{"id":89317,"date":"2015-08-28T16:00:02","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T20:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=89317"},"modified":"2015-08-28T14:56:16","modified_gmt":"2015-08-28T18:56:16","slug":"picnic-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/28\/picnic-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Picnic Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Elizabeth Shippen Green, 1906.<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1932, an Irish popular songwriter named Jimmy Kennedy penned one of the most sinister sets of lyrics ever composed. Kennedy\u2014who had already had Tin Pan Alley success with numbers like \u201cBarmaids Song\u201d and \u201cRed Sails in the Sunset.\u201d Later, he would go to write \u201cIsle of Capri\u201d and \u201cMy Prayer.\u201d But to the contemporary ear, perhaps none of his compositions is as memorable as that terrifying song he set to\u00a0John Walter Bratton\u2019s 1907 two-step.<\/p>\n

I refer, of course, to \u201cThe Teddy Bears\u2019 Picnic<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n

The original tune (portions of which are a blatant rip off of the \u201cDeath or Glory March\u201d) is chilling enough: the ominous, minor-key lead-in, the burst of forced major jollity come chorus\u2014but Kennedy took it to a whole new level. One can only assume the wild popularity of the teddy bear served as muse, although\u00a0Kennedy lived in Somerset, and is said to have been inspired by a local grove. Well, that grove must have been terrifying.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

If you go down to the woods today
You\u2019re sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You\u2019d better go in disguise!<\/p>\n

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain,
Because today\u2019s the day the
Teddy Bears have their picnic.<\/p>\n

Picnic time for Teddy Bears
The little Teddy Bears are having
A lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.<\/p>\n

See them gaily gad about.
They love to play and shout,
They never have any care;
At six o\u2019clock their Mommies and Daddies
Will take them home to bed,
Because they\u2019re tired little Teddy Bears<\/p>\n

Every Teddy Bear who\u2019s been good
Is sure of a treat today.
There\u2019s lots of marvelous things to eat
And wonderful games to play.<\/p>\n

Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They\u2019ll hide and seek as long as they please
\u2018Cause that\u2019s the way the
Teddy Bears have their picnic.<\/p>\n

Picnic time for Teddy Bears
The little Teddy Bears are having
A lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday<\/p>\n

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout,
They never have any care;
At six o\u2019clock their Mommies and Daddies
Will take them home to bed,
Because they\u2019re tired little Teddy Bears.<\/p>\n

If you go down to the woods today,
You\u2019d better not go alone!
It\u2019s lovely down in the woods today,
But safer to stay at home!<\/p>\n

For ev\u2019ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today\u2019s the day the
Teddy Bears have their picnic.<\/p>\n

Picnic time for Teddy Bears
The little Teddy Bears are having
A lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them frolic on their holiday.<\/p>\n

See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout,
They never have any care;
At six o\u2019clock their Mommies and Daddies
Will take them home to bed,
Because they\u2019re tired little Teddy Bears.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The whole thing has the air of something made up to scare children, by someone who doesn\u2019t understand children: don\u2019t go out alone! Mind your parents! Only good little bears get to go! But beyond the song\u2019s cheap moralizing, there are mixed messages: if you do<\/em> go, you\u2019ll see something secret and awesome.<\/p>\n

And sinister, of course. Not only is the listener urged to disguise himself like a creepy peeping tom, but there are consequences if discovered: one senses that the gay gadding has something of the forbidden rite about it. Like Masons, the teddy bears guard their secrets closely\u2014and will punish any spies in their midst. The picnic sounds less innocent playtime than Secret History\u2013<\/em>style bacchanal, with a dash of Wicker Man<\/em> into the bargain. Your terrible teddy-bear suit will provide no protection; they will sniff you out, tar you with hunny, shout and howl and stare out of their horrible blank button eyes. And there will be no one to hear your screams.<\/p>\n

Sadie Stein is contributing editor of <\/em>The Paris Review, and the <\/em>Daily\u2019s correspondent.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1932, an Irish popular songwriter named Jimmy Kennedy penned one of the most sinister sets of lyrics ever composed. Kennedy\u2014who had already had Tin Pan Alley success with numbers like \u201cBarmaids Song\u201d and \u201cRed Sails in the Sunset.\u201d Later, he would go to write \u201cIsle of Capri\u201d and \u201cMy Prayer.\u201d But to the contemporary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13115],"tags":[19293,19291,13106,46,19290,19292],"class_list":["post-89317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-daily-correspondent","tag-childrens-songs","tag-jimmy-kennedy","tag-lyrics","tag-music","tag-the-teddy-bears-picnic","tag-tin-pan-alley"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Teddy Bears\u2019 Picnic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sadie Stein on the creepy old children\u2018s song.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/28\/picnic-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Picnic Time by Sadie Stein\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"August 28, 2015 \u2013 In 1932, an Irish popular songwriter named Jimmy Kennedy penned one of the most sinister sets of lyrics ever composed. 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