Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ives is often associated with the Christmas season. He did voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ives also worked on the special's soundtrack, including the songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", both of which continue to chart annually on the Billboard holiday charts into the 2020s.
The Ugly Bug Ball
Burl Ives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To a sympathetic beetle by his side.
"I've got nobody to hug,
I'm such an ugly bug."
Then a spider and a dragon fly replied,
"If you're serious and want to win a bride,
Come along with us,
Annual ugly bug ball."
Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all
At the ugly bug ball
While the crickets clicked their tricky melodies
All the ants were fancy-dancing with the fleas
Then up from under the ground
The worms came squirming around
Oh they danced until there legs were nearly lame
Every little crawling creature you could name
Everyone was glad
What a time they had
They were so happy they came
Everyone was glad! What a time they had!
They were so happy they came!
Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all!
At the ugly bug ball.
Then our caterpillar saw a pretty queen
She was beautiful in yellow, black and green
He said, "Would you care to dance?"
Their dancing led to romance.
And she sat upon his caterpillar knees
And he gave his caterpillar queen a squeeze
Soon they'll honeymoon
Build a big cocoon
Thanks to the ugly bug ball
Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl,
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all!
At the ugly bug ball!
The Ugly Bug Ball by Burl Ives is a song about a lonely and unattractive caterpillar who bemoans his situation to a beetle. The caterpillar wants someone to hug him, but he feels like he is such an ugly bug that nobody wants to be around him. A spider and a dragonfly see him and invite him to the Annual Ugly Bug Ball if he is serious about wanting to win a bride. The caterpillar agrees, and they crawl to the ball where all the other tiny creatures are enjoying themselves.
The verse is structured in a way that suggests that the caterpillar is not the only one feeling lonely and unloved. As the crickets click their tricky melodies, the ants dance with the fleas. Everyone is enjoying themselves, from the worms that squirm around the ground to the spiders and the dragonflies. When the caterpillar meets the queen, he sees her beauty in yellow, black and green, and he asks her for a dance. Their dancing leads to romance, and the caterpillar dreams of honeymooning and building a big cocoon.
The song's theme is that differences are not bad, and everyone has something to offer. It is a good message that reminds us to look past appearances and focus on the person. Interestingly, children love this song because of its catchy melody and upbeat message.
Line by Line Meaning
Once a lonely caterpillar sat and cried,
A caterpillar, who was alone and unhappy, sat and wept.
To a sympathetic beetle by his side.
He confided in a beetle, who listened with compassion.
"I've got nobody to hug,
The caterpillar lamented about having nobody to embrace.
I'm such an ugly bug."
He considered himself physically unappealing.
Then a spider and a dragonfly replied,
A spider and a dragonfly responded to him.
"If you're serious and want to win a bride,
They proposed a solution for him to find a mate.
Come along with us,
They offered to bring him somewhere.
To the glorious
The place they're going is magnificent.
Annual ugly bug ball."
It's an event called the 'Ugly Bug Ball.'
Come on let's crawl
They encouraged him to join them in crawling to the ball.
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl
They reiterated the importance of crawling to the ball.
To the ugly bug ball
The destination is the 'Ugly Bug Ball.'
To the ball, to the ball
They reiterated that it's a ball.
And a happy time we'll have there
They anticipated having a good time at the ball.
One and all
Everyone will be happy and included.
At the ugly bug ball
It will take place at the 'Ugly Bug Ball.'
While the crickets clicked their tricky melodies
The crickets were playing complex songs.
All the ants were fancy-dancing with the fleas
The ants were gracefully dancing with the fleas.
Then up from under the ground
Suddenly, worms emerged from beneath the earth.
The worms came squirming around
They started to wiggle and move around.
Oh they danced until there legs were nearly lame
The worms danced so much that they were almost exhausted.
Every little crawling creature you could name
All sorts of small animals were there, and they all danced.
Everyone was glad
All the creatures were happy.
What a time they had
They had a wonderful time.
They were so happy they came
They were glad they decided to attend the ball.
Come on let's crawl
They once again urged each other to crawl.
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl,
They reiterated the importance of crawling.
Then our caterpillar saw a pretty queen
The caterpillar saw an attractive female he admired.
She was beautiful in yellow, black and green
She was stunning with her multi-colored features.
He said, "Would you care to dance?"
He asked her if she'd like to dance.
Their dancing led to romance.
Their dancing brought them closer together.
And she sat upon his caterpillar knees
She sat on his legs, which were still caterpillar-like.
And he gave his caterpillar queen a squeeze
He hugged his new mate.
Soon they'll honeymoon
They'll soon take a romantic vacation.
Build a big cocoon
They'll make a shelter using silk fibers.
Thanks to the ugly bug ball
Their meeting and subsequent romance was all thanks to the 'Ugly Bug Ball.'
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICHARD M. SHERMAN, ROBERT B. SHERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind