Talk:Mairzy Doats

Wooden Shoe
It seems to me that the lyric is "wooden shoe" rather than "wouldn't you." The lyrics are meant to be "jumbled" early on and clarified later, so why would "real" words be included? "Wouldn't you" makes no sense within the context of the song. --Proudhug (talk) 01:22, 12 December 2007 (UTC)

I'd think so too (also, based on the wikipedia article on "mondegreen"). BUT, the original sheet music does say "wouldn't you" - here's a scan: http://www.umkc.edu/lib/spec-col/ww2/warnews/mairzy.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.194.171.29 (talk) 16:57, 15 February 2008 (UTC)


 * It would make sense if "wooden shoe" was a mondegreen itself, but not as the "original" meaning. Unless you mean that the jumbled version is supposed to be "wooden shoe". But I've always heard it as "wouldn't you" - which is commonly pronounced as "wooden choo" might be, not "wooden shoe." I just listened to the popular Merry Macs version on youtube again, and they very clearly say "wouldn't you" right from the beginning. So I think this is correct. Fool4jesus (talk) 16:33, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Is it worthwhile including a mention of the (possibly coincidental) similar sounding Mersey Docks and Harbour Board which controlled much of what went on in England's second port at the time the song was written? if you pronounce in a Scouse accent ('Mare-zee Docchhs an 'Aarbur Bord') the beginning and the rhythm match... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.129.111.133 (talk) 23:15, 31 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, I learned the song last year. The line is 'wouldn't you'. Top  Gear  Freak  16:28, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Gertrude Lawrence sang this song to the troops, and it went 'I'll paddle my own canoe, wouldn't you?'

in popular culture
this song was given a comic musical rendition by Laurel and Hardy, the clip of which appears in the 2007 film The Savages Dardura108 (talk) 07:16, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

it was also used in an episode of Petticoat Junction where Kate gave it a "beatnik" twist. — Preceding unsigned comment added by CompulsiveEditor (talk • contribs) 15:34, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

Also on BBC Radio 4's show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Willie Rushton memorably sung a rendition of the song's words to the tune of There'll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs Of Dover, to which the entire audience joined in the final chorus. This appears on the BBC compilation tape/CD 1, show 3. 86.173.252.157 (talk) 13:18, 26 August 2013 (UTC)

What about Hogan's Heroes, Season 4 Episode 15? http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0084799/quotes Well, not actually the song, I admit, but the title at least. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.129.144.221 (talk) 19:26, 27 June 2015 (UTC)

In Twin Peaks the character Leeland Palmer sings this song in an episode or two as well, giving the happy tune a quite dark twist. --95.91.225.251 (talk) 20:41, 5 January 2018 (UTC)

"Cleanup" and "irrelevant example" tags
Why the "cleanup" and "irrelevant example" tags in the article? This article looks fine to me, and the "history" section is interesting, well-written, and totally relevant to the subject. Since nobody has explained their issues here in the discussion, I am going to remove these tags. If you have specific problems, bring them here and we can discuss them. Fool4jesus (talk) 16:45, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Abner Silver
This song is partly based on On the Beach at Bali-Bali released in 1935, which Abner Silver collaborated with Al Sherman. Chico Marx plays a version of this in A Day at the Races, but there are other versions from the same time. Itsaback (talk) 08:26, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

The Probably Mythical "Snitzky Award"
Google cannot find any reference to any "Snitzky Awards" except for Mairzy Doats allegedly winning it in 1944--and pretty much all of those webpages are cut-and-paste text from Wikipedia. Either the Snitzky is made up or it is a very, very obscure award--either way, it's not notable enough for a Wikipedia entry. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.61.224.125 (talk) 13:30, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

Origins
The 'history' section does not adequately address the origins of the main saying "mares eat oats...", it makes mention that it is from an older nursery rhyme then focuses exclusively on the song from the '40s.

This should be clarified and rewritten. The song is a specific extrapolation based upon the original version.


 * True, but that's pretty well all that the Opie source says. If you know of additional sources that can provide more details, please say. MichaelMaggs (talk) 21:45, 5 January 2018 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello out there, I just deleted first line in recordings the following, "In 1938, The Merry Macs used the song to kickoff their first album, Presenting The Merry Macs." The song was written and published in 1943. Following the songwriters' lives, highly questionable that all 3 were together in 1938.

On-line sites show the album, Presenting the Merry Macs, released March 11, 1938 was originally from Decca Records, later becoming Universal Digital Enterprises. Under Wikipedia Category:Decca Records albums there is no album, Presenting The Merry Macs. Presenting The Merry Macs The Merry Macs Released on 1938-03-11 by Universal Digital Enterprises Main artists: The Merry Macs Genre: Po Universal Digital Enterprises Many songs on this album were published in the 1940's. 6/7/2024

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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080614034615/http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/ww2/warnews/mairzy.htm to http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/ww2/warnews/mairzy.htm

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Twin Peaks
This song is also referenced in the original Twin Peaks show. Ferox3000 (talk) 13:37, 16 February 2024 (UTC)


 * That would be non-encylopedic detail see WP:INDISCRIMINATE. Per MOS:POPCULT, a reliable secondary source should be cited that covers the article subject's cultural impact in some depth; it should not be a mere mention. MichaelMaggs (talk) 11:16, 7 June 2024 (UTC)