Talk:If You're Happy and You Know It

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The original version of this page contained the following version of the "bomb Iraq" song, but it differed from the cited source, so I changed it. I actually think the following one is a better example of political satire, but I can't find its source. Hmm. Which one, if either, should we keep?

If you cannot find Osama, bomb Iraq.

If the markets are a drama, bomb Iraq.

If the terrorists are frisky,

Pakistan is looking shifty,

North Korea is too risky,

Bomb Iraq.

-- Oliver P. 01:33 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC)

The penultimate line of this one doesn't scan (if should maybe be "North Korea is far too risky"). But really, the version above seems "better", but without a source for it, I don't think we should give it in the article. By the way, I always sang the line given in the article as "Then your face will surely show it" as "And you really want to show it" - I don't know if this is a US/UK divide, or just my deprived (or depraved) upbringing. --Camembert

It scans fine to me: ../.../. Your alternate form has an extra syllable that I can't fit; are you collapsing "Korea is" into "Korea's", perhaps? --Brion 01:58 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC)

I'm pronouncing "Korea" with two syllables, which is perhaps wrong. I can make it stretch to three, but it sounds awkward and wrong to me. I blame my poetic soul - "over" is "o'er" and "heav'n" only has one syllable, right? --Camembert

It scans for me, as I pronounce "Korea" with three syllables. Does that make me unpoetic? ;) As for the words, I only ever knew the version that you gave, but I left the line as it was, thinking that maybe the originator of the article knew something I didn't. Are you British, Camembert? I can't see you in Wikipedia:Wikipedians/United Kingdom. I suppose we should establish the national differences and put them in the article. If we can be bothered... -- Oliver P. 02:20 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC)

Yes, I'm British. Now I come to think of it, I have a record of British Brownies singing this (no, really) where the line is "And you really want to show it", and have a recording of some unknown American singing it where it's "Then your face...", so I guess it is indeed a national divide. "Two countries divided by a common language" and all that. I'll add a mention of the alternative to the article. --Camembert

Ah, it seems that even the strangest items in one's record collection come in useful at some point. :) Thanks for establishing that! -- Oliver P. 02:34 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC)

I'm not so sure the divide is national. I'm from New England and always heard "and you really want to show it" growing up. A bit of Googling seems to indicate that Barney sings "really want to show it," too, and he's American. I'll change the article to be less precise. ^L_Wizard @ 04:49, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

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Hmm. Does anyone else think that the ratio of factual content to political satire is getting a bit low? Perhaps we should only include one verse, just to illustrate the idea, and then put in an external link to show where people can read more if they are interested. -- Oliver P. 21:05 Feb 2, 2003 (UTC)