Ruth
Wallis was a jazz and cabaret singer during those big band forties who gained
fame for her risqué satirical songs full of double entendres she wrote herself.
Her popularity reached its zenith in the 1950s with songs like “Dear Mr.
Godfrey and other songs on subjects that were publicly taboo at the time such
as homosexuality and infidelity. In the
1970s her music was often feature on the Doctor Demento Radio Show. Some of her
most famous songs were collected and became the Off-Broadway hit, “Boobs.” She
even had a few tunes expressing the stereotypical life of a sailor like the “Admiral’s
Daughter” and “The Dinghy Song.” These are the lyrics of “The Dinghy Song” and
I hope you enjoy …
Sailing, sailing, over the ocean blue
Davy's got a dinghy, so he paddles his own canoe
He's got the cutest little dinghy in the Navy
And all the girlies know that it's so.
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy,
They love to watch him go "Heave ho!"
Just for a lark, he went and painted it green.
It's the only green dinghy that the girls have ever seen,
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
Now, other sailors take their girls canoein'.
It's an old, old, navy technique,
But Davy gets more girlies with his dinghy,
And what is more, it never springs a leak.
Every time it rains, his little dingy gets wet,
But Davy says it's waterproof, so he doesn't fret.
The cutest little dinghy in the navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
Now I have seen a hundred other dinghies,
And I'm qualified to remark,
He's got the cutest little dinghy in the Navy.
Why, I would know it even in the dark.
It isn't very long and it isn't very short.
It's built for speedy action and it gets him into port,
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
It isn't very narrow and it isn't very wide,
But you should see that thing go in and out with the tide.
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
To keep it from the girls, Davy says, is very hard.
Why, it isn't even safe down at the Navy Yard,
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
The Admiral has a flagship and the Captain's got a cruiser;
But Davy's got a dinghy. It's a lollapalooza!
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy, and the old Admiral is heard to say:
If he had Davy's dinghy he would always feel springy.
He'd ride the WAVES night and day.
Davy's got a dinghy, so he paddles his own canoe
He's got the cutest little dinghy in the Navy
And all the girlies know that it's so.
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy,
They love to watch him go "Heave ho!"
Just for a lark, he went and painted it green.
It's the only green dinghy that the girls have ever seen,
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
Now, other sailors take their girls canoein'.
It's an old, old, navy technique,
But Davy gets more girlies with his dinghy,
And what is more, it never springs a leak.
Every time it rains, his little dingy gets wet,
But Davy says it's waterproof, so he doesn't fret.
The cutest little dinghy in the navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
Now I have seen a hundred other dinghies,
And I'm qualified to remark,
He's got the cutest little dinghy in the Navy.
Why, I would know it even in the dark.
It isn't very long and it isn't very short.
It's built for speedy action and it gets him into port,
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
It isn't very narrow and it isn't very wide,
But you should see that thing go in and out with the tide.
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
To keep it from the girls, Davy says, is very hard.
Why, it isn't even safe down at the Navy Yard,
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy. Heave ho! Heave ho!
The Admiral has a flagship and the Captain's got a cruiser;
But Davy's got a dinghy. It's a lollapalooza!
The cutest little dinghy in the Navy, and the old Admiral is heard to say:
If he had Davy's dinghy he would always feel springy.
He'd ride the WAVES night and day.
In September of 1990 I was selected to the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in the U.S. Navy. Our Cammanding Officer had a favorite song, "Davey's Dinghy" sung by Doris Day. As part of our initiation to CPO, 11 of us CPO selectees had to dress up as the seven dwarfs, elves and one as Doris Day, and sing that song in front of the troops at morning quarters.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have seen that. Great CO back in the days of the real NAVY
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