Radio VI, side B, track 6: “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen

Oh, The Trashmen, I think it was the Bible, or maybe it was the Turtles who said that there’s a time for war, and a time for peace, a time for love, and a time for hate, and there’s also a time to sing about a bird who likes to surf.  There’s a part of me that wishes that this is the first song that aliens here when they first attempt to make contact with our planet and make you guys the inadvertent ambassadors to planet Earth.  How amazing would it be if some alien creature lands its ship on the White House lawn, steps out, raises it hand and/or tentacle, and greets us with what it assumes is a typical Earth greeting:  “Ba ba mao ma mao.”  Or better yet, what if that is actually the alien’s native tongue and you guys somehow cracked it and “Surfin’ Bird” really is a greeting and/or warning to any aliens interested in visiting us.  Maybe that’s why we haven’t yet had any official alien visitors, because “ba ba ma mao mao” means “No intelligent life here.”  Which, if an alien heard this song, might be a fair assessment.  No offense.

“Surfin’ Bird”

A-Well-a everybody’s heard about the bird!
Bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, bird is the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, well-a bird is the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, well-a bird is the word
A-Well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word.
A-Well-a bird bird bird, well-a bird is the word
A-Well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a don’t you know, about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-Well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s a bird
A-Well-a

A-Well-a everybody’s heard, about the bird!
Bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word.
A-Well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a bird bird bird, b-bird’s the word
A-Well-a don’t you know, about the bird?
Well, everybody’s talking about the bird
A-Well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s a bird
A-Well-a bird

SURFER BIRD
<presumably a drowning surfin’ bird>

Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba
Ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ma ma ma ma
Ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma ma ma
Ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Mao ma mao
Ba ba ma ma ma
Ma mao mao
Ma ma ma ma
Ma mao mao
Mao ma mao
Ba ba mao ma mao
Ba ba ma mao mao
Mao ma mao
Well-a don’t you know, about the bird?
Well everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-Well-a bird, bird, b-bird’s the word