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Song Parodies -> "A Flight Across The Puddle (Part 3) New York"

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 3) New York"

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; we’ve a problem that’ll slow us up
A beardy fellow, lookin’ shifty, says he wants to blow us up
The shoes aren’t duds, an’ go bang; then I note the flight’s hysterical
He’d paradise an’ bonin’ due; an order, from one clerical

The pilot an’ the cabin crew have fainted; we can’t stimulate
I understand the functions; they look simple; I could simulate
I’m not so good at the steerin’; I’m tearing out a lot o’ hair
I’ve tried a lot o’ things, for I’m the one that leads: a lot o’ flair

(A warnin’ bell, it rings, an’ I’m the one that heeds: a lot o’ care)
(The bomber says, “It stings”, for he’s the one that bleeds; he’s gotta swear)
(Now bits are off the wings; I think we’re done; it seems we haven’t got a prayer)

I’m very good when in a jam: a stiffer lip; I’m landin’ it
I hit the “overshot it” trap; I’m glad that there is sand in it
It’s down, but battered; blew the tyres; broken wing that’s flappy now
The baddy’s feet are missin’; I should bet he’s feelin’ crappy now

(We’re down, but shattered; “phew”: the flyers; joke an’ sing: they’re happy now)
(The ladies greet with kissin’: I should get; appealin’ *chappie now)

-----

I’m in a yellow taxi cab; it’s awful duff; has sticky brakes
It must be hard to steer it: driver’s hit a friend of Ricki Lake’s
He’s now hit Woody Allen, who’s the tops in comedy craziness
I ought to change my cab, but I’m a-sufferin’ from laziness

I…can tell the cabbie’s lost the plot: he’s full of rage, and rambling
He’s bashed a mounted lawman; now the horse can’t do his ambling
The guy’s a nut; I’ve seen enough; this dude is less than sensible
He’s runnin’ over stars; the law is clear: it’s reprehensible

(He’s runnin’ over stars; Kirk D: a tear; it’s reprehensible)
(He’s runnin’ over stars; Lou Reed: a tear; it’s reprehensible)
(He’s runnin’ over stars; T Cruise: a cheer; I doubt it’s reprehensible)

The guy has quite a squashin’ skill; this cabbie’s into splattin’ ‘em
He’s chasin’ Caan and Arkin; they’ll be flat, an’ ‘ave no chat in ‘em
The road, now battered; ev’ry sign felled; Fonda is one layin’ limp
The cabbie’s on the beer; oh: *pissed a trickle on the frayin’ *gimp

(He’s mowed, an’ shattered, Jerry Seinfeld; yonder is one preyin’ pimp)
(The cabbie’s Rob De Niro; Mister Bickle is no prayin’ wimp)

-----

I shout, “For God sake, let me out”, on Madison, at *K an’ D
The guy can’t quell his spite; Mariah Carey’s next for A and E
This nut can see the ghosties of dead Yorkers; some he’s swearin’ at
He’s runnin’ down Houdini; then, at me, it’s “Who you starin’ at?”

Well, he’s jus’ squashed Count Basie, an’ Lee Marvin he’s now manglin’
He sees odd fruit on poplars: could be Billie who’s there, danglin’
Mae West jus’ took a battering; a very mental strategy
He’s seen another copper on a horse; he’s gonna splat a gee

(He’s seen another copper on the course; he’s gonna splat a he)
(He’s seen a mother shopper on the *sauce; he’s gonna splat a she)
(He’s been an’ got the chopper, an’ of course he’s gonna hack an’ splatter me)

Now he’s hittin’ Tony Curtis, who is lucky to be blubbery
It only makes him bounce, an’ so he’s landing in the shrubbery
He’s glad he’s fatter; size is maxi; fearin’ he’ll be hobblin’
His wig is in a puddle, an’ his gut is loose an’ wobblin’

(He’s mad; will batter guys with taxi; steerin’, I’ve been *nobblin’)
(His zig is in a muddle, for a nut is loose an’ wobblin’)



A few points on pacing anomalies – don’t know if all versions are the same:
(a-BOUT bi-NO-mi-al THEO-rem) = (I’m not so good at the steerin’)
(all the CRIMES of HE-li-o-GAB-a-lus) = (who’s the tops in comedy craziness)
(I…can TELL un-DOUBT-ed RAPH-a-ELS) = (I can tell the cabbie’s lost the plot)
(for my MIL-i-TAR-y KNOW-ledge) = (Now he’s hittin’ Tony Curtis)

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

Chappie = fellow
Pissed = urinated
Gimp = reinforced material used as upholstery trimming
K an’ D = K & D Wines, 1366 Madison Ave
Sauce = alcohol
Nobbling = tampering with, in order for it to fail

New Yorkers, or with a strong connection to New York:
01) Ricki Lake (b. 1968 Hastings-on-Hudson) – talk show host
02) Allen Konigsberg (b. 1935 Brooklyn) – actor (Woody Allen)
03) Issur Danielovitch (b. 1916 Amsterdam, NY) – actor (Kirk Douglas)
04) Lou Reed (b. 1942 Brooklyn) – singer/guitarist (ex-The Velvet Underground)
05) Tom Cruise Mapother IV (b. 1962 Syracuse, NY) – actor
06) James Caan (b. 1940 The Bronx) – actor (Freebie in “Freebie and the Bean”)
07) Alan Arkin (b. 1934 Brooklyn) – actor (Bean in “Freebie and the Bean”)
08) Jane Fonda (b. 1937 Manhattan) – actress
09) Jerry Seinfeld (b. 1954 Brooklyn) – comedian
10) Robert De Niro (b. 1943 Manhattan) – actor (Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver”)
11) Mariah Carey (b. 1970 Huntington) – singer
12) Ehrich Weiss (b. 1874 Budapest, Hungary; moved to NY 1887; d. 1926) – escapologist (Harry Houdini)
13) William “Count” Basie (b. 1904 New Jersey; moved to NY 1937; d. 1984) – pianist
14) Lee Marvin (b. 1924 NYC; d. 1987) – actor
15) Elinore Harris (b. 1915 Pennsylvania; moved to Harlem 1929; d. 1959) – singer (Billie Holiday) of “Strange Fruit”
16) Bernard Schwartz (b. 1925 Manhattan) – actor (Tony Curtis)

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Voting Results

 
Pacing: 4.9
How Funny: 4.4
Overall Rating: 4.7

Total Votes: 7

Voting Breakdown

The following represent how many people voted for each category.

    Pacing How Funny Overall Rating
 1   0
 1
 0
 
 2   0
 0
 0
 
 3   0
 0
 1
 
 4   1
 0
 0
 
 5   6
 6
 6
 

User Comments

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AFW - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
Yet another fantastic job, on this monster original...You must not get any sleep nights.
Guy - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
Andy - Yikes Di Nero at the wheel playin' hack - Now that's a might scary. NYC hacks drive like a Grand Ma compared to hacks in Tokyo. You have not lived until you have ridden in a taxi there where all the drivers drive like kamikaze drop outs. You ask them to slow down and they punch the petal to the metal. Needless to say that when I wasn't driving after that, I took the trains.

Fonda layin' limp - McCain would shed no tears over that one.

Love the What you starin' at line - Sooo Di Nero. On the flip side the Jet Liner crisis got by me somehow. I take it that it is an alternate story about the mad shoe bomber that you incorporated while flying to NYC? The hack part of the story is prime. Will you be doing more traveling soon? Too bad Di Nero didn't have Bernie Madoff in his gun sights.

You lookin' at fives, hey you lookin' at fives?
Andy P - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
Thanks AFW - Sleeping is for wimps! (as Delboy once said in "Only Fools And Horses")

Thanks Guy - never been to Asia - DK much US politics, so missed the Fonda/McCain bit - yes to bomber bit - Heard of Madoff, but DK reason why you would hate him - no more travel ones done for now, but I did a trip round half of Europe a few months back. It's here if you're interested (don't feel forced to read it, if you haven't got the time).

http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/gilbertsullivan105.shtml
Guy - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
Andy - I take it that your ref to Fonda is Jane Fonda? Well the reason that McCain would not shed any tears for her is that during the Vietnam War McCain languished in the Hanoi Hilton. She was against the war as were most of us but what she did was way over the top for ugliness, hate and contempt. She visited the Hanoi Hilton and of course the North Vietnamese painted a pretty picture for her and she bought it. One prisoner slipped her a note telling her of the real conditions that they were living under. Fonda read it and promptly handed it over to the men's captives. The POWs paid dearly for that. Nuff said.

Bernie Madoff - I didn't say I hated him and that is because I never gave him any of my money to invest. He has ruined countless lives by his Ponzi scheme that bilked over 50 billion dollars from people who trusted in him to invest wisely for them and their hedge funds. So he is hated deeply by thousands who he has burned.

Hope this clears up your confusion as to why I wrote what I did.
Fiddlegirl - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
You've done some research, haven't you? This is clever storytelling-- from the "shoe bomber" flight to having to land the plane, to the Terror in the Taxi Cab-- all immensely enjoyable! (LOL @ the Kirk D./Lou Reed/Tom Cruise section...) 555
Christie Marie M - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
Gotta love those 'Major Modern General' parodies! Another 555 stars!
General Nuisance - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
Let's give that Andy fellow the silver star for valor saving all the souls aboard that plane.

As for the hack we will convene an article 32 hearing followed by a summary court martial if the article 32 hearing merits such. General Motors shall preside over the court martial. My Aid, Major Disturbance will preside over any and all administrative processes. All court martial recording will be performed by Corporal Punishment. Private Parts will bare witness to the events as they unfolded. Private Parts was the first to be rear ended by the taxi and was stuck to the hood of the taxi like a hood ornament and will make for an expert eye witness to the mayhem. Parts had his pants ripped from his body when hit. A panel of Major Generals will provide modeling of the events for the court to review. Court will recess until the article 32 hearing is concluded.
Tommy Turtle - June 30, 2010 - Report this comment
So, does everyone in the US get equal shots at the UK? :-) Doubt anyone would go to this length, so to speak, mostly because there's not that much that's all that interesting or satire-worthy. .

Kidding!!!!! -- but serious about length -- MG is tough enough; I've never heard of anyone doing it as a serial. Or a cereal. TT wrote "Riff Three Times" (On The Same Song, 'Cause It's Fun To), but never pictured daily connected riffs on this OS. On a par with John A. Barry's "Vast Wasteland" series from 2006 -- and that's Norse-saga-epic level, indeed.

DK why, but of all the great lines, for some reason, "sticky brakes/Ricki Lake's" tickled the turtle's fancy. Well, as we've agreed, weird tastes. Top marks, which are the bruises you get from being topped. (back to underground meanings, lol)
Andy P - July 01, 2010 - Report this comment
Thanks FG (I did a lot of Wikiing for these 3) & Christie

& TT - yes, you do - I'm sure you could find something/someone of interest if you think hard enough about it - let me see now, William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Alexander Fleming, Charles Dickens, Alexander Graham Bell, John Logie Baird, Florence Nightingale, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Dame Julie Andrews, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, etc, etc - I bet you've heard of at least 3 of them) :)

& Guy - Fonda (see what you mean) Madoff (heard the name before, but couldn't remember where from - probably either the TV news or a parody on this site) - & LOL @ GN
TT - July 02, 2010 - Report this comment
Done Shakespeare many, many times, in case you haven't noticed (cough). ... Darwin and Bell were British? Who knew? :)

Just pullin' yer chain -- I was thinking more of worthy satire targets. Putting Tom Cruise et al in the same category with Newton, Fleming, Dickens, et al., is a grotesque insult to the latter. .. never heard of Brunel, though.... IOW, you're rightfully satirizing everyone from idiots to traitors (Hanoi Jane). Somewhat fewer of both in the UK, methinks, and I know little about them, but will keep it in mind. Cheers, mate!
Mark Scotti - July 02, 2010 - Report this comment
Andy, you are truely the MASTER of the "General" blaster... GREAT JOB!!
Andy P - July 14, 2010 - Report this comment
Late thanks to Mark & TT (looked up the Hanoi Jane story - very interesting. Was she just an idiot, or was she fed bulls*** by someone in authority with an agenda?)

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