Lambs & Ivy

Mairzy Doats is a novelty song composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. It was first played on radio station, WOR New York, by Al Trace and his Silly Symphonists. The song made the pop charts several times, with a version by The Merry Macs reaching No. more...

Home
Baby Gear
Baby Safety & Health
Baby Wholesale Lots
Bathing & Grooming
Boys' Clothing
Car Safety Seats
Diapering
Feeding
Girls' Clothing
Keepsakes & Baby...
Nursery Bedding
Blankets
Bumpers
Cribskirts & Dust Ruffles
Nursery Comforters
Nursery Duvets
Nursery Quilts
Nursery Sheet Sets
Bassinet Sheet Sets
Cradle Sheet Sets
Crib Sheet Sets
Blue Jean Teddy
Carter's
Disney
Glenna Jean
Handmade
Kidsline
Lambs & Ivy
Noah's Ark
Other Crib Sheet Sets
Pottery Barn
Precious Moments
Suzy's Zoo
Winnie the Pooh
Toddler Sheet Sets
Nursery Sheets
Other Nursery Bedding
Pillows
Shams
Nursery Décor
Nursery Furniture
Other Baby Items
Other Items
Potty Training
Shoes
Strollers
Toys
Unisex Clothing

1 in March 1944. In addition to its success on the home front, it was also a hit with American servicemen overseas, who allegedly used its nonsensical lyrics as passwords.

At first glance, the song's refrain, as written on the sheet music, seems to be meaningless:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

However, the lyrics of the bridge provide a clue:

If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey,

Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy."

With this aid, the refrain is easily comprehended, and the ear will detect the hidden message of the final line: "A kid will eat ivy too, wouldn't you?"

History

T One of the writers, Milton Drake, says the writers wrote this number basing it off an English nursery rhyme.

Drake says the idea came to him when his four year old daughter came home singingt the English rhyme which starts "Cowzy tweet and siwzy tweet and libble sharksy doisters."nursery rhyme.

The three writers then got together and came up with a tune for the nursery rhyme. While they tried to publish the song, no one would take it because it sounded so silly. After a year, the writers gave Al Trace, a bandleader of "Silly Symphonists," a shot. He liked the song and completed it. After it was produced it became a huge hit. Spike Jones also covered it. Even the American troops sang it in World War II marching off ships at foreign ports. Soldiers also used the lyrics as passwords. It was then spread around the world. After many years it was also used in movies and TV shows, including the first episode in series two of Twin Peaks.

Read more at Wikipedia.org