Good King Sauerkraut look out,
on yo feets uneven...
One of my first memories of Christmas is my older brother and sister lustily singing these weird and funny-sounding Christmas carols which always brought a laugh to me. Later, I would discover that they were the creation of Walt Kelly and that they were just a small part of the universe he created in the Okefenokee Swamp.
Follow me below the fold to explore the world of Pogo and the Pogo Christmas carols.
Pogo was, to those of us of "a certain age", the political cartoon of our younger years, the Doonesbury of its time, as it were. It revolved around a series of animal characters living in the Okefenokee Swamp of southern Georgia. These included Albert Alligator, Howland Owl, Churchy Muskrat, and, of course, Pogo Possum. They would make wry observations about the times (circa 1948 until Walt's death in 1973).
Many of the best observations were of the politics of the time. Nixon, Agnew, J. Edgar Hoover, and Joseph McCarthy all appeared (as animals, of course. For example, Agnew was a hyena) as characters passing through the Swamp. And Kelly also mocked the teabaggers of the time, the John Birch Society as "The Jack Acid Society". Indeed, starting in 1952, Pogo was a candidate for President every 4 years through 1972. In my humble opinion, he would have been better that many (if not all) who were elected in his stead.
But one regular occurance in the strip was to have the regulars fracture songs, particularly Christmas Carols. The most famous being Deck us all with Boston Charlie, sung to the tune of Deck the Halls
Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!
Don't we know archaic barrel
Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!
Hunky Dory's pop is lolly gaggin' on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!
Dunk us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof!
Tizzy seas on melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!
But my favorite was always Good King Sauerkraut (sung to the tune of Good King Wenceslaus)
"Good King Sauerkraut, look out!
On yo' feets uneven.
While the snoo lay roun' about,
All kerchoo achievin'."
Whereupon, one of the animals would ask, "Snoo? What's snoo?". To which the response would be, "Nuttin' much. What's new with you?"
Walt Kelly died in 1973. His son tried to carry on the mantle for a while, but the quality certainly was not there. Pogo ended its run in 1975.
Merry Christmas, MFers!
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MKinTN posted a diary to help everyone achieve greater success called How to Succeed at Mojo Friday Without Really Trying.
Finally, a note about snecking. This is an arcane ritual amongst some of the Mojo Friday regulars. For a fuller explanation, see MFer Jez's excellent diary, The Official Mojo Friday Snecktionary.