Flanders: The very first of the animal songs. Some people think the title of this song is irrelevant. But it's not irrelephant, it's a hippopotamus!
Both: A bold hippopotamus was standing one day
On the banks of the cool Shalimar
He gazed at the bottom-as it peacefully lay
By the light of the evening star
Away on a hilltop sat combing her hair
His fair hippopotami maid
The hippopotamus was no ignoramus
And sang her this sweet serenade:
Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood
So follow me, follow
Down to the hollow
And there let us wallow in glorious mud
The fair hippopotama he aimed to entice
From her seat on that hilltop above
As she hadn't got-a-ma to give her advice
Came tip-toeing down to her love
Like thunder the forest re-echoed the sound
Of the song that they sang as they met
His inamorata adjusted her garter
And lifted her voice in duet:
Flanders: In Russian!
Swann: (Sings a line of the chorus in Russian)
(Sings a line of the chorus in Russian)
(Sings a line of the chorus in Russian)
Flanders: Follow me, follow!
Swann: (Sings a line of the chorus in Russian)
Flanders: Down to the hollow!
Swann: (Sings a line of the chorus in Russian)
Flanders: That will improve our cultural relations!
Both: Now more hippopotami began to convene
On the banks of that river so wide
I wonder, now, what-am-I to say of the scene
That ensued by the Shalimar side?
They dived all at once with an ear-splitting splosh
Then rose to the surface again
A regular army of hippopotarmy
All singing this haunting refrain:
Flanders: (To audience) That's you!
Everyone: Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood
So follow me, follow
Flanders: Oh, that's lovely!
Everyone: Down to the hollow
Flanders: Beautiful!
Everyone: And there let us wallow in glorious mud!