guitarist (founder member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds)
13) Mark Chapman (b. 1955 Fort Worth) – shot John Lennon in New York
14) Vickie Hogan (b. 1967 Houston d. 2007) – Anna Nicole Smith (wed 89 year old J. Howard Marshall II)
15) Ricardo “Richard” Ramirez (b. 1960 El Paso) – serial killer (The Night Stalker)
16) Don Henley (b. 1947 Gilmer) – singer/drummer in The Eagles
17) Billy Gibbons (b. 1949 Houston) – singer/guitarist in ZZ Top
18) Joe “Dusty” Hill (b. 1949 Dallas) – singer/bass guitarist in ZZ Top
19) Frank Beard (b. 1949 Frankston) – drummer in ZZ Top
20) Peter Weller (b. 1947 Winsconsin; moved to San Antonio as a boy) – Alex J. Murphy in “Robocop”
21) Larry Hagman (b. 1931 Fort Worth) – J.R. Ewing in “Dallas”
22) Janis Joplin (b. 1943 Port Arthur d. 1970) – “singer” in Big Brother and The Holding Company

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Voting Results

 
Pacing: 4.6
How Funny: 4.9
Overall Rating: 4.7

Total Votes: 7

Voting Breakdown

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User Comments

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Mark Scotti - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
You should get a Lone Five Stars(can only give three..) for this bit of brilliance!!
AFW - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
You covered a lot in this..fantastic job
Below Average Dave - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
That's a lot of notes at the end, very in depth tribute to Texas.
Guy - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
Andy - You missed Tommy Lee Jones - he's from San Antonio. And if the Fiddlegirl in the parody is one and the same as the one on AIR - she may have been born in Texas but I don't believe that she resides in the state at this time.

Maybe I need to re-read this but a fair amount of it sounds like Texas is a place of loose morals - maybe I'm missing the point. Texas has a bit of everything to include beach front which may not be around much longer thanks to BP, mountains, deserts, plains, hill country and prarie. I thought that the British gave up on invading the US with the revolutionary war and then the war of 1812, but it now seems that we are being invaded by of all things oil. Not your fault mate. And I just wanted you to know that it would take an OS much longer than the MG song to cover everyone and everything in the state of Texas. Texas could secede from the union and be self sufficient. They lack for nothing in that state.

But you did do a hard write here and did cover a lot. If I seemed to bash you well, I did a bit but then agian I have lived in Texas longer than any other place continuously so I kind of call it home. Still a fine job all in all.
Andy P - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
Thanks to Mark, AFW, BAD & Guy

Guy - Don't know about the loose morals, it's just the way the rhymes were going. The Arkansas bit was intentional. Don't know if this is true, but I read that Texans think that people from Arkansas are numbnuts.
Christie Marie M - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
Great job, Andy! Especially with a song so hard to spoof and pace. Loved how you literally spoofed the faster ending version. Texas may be hot, but I bet you never broke a sweat when writing this parody. 555 stars for this one, cowboy!
John Jenkins - June 28, 2010 - Report this comment
Very well done, particularly the "Dallas-y/fallacy" couplet.
Guy - June 29, 2010 - Report this comment
Andy - No worries, I'm not offended by it. Just seemed a bit odd. and as for what Texans think about Arkansans I can't say for sure. Texans may think of them more as hillbillies. I say this because during the Clinton administration there was a running joke here that said the white house residents were tagged as "Hill" and "Billy". You should come a visit Texas sometime. I think you would find the place very diverse and interesting.
Andy P - June 29, 2010 - Report this comment
Thanks Christie & John J

Guy - I've always wanted to (I'm a fan of Texas blues-rock). Only ever been to NYC. One day, maybe.

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