"Do Your Ears Hang Low?" is a children's song often sung in schools and at camps. The melody of this song is usually a shorter version of " Turkey in the Straw", but it can also be sung to the tune of the "

Sailor's Hornpipe The Sailor's Hornpipe (also known as The College Hornpipe and Jack's the Lad) is a traditional hornpipe melody and linked dance with origins in the Royal Navy. History The tune was first printed as the "College Hornpipe" in 1797 or 1798 by J. Dale ...

". It has a

Roud Folk Song Index The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

number of 15472.

History

The origin of the song is most likely

George Washington Dixon George Washington Dixon (1801?Many biographies list his birth year as 1808, but Cockrell, ''Demons of Disorder'', 189, argues that 1801 is the correct date. This is based on Dixon's records at a New Orleans hospital, which list him as 60 years ol ...

's " Zip Coon", penned in 1838. Variant versions with vulgar lyrics include "Do Your Balls Hang Low?" and "Do Your Boobs Hang Low?". Some authors regard these as

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

versions of the campfire song, but, according to folklorists such as Ed Cray, the evidence strongly suggests that "Do Your Balls Hang Low?" came first, and that "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" is a sanitized version. The earliest apparent report of "Do Your Balls Hang Low?" is said to date from about 1900. The song is known to have been sung by

British soldiers The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Br ...

on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Lyn MacDonald reports that, on one occasion in 1916, General

Douglas Haig Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionar ...

heard it being sung by a column of soldiers as they marched past on their way to the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

. He immediately called for his horse and rode to the head of the column to remonstrate with the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

commander, only to find the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

singing as heartily as his men. Haig congratulated him on his fine voice, but added: "I like the ''tune'', but you must know that in any circumstances those words are inexcusable!"

Lyrics

The following lyrics are from one particular variant of the song:

Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie 'em in a knot? Can you tie 'em in a bow? Can you throw 'em o'er your shoulder Like a continental soldier? Do your ears hang low? Do your ears stand high? Do they reach up to the sky? Do they droop when they are wet? Do they stiffen when they're dry? Can you wave them at your neighbor With an element of flavor? Do your ears stand high? Do your ears flip-flop? Can you use them as a
mop A mop (such as a floor mop) is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop ...
? Are they stringy at the bottom? Are they curly at the top? Can you use them for a swatter? Can you use them for a blotter? Do your ears flip-flop? Do your ears stick out? Can you waggle them about? Can you flap them up and down As you fly around the town? Can you shut them up for sure When you hear an awful bore? Do your ears stick out? Do your ears give snacks? Are they all filled up with
wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low ...
? Do you eat it in the morning Do you eat it in the bath? Do you eat it with a scone Or do you eat it on its own? Do your ears give snacks?

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, a shorter version with differences in the lyrics is heard, commonly sung in Cubs and Brownies events:

Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you swing them over your shoulder like a regimental soldier Do your ears hang low?

(With a humorous

glissando In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') is a glide from one pitch to another (). It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French ''glisser'', "to glide". In some contexts, it is distinguished from the co ...

at a perfect fourth down, and back up again on the final "low".)

Soldiers' version

The lyrics of the World War I version of "Do Your Balls Hang Low?" are recorded as:

Do your balls hang low? Do they dangle to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Do they itch when it's hot? Do you rest them in a pot? Do you get them in a tangle? Do you catch them in a
mangle Mangle can refer to: * Mangle (machine), a mechanical laundry aid consisting of two rollers * Box mangle, an earlier laundry mangle using rollers and a heavy weight * Mangled packet, in computing * Mangrove, woody trees or shrubs * Name mangling, ...
? Do they swing in stormy weather? Do they tickle with a feather? Do they rattle when you walk? Do they jingle when you talk? Can you sling them on your shoulder Like a lousy fucking soldier? Do your balls hang low?

Recorded versions

Sharon, Lois & Bram Sharon, Lois & Bram (also known as Sharon, Bram & Friends, Sharon & Bram or Sharon & Randi) are a Canadian children's music group founded in Toronto, Ontario, 1978. The group's original lineup consisted of Sharon (née Trostin) Hampson, Lo ...

on ''Stay Tuned'' 1987 * Kinky Friedman on ''Live From Uranus'' 2003 *

Øystein Sunde Øystein Olaf Sunde (born 24 January 1947) is a Norwegian folk singer and guitarist. He is known for his high-speed guitar and banjo style and his satirical lyrics. Although often regarded as a comedian, Sunde is a versatile guitarist who has pl ...

in a Norwegian variant called ''Hvis dine ører henger ned'' ("If your ears hang down") on '' Det året det var så bratt'' 1971 * A hip-hop version of the melody is used in the Jibbs song "

Chain Hang Low "Chain Hang Low" is the debut single by American rapper Jibbs from his 2006 debut album '' Jibbs Featuring Jibbs''. It uses a sample of the children's song " Do Your Ears Hang Low?". "Chain Hang Low" peaked at number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

". * The vocal melody of this song is used in verses of "

Minna ga Minna ga Eiyū is a song recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was originally released on January 5, 2016, by EMI Records, as a promotional single. Upon its release, the song was a sleeper hit, peaking at number 4 on the ''Billboard Japan'' Ho ...

" (みんながみんな英雄) by Japanese-American singer Ai. * British comedy musician Koit has recorded more than one version:- ''Do Your Balls Hang Low'' and ''Do Your Balls Hang Low (English Country Garden Mix)'' on his third album ''Songs To Take A Dump To''; and ''Do Your Boobs Hang Low'' on his sixth album ''Bog Roll Needed''.

References

External links

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: "Do your ears hang low?" Lyrics and MIDI
{{authority control Songs of World War I Songs of World War II English children's songs Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown