Lyr Req: Aba Daba Honeymoon (Fields & Donovan)

Subject: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: UncleToad
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 01:52 PM

The song according to my neice goes "abadabadabadabadabadabadaba said the monkey to the...OR something to that effect. I told her "SURE! your ole' uncle can find the words...any help from the wordwise 'catters will save my old rawhide.

Thanks, Uncle(Ignorant as a frog)Toad

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: Wyrd Sister
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 01:59 PM

'said the monkey to the chimp...'Can't help you any further but you're talking Children's Favourites, 1950s UK. Don't think there were many more words actually none flow like with other such songs (look at the monkey funny monkey little red monkey laughing so happily...)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: Padre
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 02:04 PM

Sung by Debbie Reynolds and Carlton Carpenter in 'Two Weeks with Love,' a 1950 musical.

Chorus goes:

Abadabadabadabadaba said the monkey to the chimp
Abadabadabadabadaba said the chimpy to the monk
All day long they'd frolic and play
All day long they were happy and gay
singing and swinging in the abadaba way
badabadabadabadaba means monk I love but you
Abadabadaba in monkey talk means chimp I love you too
And the big baboon one night in June
He married them and very soon
They went upon an abadaba honeymoon

Padre

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: Les from Hull
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 02:06 PM

click 'ere

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 02:08 PM

more lyrics

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 03:25 PM

My mother used to sing this song when I was *very* young (1950 or so). What a kick to be reminded!

I don't believe I ever heard the introductory "verse" -- just the chorus, pretty much as submitted by Padre, above.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: UncleToad
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 05:13 PM

Many thanks everyone...this is fun...sometimes we need to remember times long forgotten.

Uncle(Thanks,'Catters)Toad

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 05:28 PM

Do note that the link provided by MMario shows that the song is far older than those of us who grew up in the 50s knew or suspected, 1914 to be exact.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 05:43 PM

Good point, Dale; it's a REAL "oldie."

Apparently, per Padre's message, it re-emerged and began a new life when featured in a musical in 1950. It certainly seemed contemporary at that time, not archaic or "retro" at all. I suppose it's more-or-less "timeless."

I dunno -- does it seem dated by today's standards? I'd like to learn how people would react to it now, folks who had never heard it before. Does it seem old-fashioned, or just (as always) silly?

Subject: Lyr Add: ABA DABA HONEYMOON (Fields & Donovan)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 08:45 PM

It seems that WYSIWYG transcribed the lyrics from an old sound file which is no longer available, but not to worry: The sheet music can be found at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, and it reveals a few errors in the transcription, so I'll post the corrected lyrics here:

"Ruth Roye's sensational novelty song hit"
ABA DABA HONEYMOON
"As featured by Ruth Roye, the Princess of Ragtime, 14 consecutive weeks at the Palace Theatre, New York."
Words and music by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan, copyright 1914.

1. Way down in the Congo land lived a happy chimpanzee.
She loved a monkey with a long tail. Lordy how she loved him!
Each night he would find her there, swinging in the coconut tree,
And the monkey gay, at the break of day, loved to hear his Chimpie say:

CHORUS: "Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab," said the Chimpie to the Monk.
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab," said the Monkey to the Chimp.
All night long they'd chatter away,
All day long they were happy and gay,
Swinging and singing in their honky-tonkey way:
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab," means, "Monk, I love but you."
"Baba, daba, dab," in monkey talk, means, "Chimp, I love you too!"

Then the big baboon one night in June,
He married them and very soon
They went upon their aba-daba honeymoon!

2. Well, you should have that band play upon their wedding day!
Each chimp and monkey had nutshells. Lordy how they played them!
And now it is ev'ry night, high up in the coconut tree,
It's the same old thing with the same old swing,
When the Monk and Chimpie sing:

[CHORUS, then:]

One night they were made man and wife,
And now they cry, "This is the life,"
Since they came from their aba-daba honeymoon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 11:13 AM

Arthur Collins & Byron G. Harlan's 1914 recording with lyrics is also available here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: abadabadabadaba...said the monkey
From: GUEST,alllly.
Date: 06 Jun 08 - 09:33 AM

it goes...

"abadabadabadaba said the chimpy to the monk.
abadabadabadaba said the monkey to the chimp.
all night long they chattered away,
all day long so happy and gay!
singing and swinging in their honkey tonkey way.
abadabadabadaba well the chimp said "i love you!"
abadabadabadaba in monkey talk means "chimp, i love you too!"
well the big baboon one night in june
he married them, and very soon
they went upon their abadaba honey--
went upon their abadaba honeyMOOON.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Aba Daba Honeymoon (Fields & Donovan)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jun 13 - 04:19 PM

Sheet music also at University of Colorado Libraries. Title pages illustrated in color.
http://libcudl.colorado.edu/sheetmusic/browse.asp

Lyrics as posted by Jim Dixon.