Flashback: Shel Silverstein on The Johnny Cash Show

You know him best from “A Light In The Attic” or “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” I do, too. This was my favorite:

Someone ate the baby it’s rather sad to say
Someone ate the baby so she won’t be out to play
We’ll never hear her whiney cry or have to feel if she is dry
We’ll never hear her asking why why why someone ate the baby
Someone ate the baby it’s absolutely clear
Someone ate the baby cause the baby isn’t here
We’ll give away her toys and clothes we’ll never have to wipe her nose
Dad says that’s the way it goes someone ate the baby
Someone ate the baby what a frightful thing to eat
Someone ate the baby though she wasn’t very sweet
It was a heartless thing to do the policemen haven’t got a clue
I simply can’t imagine who would go and (burp) eat the baby

But I betchya didn’t know he put out music. I did. My friend’s dad had the LP when we were in Junior High but I ignored it cause I didn’t want to ruin my childhood memories. Haha. Or something. But we listened to it. A lot of it was about getting stoned and drinking. Kinda seemed odd to me when I was 13 – like, what a creep, you know? But it’s not like it’s been in my mind for 10 years. I probably haven’t thought about it since, until I bumped into the sweetest video ever on YouTube:

The third song in the list below is set to the melody of a pretty racist tune called “N***** Hatin’ Me” by Johnny Rebel. How fucked up is that, huh? Enjoy.

DOWNLOADS

Shel Silverstein – Quaaludes Again
Shel Silverstein – Boy Named Sue
Shel Silverstein – Dirty ‘Ol Me