1/5/05

Toot toot, Tootles the Tugboat

Trying to get back into my swimming fitness routine. I like swimming laps. It's a soothing meditation. I just don't like all the clothes-changing involved. After several weeks away from the pool, it felt good to be back. I didn't count laps, and I only lasted thirty-five minutes. I was really plugging like a tugboat.

One thing I noticed is my new Speedo suit is lined in the back as well as the front. I'm thinking that's wise, because we sure hate chlorine suit butt disintegration.

Since my swim on Sunday I've had a childhood song stuck in my head. The worst part is I only know one line of the song, so there's a lot of dut-dut duh-duh da dum-dum everytime it cycles through my brain. I'm sure it was on one of our Little Golden Records 45 rpms, and probably came from a Captain Kangaroo show. And so, I sing, Toot toot, Tootles the tugboat sailed up and down the bay...then the dut-duts, over and over.

When my kids were tiny, I bought Tootle the Train and Scruffy the Tugboat Little Golden Books trying to connect with something in my childhood. Those books didn't do it for my grown-up self or my kids. I bet I was really searching for Tootles. And no, I don't mean Tubby the Tuba.

A song stuck in the head is worth two days of The Bush.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I saw your blog while searching for information on a record I have titled "Toot Toot Tootles" I found that the lyrics seem non-existent on the web. I thought you might like to have them. The record I have is a red 78 rpm Record Guild of America and sung by Norman Stanley. I hope this helps.

Toot Toot Tootles


Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Goes “toot toot toot” all day
Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Sails up and down the bay

Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
He has no time to play
Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Just tugs and chugs away

Tootles knows all the great big ships
He knows just where they’ve been
As they come in the bay they toot
And Tootles tugs them in

Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
He gives a toot and then
All the boats in the harbor
Go “toot toot toot”
Then Tootles toots again

(instrumental interlude)

Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
One day went on a spree
Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Set out to cross the sea

Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Thought he was big and strong
Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Sailed right into a storm

Giant waves tossed him up and down
Poor Tootles creaked and groaned
A great big wave turned him around
And Tootles hurried home

Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Is back inside the bay
Toot Toot Tootles the tug boat
Will never sail…
Will never sail away

Collagemama said...

Thank you so much, Unknown!

Unknown said...

This subject prompted me to learn how to create a youtube video, which I had no reason to do until now. I figured I owed it to the world to get Tootles out there to reminisce to. I must apologize for not having the proper equipment to take the needle scratch sound out of the audio. I took the image off of Google images. It was the only image that had the Tootles tag attached to it, but I don't really know if it is genuine. Thanks for the excuse to do something creative.
The link to listen to the song is http://youtu.be/RBpGmz8YakY

Unknown said...

My mom (now 60) sang this to me my whole childhood, even though she forgot some of the words... she couldn't for the life of her remember what it was from, or where she heard it. Thank you so much for posting it to YouTube, she loved hearing it again after so many years.

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