Mr and Mrs Discobbolos [LEAR poem set to music]
Channel: tobydarling
Date: 28/01/2015

Here is another of Edward Lear's poems which I have set to music, taken from his 'Laughable Lyrics: A Fourth Book of Nonsense Poems, Songs, Botany, Music etc" (1877)

The pictures are all by Lear himself.

Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos (Edward Lear)

C G Am Em
Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos
C G Am
            Climbed to the top of a wall.
Em C G
      And they sate to watch the sunset sky
     Em C G
 And to hear the Nupiter Piffkin cry
C G Am
            And the Biscuit Buffalo call.
C D Em C
They took up a roll and some Camomile tea,
Em D C D
And both were as happy as happy could be--
Em C G
                  Till Mrs. Discobbolos said,--
Em C G
                  'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
                  'It has just come into my head--
C D Em C
'Suppose we should happen to fall! ! ! ! !
G D C9
                        'Darling Mr. Discobbolos
'Suppose we should fall down flumpetty
            'Just like pieces of stone!
      'On the thorns, -- or into the moat!
      'What would become of your new green coat
            'And might you not break a bone?
'It never occurred to me before--
'That perhaps we shall never go down any more!'
                  And Mrs. Discobbolos said--
                  'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
                  'What put it into your head
'To climb up this wall? -- my own
                        'Darling Mr. Discobbolos?'
Mr. Discobbolos answered,--
            'At first it gave me pain,--
      'And I felt my ears turn perfectly pink
      'When your exclamation made me think
            'We might never get down again!
'But now I believe it is wiser far
'To remain for ever just where we are.'--
                  And Mr. Discobbolos said,
                  'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
                  'It has just come into my head--
'----- We shall never go down again--
                        'Dearest Mrs. Discobbolos!'
So Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos
            Stood up and began to sing,
      'Far away from hurry and strife
'Here we will pass the rest of life,
            'Ding a dong, ding dong, ding!
'We want no knives nor forks nor chairs,
'No tables nor carpets nor household cares,
                  'From worry of life we've fled--
                  'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
                  'There is no more trouble ahead,
'Sorrow or any such thing--
                        'For Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos!'