What does a kookaburra sound like?

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koo koo koo ka ka ka?

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

kooooaaaaa

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds like chicken

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

an old gum tree

― kelsey (kelstarry), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

All the old Tarzan movies use Kookaburra's call as a stereotypical heart-of-darkness jungle sound... koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-KAA!-KAA!-KAA!! You've heard it a million times. But they don't live in Africa, obv.

― andy, Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

Down come a jumbuck to drink at the water hole
Up jumped a swagman and grabbed him in glee
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker bag
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me'".

Up rode the Squatter a riding his thoroughbred
Up rode the Trooper - one, two, three
"Where's that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me".

But the swagman he up and jumped in the water hole
Drowning himself by the Coolabah tree,
And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

― andy, Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Gay.

― briania (briania), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

beat me to it, Briania! I mean gay their lives really must be sitting in the tree all day.

― Maria D. (Maria D.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that that bird that's in so many haiku?

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

haikukaburra?

― Maria D. (Maria D.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't they laugh?

― hexyAnswer, Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Only at you.

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

They be laughing. King of the bush.

― Maria D. (Maria D.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Damn. Now I have "My Little Kookenhaken" in my head.

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

It sounds like this: http://www.didgeridoostore.com/Sound/kooka.mov

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

they sound like they're up there having a few beers and cackling heartily at the fools below.

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 24 June 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

When I was in elementary school - which was, oddly, during that phase of the late '80s when there was a big Australia fad in the US - we sang the song

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gum drops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me!

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
That's not a monkey that's me

Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail
Gets a boo-boo in his tail
Cry, Kookaburra! Cry, kookaburra!
Oh how life can be!

Later we sang this song to Dav1d Hag4rty's brother because we all thought he was queer. We called him Kookaburra, too. Then we hit midde school we learned he was just mildly retarded.

― j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Friday, 25 June 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

a kookaburra sounds like a bloody noisy bird that wakes me up far too early in the morning and furthermore is not native to WA but has somehow arrived here and flourished, to the detriment of our local ecosystem.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I cant believe Americans got taught that crappy song, haha! We had to sing it in primary school in the 70s, so I always hear it in my head being sung all out-of-tune by a bunch of kids.

We sang that, and for some reason, "Theyre coming to take me away ho ho hee hee ha ha". WTF.

Kookoburras are all ok and that, but for sweet bush bird sounds, you cant go past the magpie and the bellbird. Lovely.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually wtf:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see

I dont remember that bit, wtf ... MONKEYS? Aint no stinkin MONKEYS in the bush.

Our version:

Kookaburra sits on the old barbed wire
Jumping up and down with his arse on fire

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

(not the real version obviously haha)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

also its gum leaves surely? not gum drops?

the bellbird seconded! kookas are so...stoic though. when they're not laughing their bloody heads off of course.

one landed on our clothes line and was being constantly dive bombed and pecked by these mynas and it just sat there like it didn't care.

okay, maybe the laugh is one of insanity.

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

we learned that song in new zealand too

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Magpies are MENTAL in nesting season. I saw two maggies beating up on a crow once - the crow was twice their size but there was two of them, and I think the crow was a bit old... poor fullah.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:39 (twenty-one years ago)

anyone been attacked by a maggie?

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:40 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i hate being swooped in nesting season, two maggies could beat me up, never mind a crow i reckon. did anyone else walk to school waving a stick over their head in spring?

i love maggies call though, having said that. infinitely nicer than kookaburras

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:42 (twenty-one years ago)

The icecream bucket on the head! The umbrella in the sun! All the trix. Canberra is full of native trees, so running the gamut of magpie nesting areas in spring was hell where I lived. Just to get to school I had to traverse a field full of gums that had several very shitty birds living in it. They even terrorized the cat. They have no fear.

That dread sound of beating wings behind yr head... whmp... whmp... WHOOMP and you duck instinctively and hope youre not about to have yer head gouged open. Fun!

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

My music teacher was a total nut. Mr. D (never knew the last name), who fell off his deck and broke his collarbone and continued playing piano in this huge brace thing. he had to stand and bend at the waist and support himself on his fingertips and pull himself up on the edge of the instrument at the end of each song.

― j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:59 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/The+laughing+kookaburra

link to a kookaburra recording about halfway down the page

― xxx, Friday, 25 June 2004 02:34 (twenty-one years ago)

The word from Rachael: redheads never get bombed by magpies, as red is the universal sign of danger.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 02:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I can attest to the truth of this warning as I have dated more than one redhead in my time.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Thats it then, Ima keep this hair colour! :D

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 02:58 (twenty-one years ago)

When I was in elementary school - which was, oddly, during that phase of the late '80s when there was a big Australia fad in the US - we sang the song
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gum drops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me!

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
That's not a monkey that's me

Kookaburra sits on a rusty nail
Gets a boo-boo in his tail
Cry, Kookaburra! Cry, kookaburra!
Oh how life can be!

Later we sang this song to Dav1d Hag4rty's brother because we all thought he was queer. We called him Kookaburra, too. Then we hit midde school we learned he was just mildly retarded.

-- j e r e m y

Jeremy, you remember all the words!! That's cool. What about 'I'm a Nut In a Rut'. Do you remember that one?

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:02 (twenty-one years ago)

That stuff abt monkeys and rusty nails SO isnt in the Australian version of the song, I am quite sure. I mean we never said "boo-boo" for starters. Im wondering if that evolved from the dirty playground joke "sat on barbed wire/arse on fire" version?

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Ive just done a quick google on Australian sites only for this song (as it came up a lot on american sites with the above words) and it seems we only ever sang it with the first verse, which is all I ever remember.

Anyone else agree?

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, we only sang the first verse.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Yay! I found it:

I’m a Little Acorn Shell

I’m a little acorn shell lying on the cold cold ground.
Everybody steps on me. That is why I’m cracked you see.
I’m a nut, in a rut. I’m a nut, I’m crazy.

I’m so nutty I don’t know why the squirrels love me so.
I’m descended from an oak.
Nuts to you and that’s no joke.
I’m a nut, in a rut. I’m a nut, I’m crazy.

I’m a little pile of tin. Nobody knows what shape I’m in.
Got four wheels and a running board.
I’m four-door, I’m a Ford.
Honk honk, rattle rattle rattle crash, beep beep,
Honk honk, rattle rattle rattle crash, beep beep,
Honk honk, rattle rattle rattle crash, beep beep,
Honk Honk.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

from goldfoot:

"kookaburra sitting in the old gum tree
fucking all the kookaburras he can see
no kookaburra
no kookaburra
that ones got VD"

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG I dont remember that one!

We had mental christian crusaders visit our primary once a month to sing crappy xian songs like "kum bay yah" and "I wish I was a [etc]" for god knows what reason. Thinking about it now, I feel sorry for any jews or buddist or whatever kids at our school, being forced to sing jesus songs! :/

xpost HAHA gaz =)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, I would say it was Hell, except that that is a Christian concept. I used to say, 'You're all just worshipping one of our many rabbis, you know', and they all looked at me like I was being a smartarse or something!!

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh thats a classic line, Col! I like it.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeremy, I immediately thought of that song when I saw this thread title. Accolades.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)

They used to tell us it was a radical new message of luv or something. I used to say, 'Like, how different is it from Moses or Solomon?? Like ok, maybe he's borrowed a bit of Buddhism there from his little adventure east, yadda yadda, but so??'

No, I'm making that up.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:53 (twenty-one years ago)

we only sang the first verse in nz too.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i only remember the first verse. i don't suppose that means there weren't any more.... i only remember the first verse of advance australia fair too

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:06 (twenty-one years ago)

It would be unAustralian to remember any more than the first verse, gem.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)

so true colin. that's how i like to express my national pride... by forgetting the second verse of all anthemic/patriotic songs hehehe

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:11 (twenty-one years ago)

heh thats so cute (xpost)

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:12 (twenty-one years ago)

heres a REALLY offensive skool one

waltzing mathilda
who fucking killed her?
left in the grass
with a spade up her arse
and a gun in her bum
and a dagger in her tucker box
who killed waltz-ing mathilda?

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:22 (twenty-one years ago)

oooh i remember that one. you're a treasure trove of offensiveness, gaz.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

don't apologise gaz, we had a very similar (if not identical) version at our school i seem to remember.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"a treasure trove of offensiveness"

i think thats the first time anyone has called me that. thanks

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Now tell them the words to Charlotte the Harlot.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Our version went:
"Waltzing Matilsa
Who bloody killed ya?
Lying in the grass
With ya finger up yer arse"

What a lovely bunch of kids I knew.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

We didn't have anything like that in Maryville.

You were bad kids.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:37 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah ours was more like yours than gaz's trayce

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I love playground dirty version songs!

"Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin flew away
Wonder woman lost her bosom
Flying TAA"

(which makes no sense.. but oh well)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

ooh we had that too trayce! sadly as well as being nonsensical (in a good way) we're also all showing our age if we can remember taa

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:44 (twenty-one years ago)

On top of Old Smokey...

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:44 (twenty-one years ago)

hitler... he only had one...

― gem (trisk), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Now that's an Enlish one, with a thousand variants.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:46 (twenty-one years ago)

why is it advance australia fair anyway? surely it should be advance australia multi-hued?

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Ok, we did have that one, but it was pretty clean in comparison:

Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away

Wait...that's TOTALLY clean. Did I grow up in an episode of Barney?! *questions everything*

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Nah, its just Australians are filthy louts =)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:49 (twenty-one years ago)

(seriously, we're dreadful)

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Except for me.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 25 June 2004 05:10 (twenty-one years ago)

i always loved that line about wonder woman losing her bosom. haha bosoms.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Friday, 25 June 2004 05:15 (twenty-one years ago)

keep australia green.... fuck a frog

anyway, kooka's sound like koalas being made into tacos

― Queen Get this gum tree outta my ass, Friday, 25 June 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

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