Talk:Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Citations of Origin
The first citation comes from an email list, and is unencyclopedic. The second source about soldiers cutting off the ears of slaves is offensive, and furthermore is baseless. There is no contemporary or historian who has documented such behavior. I am removing both sources. 68.197.174.59 (talk) 22:00, 21 October 2010 (UTC)

"Do yer balls hang low, can yer tie 'em in a knot, you'll never never be a Scottie if yer balls hang low." My Scots grandfather (1889-1959) heard the version while serving in France in WW1. Obviously an oblique reference to kilts. No wonder Haig did not like it, being of Scots descent. He also owned Haig Whiskey.220.244.74.80 (talk) 03:45, 20 July 2017 (UTC)

Notability
Added Roud Folk Song Index number. Any song recorded by both Barney and Kinky Friedman can't be all bad, and you can verify that they recorded it at allmusic.com. Pustelnik (talk) 01:27, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Examples
I assume this is a pretty obscure article not many people will bother to read, but why is there no example? --Too Lazy To Login —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.171.252.55 (talk) 03:56, 12 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Do you mean example lyrics? AlmostReadytoFly (talk) 07:18, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you throw them o'er your shoulder like a continental soldier? Do your ears hang low?

Do your ears hang high? Do they reach up to the sky? Do they droop when they are wet? Do they stiffen when they're dry? Can you semaphore your neighbour with a minimum of labour? Do your ears hang high?

Do your ears flip-flop? Can you use them for a mop? Are they stringy at the bottom? Are they curly at the top? Can you use them for a swatter? Can you use them for a blotter? Do your ears flip-flop?

Do your ears hang out? Can you waggle them about? Can you flip them up and down as you fly around the town? Can you shut them up for sure when you hear an awful bore? Do your ears hang out?

Does your tongue hang out? Can you shake it all about? When you try to tuck it in, does it just hang out? Can you roll it to the ground, with a clunk and a pound? Does your tongue hang out?

Do your eyeballs droop Do they wobble in your soup Can you tie them in a loop Can you put them in a coop Can you throw them over your shoulder Like a Gan Izzy soldier Do your eyeballs droop? are they what you are looking for? Hope you like them!!!

No Examples Please!
Beyond the original lyrics, please don't post any specific titles/refs in the Popular culture section. There could be any number of plays on this, and we don't post them all. Removed the following from the article:


 * The song has also been appropriated by hip-hop artist Jibbs in his song "Chain Hang Low". The 1969 film Easy Rider documents another extant version that uses "hair" with the verses beginning, "How do you wear your hair? Does your hair hang low?"


 * Wanda sings in The Bernie Mac Show, episode "Some Church Bull."


 * Scott and Laurie sang this song in "Wee Sing in Sillyville" after Barney the dog arrived at their house.

--70.128.123.6 (talk) 00:44, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

Additional citations
Why and where does this article need additional citations for verification? What references does it need and how should they be added? Hyacinth (talk) 06:47, 10 March 2012 (UTC)

Some nits
"I like the tune, but you must know that that in any circumstances those words are inexcusable!" Does the source really say "that that"?

"The tune is frequently heard being played on ice cream truck P.A. speakers in America." Ice cream trucks around here play music without words, so the tune is Turkey in the Straw. Art LaPella (talk) 20:45, 13 November 2015 (UTC)

"Referring to the tune as 'Turkey in the Straw' here takes it out of the context of this article and appears as rather random and irrelevant. I thought the change was vandalism at first." 12.21.30.4 (talk) 21:41, 1 April 2016 (UTC)

"History"
'Continental soldier' links to the page referencing the American Continental Army, but considering the putative origin - British - is it just as likely that 'continental soldier' is referencing soldiers of the continent, ie. Europe? Uhnon Amess (talk) 00:19, 2 June 2021 (UTC)

French version
I just discovered this song exists in English. There is a French version, “Mes oreilles tombent-elles ?” or “Tes oreilles tombent-elles ?” (litt. “Are my/your ears falling?”), which is very well known and popular as a nursery rhyme, at least in France. The lyrics seem very much parrallel to the English version:

Mes oreilles tombent-elles Sauras-tu les ramasser Les entortiller ou bien les nouer Les passer par dessus l’épaule En visière de pompier Mes oreilles tombent-elles

litt. Do my ears fall off Can you pick them up Twist them or tie them Get them over shoulders Like a firefighting visor Do my ears fall off

Funilly enough, it is very typically sung while taking a heavy pseudo-British accent singing in French. Reading the history in this article, it seems that this could very well be influenced by the British soldiers coming to France during the war. But that would mean that the “ears” version (and not only the “balls” version) existed to these British soldiers at the time.

~ nicolas (talk) 17:47, 17 January 2024 (UTC)