Swinging the Alphabet

"Swinging the Alphabet" is a novelty song sung by The Three Stooges in their 1938 film, Violent Is the Word for Curly. It is the only full-length song performed by the Stooges in their short films, and the only time they mimed to their own pre-recorded soundtrack.

In 2005, film historian Richard Finegan identified the composer of the song as Septimus Winner, who had originally published it in 1875 as "The Spelling Bee".

Lyrics

File:SwingingTheAlphabetScreenShot.JPG

Colorized screen shot of the Three Stooges miming their own pre-recorded soundtrack of Swinging the Alphabet.

B-A-bay, B-E-bee, B-I-bicky-bi, B-O bo, bicky-bi bo, B-U bu, bicky bi bo bu.

C-A-cay, C-E-cee, C-I-cicky-ci, C-O co, cicky-ci co, C-U cu, cicky ci co cu.

D-A-day, D-E-dee, D-I-dicky-di, D-O do, dicky-di do, D-U du, dicky di do du.

F-A-fay, F-E-fee, F-I-ficky-fi, F-O fo, Ficky-fi fo, F-U fu, ficky fi fo fu.

G-A-gay, G-E-gee, G-I-gicky-gi, G-O go, Gicky-gi go, G-U gu, gicky gi go gu.

(Dah-Dah-dah-dah )

H-A-hay, H-E-hee, H-I-hicky-hi, H-O ho, hicky-hi ho, H-U hu, hicky hi ho hu.

J-A-jay, J-E-jee, J-I-jicky-ji, J-O jo, Jicky-ji jo, J-U ju, jicky ji jo ju.

K-A-kay, K-E-kee, K-I-kicky-ki, K-O ko, Kicky-ki ko, K-U ku, kicky ki ko ku.

L-A-lay, L-E-lee, L-I-licky-li, L-O lo, Licky-li lo, L-U lu, licky li lo lu (Curly's a dope)

M-A-may, M-E-mee, M-I-micky-mi, M-O mo, Micky-mi mo, M-U mu, micky mi mo mu.

Original Lyrics

The original lyrics of Septimus Winner's "Spelling Bee" (aka "Ba Be Bi Bo Bu") were slightly different:

B-A bA; B-E bE; B-I, bA-bE-bI; B-O bO, bA-bE-bI-bO; B-U bu, bA-bE-bI-bO-bu.

Notes

• This song also appeared on several Three Stooges records in the 1960s with that era's Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe DeRita).

• The lip-synching is a bit "off" in spots, particularly among the "chorus" of students who accompany the Stooges. Also, during Curly's solo on the letters in which the students call him a dope, "K" and "L," he rushes the tempobeat on the tongue-tying lyrics, forcing the backing singers to keep up with him.

• "The Alphabet Song," written by Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo and featured in the 1980 movie Forbidden Zone, was inspired by this song.

• Dale Gribble says the beginning verse of this song in the King of the Hill episode "A Firefighting We Will Go", shortly before being strangled by Bill Dauterive.

• The song is played during the radio-trivia minigame in Cinemaware's Three Stooges video game.

See also

• The Name Game