Tuesday, May 09, 2023

Bears and rabbit holes

My daughter was listening to an analysis of Tim Treadwell. Naturally that reminded me of Waltzing with Bears, and while I was poking around on that I learned what everybody else probably knew already: Seuss wrote Uncle Terwilliger Walzes With Bears first, and when he declined to have others cover it, Herdman came up with her own version. It is derivative, but I think Herdman's version is better.

Of course there's a book, though it isn't about the songs: Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects, in which one learns that the infamous Denver Airport automated baggage handling system (so late and buggy that it delayed the airport opening!) was a project nobody wanted to touch, and "When the DIA board of governors first put the [Automated Bag Handling System] out to bid, nobody was willing to submit a bid for the scheduled delivery date... Eventually, the airport engaged BAE Automated Systems to take on the project on a best-efforts basis."

I have something I should be working on instead of going down rabbit holes. Prov 17:24--"the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." Back to the chores...

UPDATE: See Douglas2's comment.

1 comment:

Douglas2 said...

Herdman attributes words and music of her version to Dale
Marxsen.

"Subject: Lyr Add: EATEN BY BEARS (parody WALTZING WITH...)
From: Mr Happy
Date: 19 Dec 03 - 12:36 PM

WALTZING WITH BEARS(Parody)
Bob Townshend

My Uncle Walter's not right in the head,
"I want to go waltzing with bears" Walter said,
So he went to the zoo and climbed up on a shed,
Jumped in with the bears and he ended up dead.

Eaten by bears, eaten by bears,
Raggy bears, baggy bears, shaggy bears too,
There's nothing on earth anybody could do
And my Uncle Walter, poor Uncle Walter,
My Uncle Walter got eaten by bears.

He went to the zoo in the middle of the night,
Jumped in the bears' cage and turned on the light.
He started to waltz - they started to bite,
And my Uncle Walter got eaten that night.

We begged and we pleaded "Oh, please won't you stay,"
We managed to keep him alive for a day
But the bears all marched in and they took him away,
Now the bears all demand at least one Walt a day.

My Uncle Walter got eaten by bears,
It's a most unbearable state of affairs,
But he left me a fortune so nobody cares
That poor Uncle Walter got eaten by bears."

https://web.archive.org/web/20160102031442/http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=14422