|
Classic Sesame Street at its very best. Sorry about the quality, but it is better than nothing.
\"There's a Hole in the Bucket\" is performed by the Anything Muppets on Sesame Street in the early-1970's.
Henry (voiced by Jim Henson) is about to fetch a bucket of water from his well, but realizes that his bucket has a hole. Liza, his wife (voiced by Rita Moreno), explains how to fix it, but she grows frustrated with having to tell him everything he needs to do.
Hilarity ensues, as the problem-solving loop builds and builds.
Poor Henry, or should we say, Poor Liza.
Lyrics:
Henry: There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza, there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
Liza: So fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, so fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.
H: With what should I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza, with what should I fix it, dear Liza, with what?
L: With a stick, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, with a stick, dear Henry, dear Henry, with a stick.
H: But the stick is too big, dear Liza, dear Liza, the stick is too big, dear Liza, too big.
L: So cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, so cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, cut it!
H: With what should I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza, with what should I cut it, dear Liza, with what?
L: Use the hatchet, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, use the hatchet, dear Henry, the hatchet.
H: But the hatchet's too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza, the hatchet's too dull, dear Liza, too dull.
L: So, sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
So sharpen it dear Henry, dear Henry, sharpen it!
H: With what should I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what should I sharpen, dear Liza, with what?
L: Use the stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, use the stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, THE STONE!
H: But the stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza, the stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.
L: So wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, so wet it dear Henry, dear Henry, WET IT!
H: With what should I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza, with what should I wet it, dear Liza, with what?
L: (moves her rocking chair over to Henry and sings fast)
With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, with water, dear Henry, dear Henry, WATER!
H: With what should I carry it, dear Liza, dear Liza, with what should I carry it dear Liza, with what?
L: (crying) Use the bucket dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, use the bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, the bucket!
H: Uh, Liza? There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza, there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole.
Interesting sidenotes:
- The earliest known archetype of this song seems to be in the German collection of songs Bergliederbchlein (c 1700). It is set as a dialogue between a woman named Liese, and an unnamed man.
- In later German sources the song is reproduced under the title of Heinrich und Liese and credited as a folk song from Hesse. In the 19th century it was sung as a commercium song and printed in the 1858 Kommersbuch. The renowned song collection Deutscher Liederhort (3 volumes, 18561894) edited by Ludwig Erk and Franz Magnus Bhme includes the song, relating it also to the Flemish song Mooy Bernardyn (\"Wat doet gy in het groene veld ?\"). The German song became even more widespread when it was included in the famous Wandervogel songbook Der Zupfgeigenhansl in 1909.
- This was collected in 1940, and is earlier than any known English-language version. This suggests that it might be a traditional \"Pennsylvania Dutch\" (i.e. German) song. Ed McCurdy recorded it in 1958 on \"Children's Songs\". Harry Belafonte recorded it with Odetta in 1960. It reached No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1961.[6] In his book Where Have All the Flowers Gone: A Singer's Songs, Stories, Seeds, Robberies (1993), Pete Seeger refers to it as an originally German song, \"Lieber Heinrich\".[7] Songs Along the Mahantongo: Pennsylvania Dutch Folksongs (1951), by Boyer, Buffington, & Yoder, has a version
|
| |
