The Dipsy Doodle
Chick Webb & Ella Fitzgerald Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The Dipsy Doodle's the thing to beware
The Dipsy Doodle will get in your hair
And if it gets you, it couldn't be worse
The things you say will come out in reverse
Like "You love I and me love you"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works

The Dipsy Doodle's easy to find
You know it's always in back of your mind
You never know it until it's too late
And then you're in such a terrible state
Like "The moon jumped over the cow, hey diddle"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works

Whenever you think you're crazy
You're just a victim of the Dipsy Doodle
Ah, but it's not your mind that's hazy
It's your tongue that's at fault, not your noodle

You better listen and try to be good
And try to do all the things that you should
The Dipsy Doodle will get you some day
You'll think you're crazy, the things that you'll say
Like "Rhythm got I and hot am I"
That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works

If it gets you, you'll be singin' it
And we'll bet you, you'll be swingin' it

The Dipsy Doodle's the thing to beware
The Dipsy Doodle will get in your hair
And if it gets you, it couldn't be worse
Everything you say will come out in reverse
"You love I and me love you"
That is just the way the Dipsy Doodle works

Whenever you think you're crazy
You're the victim of the Dipsy Doodle
But it's not your mind that's hazy
It's your tongue that's at fault, not your noodle

You better listen and try to be good
And try to do all the things that you should
The Dipsy Doodle will get you some day
And you'll think you're crazy, the things you'll say
"Violets are red, roses are blue"
Roses, roses, roses, all around you

You'll never know it until too late
And then you're in such a terrible state
If you wanna do the Doodle, do the Dipsy Doodle
Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle




Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Do the Dipsy Doodle now

Overall Meaning

The Dipsy Doodle is a warning against the effects of drinking and getting intoxicated. Chick Webb delivers this cautionary tale in a playful and bouncy melody. The song describes the experience of a person who has taken one too many drinks and the unfortunate consequences that come with it. The chorus hints at the confusion and disorientation that one may feel when intoxicated, where even the simplest of sentences are misconstructed, and words come out in reverse. The song reflects on how the human body and tongue behave when drunk, and how one's ability to communicate coherently is compromised. The song offers some advice on how to avoid this situation by encouraging listeners to behave responsibly, and warning them that they too may fall victim to the Dipsy Doodle if they do not.


Line by Line Meaning

The Dipsy Doodle's the thing to beware
You must be careful of the Dipsy Doodle


The Dipsy Doodle will get in your hair
It will bother and confuse you


And if it gets you, it couldn't be worse
If it confuses you, it will be terrible


The things you say will come out in reverse
You will say things backwards


Like "You love I and me love you"
You might say "Me love you and you love me" instead


That's the way the Dipsy Doodle works
That's how the Dipsy Doodle affects you


The Dipsy Doodle's easy to find
You can't always tell when it's affecting you


You know it's always in back of your mind
It's always lurking in your thoughts


You never know it until it's too late
You won't know until you've said something strange out loud


And then you're in such a terrible state
You'll feel embarrassed and confused


Like "The moon jumped over the cow, hey diddle"
You might say something odd like that


Whenever you think you're crazy
Whenever you feel confused


You're just a victim of the Dipsy Doodle
The Dipsy Doodle is causing your confusion


Ah, but it's not your mind that's hazy
You're not actually crazy


It's your tongue that's at fault, not your noodle
It's just the way you're speaking that's the problem


You better listen and try to be good
Pay attention and try to speak correctly


And try to do all the things that you should
Act in a reasonable and responsible manner


The Dipsy Doodle will get you some day
You will be affected by the Dipsy Doodle eventually


You'll think you're crazy, the things that you'll say
You'll say strange things and think you're losing your mind


Like "Rhythm got I and hot am I"
You might say something like "I'm hot and I've got rhythm"


If it gets you, you'll be singin' it
You'll keep saying the strange things without realizing it


And we'll bet you, you'll be swingin' it
You'll find yourself moving to the Dipsy Doodle rhythm


That is just the way the Dipsy Doodle works
That's how the Dipsy Doodle affects you


If you wanna do the Doodle, do the Dipsy Doodle
If you want to experience the Dipsy Doodle, go ahead and try it


Doo, doo, doo, do the Dipsy Doodle
Enjoy the rhythm of the Dipsy Doodle


Do the Dipsy Doodle now
Start dancing to the Dipsy Doodle right away




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Larry Clinton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Municpal Entrope

Love the scratchy vinyl quality. You can’t find this on Spotify

Rocking Ronnie Walker

Isn't this the original version? Much better than the Tommy Dorsey version

JazzKeyboardist1

Otis Campbell lives

Anubus Warrior

Thanx OTIS CAMPBELL whn i gt 2 heaven the 1st rounds on me😇

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