Allan Sherman was a pioneer of the comedy-rock scene. Although not much to… Read Full Bio ↴Allan Sherman was a pioneer of the comedy-rock scene. Although not much to look at, the overweight, balding, short, Jewish man gained popularity and became quite the star because of his witty infusion of satirical comedy into very well orchestrated renditions of classic tunes and songs. A song would usually have a lyric, perhaps a name or phrase, that has very little to do with what the original song was about, but the words would sound similar. His albums had nothing to hide, either, as each one was recorded live, and all the laughter, and occasionally a lack thereof, could be heard.

Sherman was just a television producer, most famous for the quiz show "I've Got a Secret," not at all known as a comedian or performer, and it shocked everyone in the know when songs from his album My Son, The Folk Singer became popular. In fact, president John F. Kennedy was heard singing the song Sarah Jackman. Sherman's overnight popularity suddenly ended when the nation's attention focused on Kennedy's assassination, and the nation was too sad for such up-beat musical offerings.

Sherman then slipped back into his longtime depression, and died, quietly, at the young age of 48.

One Hippopotami
Allan Sherman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One hippopotami cannot get on a bus,
Because one hippopotami is two hippopotamus
And if you have two goose, that makes one geese
A pair of mouse is mice A pair of moose is meese

A paranoia is a bunch of mental blocks
And when Ben Casey meets Kildaire, that's called a paradox
When two minks fall in love, with all their heart and soul,

You'll find the plural of two minks is one mink stole

Singulars and plurals are so different, bless my soul
Has it ever occurred to you that the plural of half is whole?

A bunch of tooth is teeth a group of foot is feet
And two canaries make a pair, they call it a parakeet
A paramecium is not a pair
A parallelogram is just a crazy square

Nobody knows just what a paraphernalia is
And what is half a pair of scissors, but a single sciz?

With someone you adore, if you should find romance,
You'll pant, and pant once more, and that's a pair of pants!

Overall Meaning

The song "One Hippopotami" by Allan Sherman is a humorous take on grammar and the English language. The opening line explains that one hippopotami cannot get on a bus because one hippopotami is actually two hippopotamus. The song goes on to highlight various examples of singular and plural words and how they differ. The next few lines talking about how having two geese makes one geese, and how a pair of mouse is mice, and a pair of moose is meese.

The song then goes on to talk about other grammatical concepts such as paranoia versus paradox and how two minks falling in love results in a mink stole. The song continues to make jokes about singular and plural nouns such as how the plural of half is whole, and how two canaries make a pair known as a parakeet. The song also touches on irregular plurals such as tooth versus teeth and foot versus feet.

The final lines talk about how some vocabulary does not make sense such as nobody knows what a paraphernalia is or how half a pair of scissors is just a single sciz. The song ends on a humorous note that when someone finds love and pants, they become a pair of pants. Overall, the song uses humor to point out the difference between singular and plural words and irregularities in English grammar.

Line by Line Meaning

One hippopotami cannot get on a bus, Because one hippopotami is two hippopotamus
A single hippopotamus cannot board a bus because it represents two hippopotamus in the plural form.

And if you have two goose, that makes one geese
When there are two geese, they collectively are referred to as one 'geese'.

A pair of mouse is mice A pair of moose is meese
The plural for mouse is mice, and for moose, it is just moose. However, with a pair of these animals, it becomes mice and meese, respectively.

A paranoia is a bunch of mental blocks
A state of paranoia is caused by several psychological barriers and obstacles one may have.

And when Ben Casey meets Kildaire, that's called a paradox
When two fictional characters meet, it is an unexpected turn of events or contradiction, which is known as a paradox.

When two minks fall in love, with all their heart and soul, You'll find the plural of two minks is one mink stole
The plural version of two minks is one mink stole, which is a fur made from their pelts. So, two minks in love will end up being turned into a singular fur product.

Singulars and plurals are so different, bless my soul Has it ever occurred to you that the plural of half is whole?
Singular and plural terms are vastly diverse in meaning, and the plural form of 'half' is 'whole,' which is quite an interesting fact.

A bunch of tooth is teeth a group of foot is feet And two canaries make a pair, they call it a parakeet
The plural forms of 'tooth' and 'foot' are 'teeth' and 'feet,' respectively. And two canaries in a pair are known as 'parakeet.'

A paramecium is not a pair A parallelogram is just a crazy square
A paramecium is not a pair, rather a unicellular organism. And, a parallelogram is a square-shaped object that has been stretched out in a peculiar way.

Nobody knows just what a paraphernalia is And what is half a pair of scissors, but a single sciz?
A 'paraphernalia' is an undefined group of miscellaneous objects. And the singular form of 'scissors' is just 'sciz'.

With someone you adore, if you should find romance, You'll pant, and pant once more, and that's a pair of pants!
When someone falls in love, they will often feel breathless and gasp for air, which is referred to as 'pants,' represented here as a pair.

Lyrics © GET SONGS DIRECT, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BUSCH LOU, ALLAN SHERMAN, LOU BUSCH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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