MAR 30, singable satire: "SATURDAY NIGHT"

 

ORIGINAL PARODY-LYRICS

MUSICAL UNDERPINNINGS:

ORIGINAL SONG#1:  "Yesterday", Beatles song written for the album Help!, Paul McCartney, 1965. 

ORIGINAL SONG#2: "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin, 1973. 

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, August, 2015.

UKULELE and GUITAR-FRIENDLY LINK: Our whole series of songs can be found in a friendly format for ukulele (and guitar)-players on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE" with chord-charts for both the parody and original song, as well as helpful performing suggestions. 

To find ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany

 "Saturday Night?" on your favorite instrument, click HERE. 

You can also view the lyrics and commentary (without images or chords) displayed on a parody-lyrics website where they were first developed at AmIRight.com Post 

Note on the Parody lyrics: Among Oscar Wilde's most famous sayings, “Work is the curse of the drinking classes”

SATURDAY NIGHT as sung by the "Beatles" 

(to the Beatles' tune, "Yesterday")

Getting late

Wanna little action on my plate

Ma, your discipline just aggravates

I wanna rock; where are my mates?

Sis looks cute

Hair all greased up, in her dancing-boots

Seven bells, my old man’s really juiced,

That monkey; Ma don’t give a hoot.

Saturday

It’s alright for fightin’; play that game!

I’ll be oiled as a diesel train

A beer-filled belly; why refrain?

Set this dance alight

It’s alright; we’re gonna fight.

I’ll do something wrong,

Then be strong to set things right!

Stubbornly

I’ll use muscle to get what I need

Find some dolly hanging over me,

From shadows shout out, “She’s with me!”

Party night

It’s a night whose sounds I really like 

Like a switchblade and a motorbike

Wilde’s ‘drinking class’ – I’m just its tyke.

Saturday’s the night I like!

Mm mm, mm mm, mm mm-mm.

 

(to the Elton John tune)

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday night’s alright.

(back to the Beatles' tune)

Saturday's the night I like.

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MAR 29, photo-collage: avian talking heads, U to Z

 
Today's Offering (Mar 29, 2025): TALKING HEADS

 This tongue-in-cheek collection is a followup to earlier blog-posts "Avian Talking Heads", as divided into easier to swallow sections alphabetically.

Photos of this ilk and other posts displaying mammals and 'lower' animals, were obtained by Giorgio Coniglio, using an i-phone camera, at various locations, mostly in the 'wild'; a minority was obtained at zoos, museums, aquariums and wildlife sanctuaries. The first post in this extended collection can be found on January 19th, 2025.

prior avian participants 

(January 19 -- click HERE): anhinga, bald eagle, black-crowned night heron, black skimmer, black swan, blue jay, brown pelican.

(January 29 -- click HERE): California scrub jay, Canada goose, cardinal, cedar waxwing, chickadee, chicken, city pigeon, common cormorant, crow.

(February 9 -- click HERE): domestic duck (pekin), domestic turkey, emu, flamingo, gallinule, grackle, great awk, great blue heron, great egret, greylag (domestic) goose.

(February 19 -- click HERE): Harris hawk, housefinch, laughing gull, little blue heron, loon, magpie, mallard duck, marabou stork, military macaw, mute swan. 

(March 9 -- click HERE): owl, oystercatcher, peacock, pied imperial pigeon, red-bellied woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, ring-billed gull, robin.

(March 19 -- click HERE):  sanderling, scarlet macaw, snowy egret, toucan, tricolored heron, trumpeter swan, tufted titmouse.

CURRENT PARTICIPANTS:  victoria crowned pigeon, western gull, white ibis, wood duck, wood stork, yellow-crowned night heron + neck-stretching trumpeter.

Victoria crowned pigeon

western gull

white ibis

wood duck

wood stork

yellow-crowned night heron

(The photos of the toucan and wood stork were kindly provided by Dr. Betsy C. and Dr Bill W. respectively. Photos were otherwise obtained by Giorgio Coniglio, using his i-phone camera, at various locations.)

trumpeter swan, stretching 

If you enjoyed this foolish collection, you might want to go back and review all our posts featuring avian talking heads. Eventually, there will even be posts featuring mammals and other life forms! 

Click here to proceed to mammalian talking heads A to G.

Readers who would like further information on the subjects, locales or technique of these photos are asked to leave a query in the Comments section. 

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MAR 28, neologism for our times

STRUMPIDITY

What's needed is a term for an offbeat view of US prosperity and the economic situation at the end of the nineteenth century. A few feel that insight might warrant a Nobel Prize, or perhaps there's one to be awarded for bullying/bribing two warring parties into a peace treaty.

LIMERICK:

He's dissolved the world order -- fluidity,

Though adored by enablers -- cupidity.

When he's finally dumpèd

We'll portray it as "STRUMPID" --

An era that honored stupidity.

Giorgio Coniglio

HAIKU (17-syllable)

strumpidity: a

neologism target --

such peculiar times !

Giorgio Coniglio

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MAR 27, Japan Visit anticipation: discourse on Japanese-inspired short verses

 

CLASSIC JAPANESE HAIKU POETRY

apparently ... (articles on'haiku' and 'haiku in English' at Wikipedia are very helpful)

- 17 Japanese syllables (on) in a terse, non-rhyming format; typically, the poems do not have a title

- often evokes a transient moment in nature, or a seasonal reference (kigo)

- may include a kireji (cutting- or break-word) underlying the relation, often dissonant, between the human and natural worlds

- ideas may be arranged in a 7-,5-,7- syllable grouping, but the poem is frquently written in one line (often vertically)

- developed during the 17th century from a linked verse-introduction format known as hokku; the derived term haiku came into use only after 1900.

- the four greatest creators of Japanese haiku are generally taken to be:

Matsuo Basho, late 17th century, and subsequently, Yosa Buson, (eighteenth century), Kayaboshi Issa (1763-1828) and Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902).

Basho's final haiku, 1694

- haiku gatherings and haiku contests persist as a major part of Japanese cultural life

TRANSLATED JAPANESE HAIKU

- 17 on (Japanese syllables), a rule not always followed, is only occasionally translated into similar numeric lengths in translation

- the 7-, 5-, 7- groupings are often highlighted, each occupying a line in a 3-line rhymeless verse

- however, the translator may choose to honour the meaning, rather than the syllable count; often, the English can usually be expressed in fewer syllables than the Japanese original 

e.g.  "The Old Pond", Matsuo Basho

An ancient pool
A frog jumps in -- 
The sound of water.    

here, the translator chose
to format his  English renderings
In FOUR lines!

HAIKU in ENGLISH (the Wikipedia interpretation, quite useful, can be found HERE.

- in translation, 'hokku' poems first appeared in English-language literary reviews after 1877

- the "first fully realized haiku in English" was created by Ezra Pound who reduced a 30-line projected piece to 3 short lines in his 1913 creation "In a Station of the Metro"

- inspired by its relation to Eastern culture, and Zen in particular, haiku became a form of terse but poignant poetry exploited by the 'beat poets' of the 1950s/60s like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, later by Richard Wright and others

THE CLASSIC 5+7+5, 17-SYLLABLE ENGLISH HAIKU

WIKIPEDIA: "While early translators of Japanese haiku into English did not consistently follow a 5–7–5 pattern, the ... format gained traction in the mid-20th century, promoted by scholars ..., who believed that mirroring the traditional Japanese structure would honor and preserve the essence of haiku in English translation." 

The simplicity of this concept led to the widespread use of this form in the educational English-speaking context.

WIKIPEDIA:"Cor van den Heuvel writes, the 5-7-5 form is “now mostly written by schoolchildren as an exercise to learn how to count syllables, by beginners who know little about the true essence of haiku, or by those who just like to have a strict form with which to practice.”

The authors may have slightly extended this "misunderstanding" with the publication of "Seventeen haiku verses: a tribute to Dr Zaret's editorship", J Nucl Cardiol 2003: 10, 344.

LIMERICKS about HAIKU POEMS

LIGHTER HAIKU VARIANT: Senryu

This terse Japanese format evolved, as did its more serious and better-known cousin, from hokku, a brief introduction to a longer poem known as a renga. The poetic format, senryu, is named for the pen-name, Karai Senryu, of the inventive poet whose writing sparked the development of this genre in the 18th century. 

Senryu poetry thus followed the development of haiku (known at that time only by the name hokku) the latter specifically under the aegis of the esteemed and prolific Matsuo Basho, by a century. 

Senryu shares a number of physical characteristics with haiku, nominally employing 17 'on' (Japanese syllables) in a three-line, 7-5-7 distribution. The theme of senryu however, takes a lighter and more humorous tone, dealing primarily with human nature and man's foibles, often with a satiric viewpoint, rather than with the mysteries and delights of Nature.  

SPOOF VARIANT: Palinku, by Giorgio Coniglio

Please refer to the post of August 17, 2020..

an example

 

Scouring this blogsite

Keen readers may encounter

Eighty palinku.

TODAY'S SENRYU: "REVERSE" 

haiku variant 

(3 terse lines; each reverses) --

name it "palinku".

Giorgio Coniglio

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MAR 26, funny bones: Enid's osteopenia

 

Authors' Note: 

Osteopenia (ost-ee-oh-PEE-nee-yah), or reduced bone mass as suggested on regular x-ray studies, is a 'washed out' appearance raising the question of whether the patient has osteoporosis, a significant loss of bone mineral resulting in increased fracture risk. The word break in osteopenia (osteo, Latin root for ‘bone’) at the end of the first line is a reminder of its association with fracture. The DEXA test evaluates the mass of bone reproducibly, and, in the context of age and gender, helps decide on the necessity of drug treatment to prevent 'fragility fractures'. 

You can read more about the DEXA test for bone mineral density (BMD) HERE.

You can view verses on this topic in a wider context by proceeding to the post 'Breaking News: FUNNY BONES' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

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MAR 25, submitted palindromes: RANDOM PILES 56

 

You have reached the "Submitted Palindromes" thread on the blog "Daily Edifying Nonsense", a light literary entity that emanates through the blogosphere daily (almost), i.e. 30 times per month.

  On the 25th of each month you will find a slide-filling group of palindromic phrases submitted to the editors by a panel of 7 palindromists. These folks have all been working on this project since January 2020. The personal profiles for each of these contributors are displayed in panels published here at the start of things, and then, we have asked them to provide (palindromically, of course) their views on one of the iconic items in the classic literature, starting with "A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama", continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in monthly random piles (a phrase that you might recognize as an anagram of the word p-a-l-i-n-d-r-o-m-e-s).

You can access this delightful entertainment right here by entering submitted palindromes in one of the two search bars at the top of this post and scrolling downwards through the wordplay posts that you will discover, OR, just follow the links indicated above. 

Devotees of palindromic wordplay can further explore limericks and other short verses about the classic palindromes (and quite a few recent concoctions) that are randomly scattered on this blog after September 2000, or collected into grouped postings on our more scholarly blog "Edifying Nonsense" -- start HERE.  

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MAR 24, culinary verse: gyozas (potstickers)

Find the collection of illustrated poems dealing with these issues on the post 'Culinary Verse' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

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MAR 23, photo-collage: early morning beach chorus (green tree frogs)

Phoos taken on an early excursion to the beach at Sullivan's Island; in the  marshy area just inland from the beach, the frogs were having a vociferous field day!

 And there's an older poetic post that deals with this cute little amphibian, often seen individually in your garden, as well as in swarms in marshy areas. Click HERE.

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MAR 22, stand on guard (Canada): tariff terror

 

too late!

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MAR 21, terminal (poetic) exclamation: EGAD!

 Authors' Note: The author apologizes that the above verse conjures a nightmare of sado-masochistic behavior. It must be admitted, however, that the sensitive dominatrix and the vengeful masochist do not fit the stereotypes.

Egad, no bondage! and Egad, a bad age! are found in lists of classic palindromic phrases.

"The Whip", bronze sculpture,
George Holschuh,
Brookgreen Gardens, SC. 

You can review our collection of poems on the topic of "Terminal Exclamation (Limerick Variations)" as presented on our encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE.  

You can also review several linked collection of verses dealing with classic palindromes by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes'. 

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MAR 20, singable satire: politically-corrected lyrics "MY TENOR UKE"

 Today's Offering (Mar 20. 2025):  SINGABLE SATIRE

ORIGINAL PARODY-LYRICS 

MUSICAL UNDERPINNINGS: "My Tall Silk Hat", traditional camp-song, written about 1937, based on the popular Neapolitan song "Funiculi, Funicula", 1880.

The iconic song became the basis for many spoofs in English. Recently, we joined that group of parody songwriters with our effort, "UKULELÍ, UKULELÁ", that was eventually posted HERE in February 2021. 

 

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, September 2013, with prompt initial posting at the online parody website "AmIRight" as here, with a few subsequent re-writes. 

UKULELE and GUITAR-FRIENDLY LINK: Our whole series of songs can be found in a friendly format for ukulele (and guitar)-players on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE" with chord-charts for both the parody and original song, as well as helpful performing suggestions. 

 To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "MY TENOR UKE" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

In the traditional version of this schoolboy parody, based on the tune of ‘Funiculi, Funicula’, a “big a-fat-a lady” squashes a hat on a vehicle's seat. The current updated lyrics are, we hope, more politically correct and more appealing to adults. The final line, as in the posting of November "Ukuleli, Ukulela" is a proposed Neapolitan Ta-da!, meaning let's go up there. Pronounce the "j"s as "y" to sound like an Italian tenor. 

photos courtesy of Wikipedia and other web-sources

MY TENOR UKE

(to the tune of "Funiculi, Funicula")

Introduction:
Inspired by trendy p’litical correctness,

I changed a song, an old camp-song,

Reflecting pre-teen Piggy/Twiggy bias,

That got it wrong, so very wrong.

   

Besides, a flavor more Napolitana,

I craved to chance, appeal enhance;

And so I trimmed my 'Lady' down to sexy,

Not anorexy,

And let her dance, a bella dance !

Revised Camp-Song: 

One day, as I was riding up the tramway,

My tenor uke, my tenor uke

I laid it on the seat a-right beside me,

My tenor uke, my tenor uke. 

The tall and shapely Nina sat upon it,

Was that a fluke? My tenor uke !

And launched a liaison volcanic,

(Not too platonic); my tenor uke, my tenor uke ! 

Pavarotti, what do you think of that ?

Master it, six sharps or seven flats;

‘Cause body-type is so much hype;

It’s only brawn or big-a belly –-

So save a seat in cielo

For our sleek friend A. Bocelli.

Outro:

‘Ncoppa jammo ja’, ukulelí, ukulelá.

Pavarotti (left),  Bocelli (right)

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