Mark Steyn has written a wonderful essay on Don Raye, a songwriter who composed the lyrics for, among many other songs, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", a monster hit for the Andrews Sisters in the early 1940's (special Happy Feet bonus: the Andrews Sisters performing BWBB from the 1941 movie, Buck Privates; I've linked to it before, but it's always worth another look).
H/T: Captain Heinrichs
Update: Richard McEnroe thinks he has discovered the source of Raye's inspiration:
There was a sharp Italian Boy from Old Pompeii,
He had a Forum sound that no one else could play,
He was a top man at his craft,
But then old Carthage showed up
And he was off in the draft!
He's in the legion now, blowing reveille,
He's the Big Bad Buccinator from Cohort B!
A-toot a-toot, a-toot diddle-ee-ada-toot
He blows it eight to the bar - that Roman Rhythm!
He can't blow a note unless the cornicens
Are playin' with 'im
He makes the maniples march when he plays reveille
He's the Big bad Buccinator of Cohort B!
Buccinators are really hard to blow, you see
He nearly popped a vein on "Flight o'the Bumblebee"!
The Centurion understands,
He had him scourged only once,
And he left him his hands!
He's in the legion now, blowing reveille,
He's the Big Bad Buccinator of Cohort B!
Old Carthage and its elephants the troops did scorn,
'til the Buccinator salute them with his big horn
Then the brutes trumpeted back!
Then they started to charge,
now his ass's in a crack!
He's in the legion now, blowing reveille!
He's the Big Bad Buccinator from Conhort B!
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Actually, Raye's work was inspired by a MUCH older work:
ReplyDeleteThere was a sharp Italian Boy from Old Pompeii,
He had a Forum sound that no one else could play,
He was a top man at his craft,
But then old Carthage showed up
And he was off in the draft!
He's in the legion now, blowing reveille,
He's the Big Bad Buccinator from Cohort B!
A-toot a-toot, a-toot diddle-ee-ada-toot
He blows it eight to the bar - that Roman Rhythm!
He can't blow a note unless the cornicens
Are playin' with 'im
He makes the maniples march when he plays reveille
He's the Big bad Buccinator of Cohort B!
Buccinators are really hard to blow, you see
He nearly popped a vein on "Flight o'the Bumblebee"!
The Centurion understands,
He had him scourged only once,
And he left him his hands!
He's in the legion now, blowing reveille,
He's the Big Bad Buccinator of Cohort B!
Old Carthage and its elephants the troops did scorn,
'til the Buccinator salute them with his big horn
Then the brutes trumpeted back!
Then they started to charge,
now his ass's in a crack!
He's in the legion now, blowing reveille!
He's the Big Bad Buccinator from Conhort B!