Little Lambsy Divey

While walking around in Babies R Us yesterday and thinking about the name “Ivy”, a childhood song came to mind. I started singing “Mairzy Dotes” all the way through to to where “Little Lambs eat Ivy…” My audience of one (that’d be Holly) had never actually heard that song before. I was amazed!. So we looked it up when we got home. Sure enough, someone put it on YouTube. I also learned a thing or two myself about the song. Wikipedia reports the song was written in 1943 and was a big hit. Even servicemen used the nonsensical lyrics as passwords during the war. Here’s the actual lyrics…

At first glance, the song’s refrain, as written on the sheet music, seems to be meaningless:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?

However, the lyrics of the bridge provide a clue:

If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey,
Sing “Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.”

So now we have something to sing to Ivy. Or maybe just use it to scare her when she’s behaving badly.
“A little lamb is going to eat you!”

“No!!! Whaaaaaaa!”