BULLFROG
(Bobby Darin)


Bobby Darin - 1968



I was sittin' by the bank on a hollow stump 
When I thought I heard me a bullfrog jump 
Turned around and sure enough there he sat 
He said, Excuse me, buddy, but I been readin' your news 
And I'm sorry to say that I'm a little confused 
You bein' human, well, you'd know where it's at"

He said, "I read where this old world's gonna fold 
And all on account of a thing called gold 
And that's somethin' hard for us frogs to understand 
Now you're lookin' at me like I'm kinda funny 
But where I live we don't have no money 
So we want to be hip to the happ'nin's here on land"

Now I thought I was stoned, so I started walkin' 
I mean whoever heard of a bullfrog talkin' 
Then I realized I hadn't been grazin' no grain 
So I figured I'd tell him just what I thought 
About how gold was sold and how gold was bought 
And he'd understand our world when I explained. 

I said it all started a long time ago 
When the people first learned to reap and sow 
They got all the things that they needed right out of the earth 
Like how many leaves and how many trees 
Would it take to cover up the anatomies 
That's how you figured how much a suit of clothes was worth 

Well then man he learned how to milk a cow 
And how to till the soil with a stone blade plow 
And he kept so busy he never had time to do you harm 
Then he'd take his produce and all that milk 
And go into town and trade 'em for silk 
So his woman she'd look sharp down at the farm 

Well the bullfrog let out a belly croak 
Like I'd told him some kind of a joke 
And he said, "I think you're jivin' me, my man", (What me?) 
I said I know it sounds kinda mystifyin' 
But the truth of the matter is that I ain't lyin' 
I mean I ain't talkin' no bullfrog, you understand 

He said, "Now don't get upset, I'm not agin' you 
You just go ahead, go ahead and continue 
And I'll be quiet and try to understand"
He said, "I know about trees and leaves and plants 
And milk and silk and the farmer's romance 
But what's this thing they call supply and demand?"

I said, well I grow cotton and you grow corn 
And you find your dungarees are all worn 
And me, well I got to have somethin' to eat, you see?
So I make you some brand new threads 
And you bake me some fresh corn bread 
Pretty soon we'll have shops across the street

Well this didn't work, or so we've been told 
And at that time they didn't know about gold 
So they all agreed they'd measure their goods in salt 
Well that idea had an early endin' 
'Cause they were eatin' more than they were spendin' 
And besides, whoever heard of keepin' salt in a vault

(Instrumental Break)

Say, I wonder if you could turn your radio down just a little bit, mister
Thank you! Now, where was I?
Oh yeah, I remember

Well folks said gold was the thing to use 
To pay for stuff like from ships to shoes 
But it weighed too much and it looked too good to spend 
So round about sixteen hundred and ninety 
Somebody started usin' foldin' money 
And that's the tale, my friend, from end to end 

Well I thought it was a damn good explanation 
I mean a real attempt at communication 
And I only had me schoolin' up until the time I was ten 
But the bullfrog right before he hopped away 
Well I could have sworn I heard him say 
"Your world is still in the tadpole stage, my friend"

Now, I wonder what he meant by that
And I wonder how come he's picked up and left so quick
Must've been somethin' I said
I bathe regular
Always brush my teeth
I drop all my change when they pass the plate, I mean
Ah, what'da bullfrogs know anyway



(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2018)