Today I’ve been thinking about a song my dad used to sing.  It was a Bing Crosby song from 1944 called “Would you like to swing on a Star?”  I always loved it when he sang it and never really thought about it.  I knew there were animals in the song but couldn’t remember past the first verse so here are the words.

Would you like to swing on a star?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar?
And be better off than you are?
Or would you rather be a mule?

A mule is an animal with long, funny ears
He kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny and his brain is weak
He’s just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And, by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule

Or would you like to swing on a star?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar?
And be better off than you are?
Or would you rather be a pig?

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He’s got no manners when he eats his food
He’s fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don’t care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig

Or would you rather be a fish?

A fish won’t do anything but swim in a brook
He can’t write his name or read a book
To fool all the people is his only thought
Though he’s slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish

And all the monkeys aren’t in a zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see, it’s all up to you
You can be better than you are

You could be swingin’ on a star.

 

I don’t think my dad sang past the verse about the mule and probably didn’t know the rest of the words, but in reading the lyrics, the song is kind of mean.  But then if Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin sang a song, you always thought it was a sweet ballad about love or in this case, swinging from a star.  In 1944, it won the Academy Award for best song in a movie.  I wonder what songs didn’t win that year?

I still love that dad sang me the first verse and maybe today he’s “Swingin’ on a Star” while he makes sure I stay out of trouble.  He was quite a dad.

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