Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision: March 7, 2021
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on the song "I'm A Nut".
Part II of this pancocojams series provides selected comments about the song "I'm A Nut". Some of the comments in Part II include lyrics for versions of this song/rhyme (including the lyrics that Leroy Pullin sang in his 1966 record). In addition to sharing lyrics for these examples, I'm interested in sharing comments that indicate the decade or year that the commenter first heard this song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/two-sound-file-examples-of-childrens.html for Part I of this pancocojams post. That post showcases two YouTube examples of "I'm A Nut". The first sound file that is embedded is a country music version of that song that was recorded in 1966 by (White American) singer Leroy Pullins.
The second sound file that is embedded in this post is an example of a children's (summer) camp song of "I'm A Nut".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/examples-of-childrens-rhymes-im-nut-in.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III presents examples of the hand clap rhyme "I'm A Nut In A Hut". My editorial comments about those rhymes are also included in that post.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/some-songs-and-rhymes-that-may-have.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Some Songs And Rhymes That May Have Been Sources For The "I'm A Little Hunk Of Tin" Song".
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Almost all of the content of this pancocojams blog focuses on African American culture, African cultures, or cultures from other people of the African Diaspora.
However, with regard to the song "I'm A Nut", I've found no information that directly or indirectly links the composition of early or later versions of that song to African Americans or to other Black people.
Also, I have found no online comments by African Americans about the song "I'm A Nut" and I have no offline experience with this song being sung by African American children, teens, or adults. (I'm referrring here to my personal experiences, including the community programming that I did in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area from the late 1980s - 2007 in predominately Arican American schools and neighborhoods). That said, I think it's probable that some African Americans know the song "I'm A Nut" from adult led school music classes and/or summer camps, Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts.
However, I have found a number of examples of the rhyme "I'm A Nut In A Hut" that were posted online by African Americans who remembered that rhyme from their childhood (from the 1980s on) as well as comments from African Americans who currently perform that "I'm A Nut In A Hut" hand game.
Some pancocojams posts- such as this one- focus on children's recreational material (rhymes, cheers, chants, and singing games), without regard to the race or ethnicity of those who originally composed that material or without regard to who performed or performed that material.
That said, pancocojams' posts on children's recreational material often focus on versions of rhymes, cheers, and singing game that Black children compose/d, modifiy/ied, and/or perform'ed. The words and performance activities of those examples are sometimes different than the words and performance styles for the same titles of rhymes or other rhymes that are chanted by non-Black people.chanted by non-Black people.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SONG/RHYME
These online sources are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. These comments aren't numbered on the pages that I retrieved them, or the numbering sequences are different. Italics are used for comments with dates.
Source #1
1.
From: Giac
Date: 18 Sep 00 - 09:30 AM
"I learned it on the school playground in the 1940s. We did a
clapping hands thing to the cadence."
2. Subject: Lyr Add: I'M A NUT
From: Tinker
Date: 19 Sep 00 - 12:18 PM
Thirty Years ago we sang the I'm a nut verse followed by.
I'm a little hunk of tin
Nobody knows what shape I'm in
Got four wheels and a running board
Just a little Model Ford
Honk, Honk, Rattle, Rattle, Rattle, Crash, Beep, Beep, 3x Honk Honk! 3x
This summer at Crossroads Outdoor Ministries I learnt this version
I'M A NUT
Unknown
I'm a little acorn round, lying on the dusty ground
Everybody steps on me
So I'm a little cracked you see
Chorus
I'm a nut.You're a nut
You're a nut. You're a nut. You're a nut.
Called myself up on the phone
Just to hear my golden tone
Asked myself out on a date
Better be ready by half past eight
Go to the movies hold my hand
Tell myself that I am grand
Put my arms around my waist
If I get fresh I'll slap my face.
Coca cola came to town
Pepsi cola shot 'em down
Dr. Pepper fixed him up
Now we all drink 7up
Seven up got the flu
Now we all drink Mt. Dew
Mt. Dew went up the mountain
Now we all drink from a fountain.
The car verse is in the Camp Loowit songbook data base under Pile of Tin. www.backyardgardener.com/loowit*. ANd as I'm a Little Hunk of Tin in BoyScout Songs @ http://cac.psu.edu/~jxm181/songs. The last two seem to be more recent.
When the entire male staff stood up and taught this with motions, the grownups laughed til we cried. They looked great.
-snip-
*This song is now found on this page of that website https://www.ymcacamploowit.com/song/song109.html
The second link is no longer viable.
The sentence "The last two seem to be more recent" probably means that the last two verses seem to be more recently composed. The "Coca-Cola came to town" and "Seven Up got the flu verses can be dated to the 1980s Pepsi-Cola vs Coca-Cola "soda wars" (also called "cola wars"). Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola_wars for information about those soda wars.
"Soda war" verses and variants such as "Michael Jackson came to town" are found in some examples of "Down By The Banks Of The Hanky Panky" and "I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag" rhymes. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/information-about-examples-of-hand-clap.html for a pancocojams post that provides information and examples of these rhymes.
**
3. Subject: RE: info on 'I'm a Nut'
From: Charcloth
Date: 18 Sep 00 - 05:56 PM
thanks folks the "I can sing & I can dance"
verse was new to me. The version I know is real close to what has been said
but, here are some other verses I know. "Grandpa's beard is long &
gray, growing grayer day by day, Grandma eats it in her sleep says it tastes
like shreadded wheat, (Chorus) I'm an old antique car I travel near I don't go
far, every time you're in my way this is what you'll hear me say, rattle, honk
honk, ooggah, beep beep, whae,(Chorus)"
-snip-
Here's the "I can sing & I can dance" verse that was quoted by another commenter:
"I can sing and I can dance
I wear ruffles on my...
sorry, boys, guess again
I wear ruffles on my dress"
-snip-
This is a type of "profanity avoidance" rhyme in which the taboo word is strongly alluded to, but a socially acceptable word is given instead. "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" is probably the most widely known profanity avoidance children's rhyme in the United States.
Note: This verse and the "Grandpa's beard" verse are also sometimes found in the "I'm A Little Hunk Of Tin" songs/rhymes.
**
4. Subject: RE: info on 'I'm a Nut'
From: Cool Beans
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 02:29 PM
"Romeo and Juliet,
On the balcony they met.
"Gotta get dressed, I've got a date.
Shakesperare's coming at half past eight."
My daughter learned this verse in school in the late 80s.
I learned "I'm a Nut" at camp in the 50s from the music counselor Bob
Enright, who also taught us "Be Kind To Your Parents."
**
5. Subject: ADDPOP: I'm a Nut(attributed to Leroy Pullins)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jun 10 - 07:25 PM
Of course, then there's this country classic:
I'M A NUT
(attributed to Leroy Pullins)
I'm a Nut, I'm a Nut,
My life don't ever get in a rut
Woop Woop Woop Woop
The head on my shoulders is sore and loose
And I ain't got the sense God gave a goose
Lord, I ain't crazy but, I'm a nut
Is it wetter underwater if you're there when it rains
Is it shorter to New York, than it is by plane
Between myself and I, I wonder who's the dumber
Is it hotter down south than it is in the Summer
I'm a Nut, I'm a Nut,
My life don't ever get in a rut
The head on my shoulders is sore and loose
And I ain't got the sense God gave a goose
Lord, I ain't crazy but, I'm a nut
I drove my Cadillac to Vegas to satisfy my lust
Wheelin', Dealin', left old Vegas on a Greyhound Bus
I sure didn't set the woods on fire while I was there
But remember, only forest fires prevent bears
My life don't ever get in a rut (ba ba di di etc)
The head on my shoulders is sore and loose
And I ain't got the sense God gave a goose
Lord, I ain't crazy but, I'm a nut
The poverty war will be over, when I begin to fight
If it took a dime to go around the world, I couldn't get out
of sight
I don't mind to take the girls out, if they don't mind to go
Dutch
When you feel like a million dollars, and I bet I ain't
worth half that much
I'm a Nut, I'm a Nut,
My life don't ever get in a rut
Woop Woop Woop Woop
The head on my shoulders is sore and loose
And I ain't got the sense God gave a goose
Lord, I ain't crazy but, I'm a nut
Oh, crazy man, I'm a nut, Oh Lordy, Lordy, Lordy, Lordy,
Lordy, Lordy I'm Crazy! I'm a Nut!... (Marcus Tee)
Leroy Pullins recording release date: 1966
http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=386
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCKj0sssuGk
-snip-
Carl
Leroy Pullins (November
12, 1940 - 1984 was a White American. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Pullins for information about this Country singer and guitarist.
**
6. Subject: RE: Origin: I'm a Nut
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Nov 10 - 12:35 AM
When I was at Girl Scout camp, there was a song that began,
I'm wild about horns on automobiles that go wha a ah ah Beep
beep!
I'm a nut, I'm a pest, but the things I like the best,
I'm wild about horns on automobiles that go etc.
**
7. Subject: RE: Origin: I'm a Nut - Girl Scout Camp Song
From: GUEST,Another guest
Date: 30 May 13 - 01:03 AM
In response to the "10 Nov 10 - 12:35 AM" post - I learned that song in Girl Scout Camp, too. It is a modified version of an ooooold, OLD song from 1928 (?) called: "I'm Wild About Horns".
As I remember the song from Girl Scout Camp (in 1982), it
went like this:
I'm Wild about horns on automobiles that go wah ah ah ah ah
ah ah ooga ooga! (Repeat again)
I used to own a funny little car that I got from a guy named
Greg
And every-time I honked that horn, this is what it said
I'm a pest, I'm a pest, I'm a pest, I'm a pest
But the things I like the best.....
(Repeat first line)
8. Subject: RE: Origin: I'm a Nut
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 12 Jul 14 - 09:17 PM
There was a song that I learned at a leader training that went like this:
I once had a friend who owned a model A
and every time he beeped the horn this is what he'd say
"I'm a nut I'm a pest but the thing that I like the
best
are old fashioned horns on Automobiles that go
an an an an, an an an an, an an an an Beep Beep.
Can't find this anywhere it was at Camp Kirkwold in Maine
-snip-
These "car" songs (#4, #5, & #6) probably influenced the "I'm a little hunk of tin" verse of "I'm A Nut" song and may also have also been an early source for the "I'm A Little Hunk Of Tin" song.
**
Source #2
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=80670,80670
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Songs about Fords
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 28 Apr 05 - 01:26 AM
I don't want to trivialize this excellent thread, but when we were singing with migrant farm-working families in the New York State orchards, some of the kids sang:
I'm a little piece of tin,
Nobody knows the
shape I'm in.
Got four wheels
and a runnin' board.
I'm a Ford, Lord,
I'm a Ford!
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Lyin' on the cold,
cold ground.
Everybody steps on
me;
That is why I'm
cracked, you see.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Honk, honk,
rattle, rattle, rattle, crash, beep, beep.
Source #3
https://weesing.fandom.com/wiki/I%27m_a_Nut
in: Songs, Original Wee Sing Songs
I'm a Nut
Lyrics
I'm an acorn, small and round
Lying on the cold, cold, ground
Everybody steps on me
That is why I'm cracked, you see.
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! I'm a nut! I'm a nut! (click, click)
Called myself on the telephone
Just to see if I was home
Asked me out for a little date
Picked me up at half past eight.
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! I'm a nut! I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! I'm a nut! I'm a nut! (click, click)
Took myself to the movie show
Stayed too late and said, "Let's go!"
Took my hand and led me out
Drove me home and gave a shout.
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! (click, click)
I'm a nut! I'm a nut! I'm a nut! (click, click)
-snip-
This version is from the 1989 movie Wee Sing In Sillyville.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_By4gBIWtk&ab_channel=WeeSing for a YouTube clip of this song.
****
Source #4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYVI2SDw1HA&ab_channel=SaturnCapricorn
1. Manninrm, 2016
"Learned this at 4-H camp around 1982. Thanks for the
memories.
2.
"This isnt the version I learned. Lol. I'm a nut.. I'm a
nut.. I'm craaaazy..
Took myself to a picture show, sat right down in the very
last row.
Wrapped my hands around my waist, got so fresh I slapped my
face..
I'm a nut, I'm a nut... I'm craaaazy"
Source #5
http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/songbook/songs3/S3_76.htm
I'm a Nut
(source: "The World's Best Funny Songs", Esther J.
Nelson, 1988; this song is called "Acorn Brown" in "The Worm
Song and Other Tasty Tunes, Janet Wilson, 1993.)
(actions in brackets)
I'm a little acorn round (make circle with thumb and
forefinger)
Lying on the cold cold ground (wave arm across front with
palm facing down)
Somebody came and stepped on me (stomp foot)
That is why I'm cracked you see (zig zap motion with
forefinger)
I'm a nut (clap clap), in a rut (clap clap), I'm crazy
(circle finger around ear)
Called myself on the telephone (dial phone)
Just to see if I was home (pretend to answer phone: pinkie
and thumb extended like phone)
Asked myself out for a date (point to self)
Gotta be ready by half past eight! (yell this lyric while
shrugging shoulders with palms upwards like you're excited)
I'm a nut (clap clap), in a rut (clap clap), I'm crazy
(circle finger around ear)
Took myself to the picture show (walk with fingers)
Sat myself in the very first row (draw a line with finger)
Wrapped my arms around my waist (wrap arms around waist)
Got so fresh I slapped my face! (slap face)
I'm a nut (clap clap), in a rut (clap clap), I'm crazy
(circle finger around ear)
Thanks very much to Carrie Kelley, who sent me this extra
verse:
Grandpa's beard is long and white!
Sleeps with it under the covers at night!
Grandma thinks it's shredded wheat!
So she chews it in her sleep!
Thanks very much to Eva Gorny, who sent me this extra
verse:
Took myself on a rowboat ride,
Me, myself, and I inside,
Looked into the stars above,
Told myself I was in love.
-snip-
The "thank you" notes written in italics were written that way on that page.
****
This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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