Worthy Traditions

I have a memory of myself swinging on the BIG swing at the church camp grounds... swinging with two boys... leaning my head back... arms straight... going high in the sky, checking to see if my feet touched the leaves of the tree in the front... while listening to the boys sing.

Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts...

But that is the only line I can remember.

Until today.

TODAY I was reading The Fledgling by Jane Langton. I came across a song she was having a "colossal bully" sing in her book. It makes me wonder if she had the same fond memories that I had, or if she was the one who made up the song and in the 80's my friends were reading this same book and thought it would be cool to memorize the song to gross out the girls. I think it is providential that I stumbled across this book at the Knoxville Public Library book sale, because I love that memory!

Here is how it goes (According to Jane Langton)

Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts,

Mutilated monkey meat,

Little birdies' dirty feet,

Chopped-up chunks of little wormies' dirty teeth,

All in a bowl of blood!

All in a bowl of blood!

All in a bowl of blood!

That's my mother's newest tasty recipe,

All in a bowl of blood!

So – what did I do with my new found knowledge? I called for my boys... “Hey boys!! I found a song that I once cherished from my youth. Want to hear it?” I had the most serious look on my face. They nodded quite solemnly...

I my best church singing voice... I started singing (to the tune of a familiar Sunday school song... “In the Lord's Army.”)

Great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts.

I got interrupted by great hoots of laughter!!

I kept on singing.... Mutilated monkey meat,

“Oh COOOL!”, they exclaimed... because I had often sang the first line... but never the whole song.

What a day! Exciting Day... today I can pass on the song I remember from junior high camp to my boys... they'll learn it and use it to gross out girls when they get to junior high camp. I'm one who firmly believes in passing on traditions... but only worthy traditions! Great green globs of greasy grimy gopher guts...