ORIGINAL SONG: "Simple Twist of Fate" Bob Dylan 1975; covers by Diana Krall and Sean Costello are recommended.
ORIGINAL POETRY: At Wikipedia (click HERE), you can find a discussion of limericks dealing with the 'man from Nantucket'.
PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, June 2016 (and continuing, with subsequent efforts into "Fickle Twist of Verse, part#2") and "Fickle Twist of Verse, part#3".
PARODY-SONGLINK: To access ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany "A FICKLE TWIST OF VERSE" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.
CURRENT CONTENTS: these are limericks presumably chosen by Bob Dylan from the classic repertoire for re-interpretation
1. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (clean version) -- 3 verses, unattributed.
2. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (dirty version) -- cleaned up by G.C.
3. "A gross, a dozen, and a score" -- Leigh Mercer.
1. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (clean version) -- 3 verses, unattributed.
2. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (dirty version) -- cleaned up by G.C.
3. "A gross, a dozen, and a score" -- Leigh Mercer.
4. "There was an old miser named Clarence" -- Ogden Nash.
Chorus. "People say it makes them sick" -- Giorgio Coniglio.
Chorus. "People say it makes them sick" -- Giorgio Coniglio.
(to the tune of "Simple Twist of Fate")
1. There was a family from Nantucket:
Pa kept cash hid in a bucket,'Til one day his daughter took it,
Daughter name of Nan -
She ran off with a man.
Pa felt things might get worse, and
Watched out for a fickle twist of verse.
Pa followed couple to Pawtucket -
Little Nan and cash-filled bucket.
Little Nan and cash-filled bucket.
Just before old Pa retook it,
He said to the man,
"You’re welcome to keep Nan.”
He uttered a terse curse, and
Moved off with a fickle twist of verse.
Pa held cash there as an asset.
Pail in question? Now man has it;
They stole cash and ran -
Nan with her new man –
She stuffed it in her purse, and
Forgot about a fickle twist of verse.
2. They had a neighbor on Nantucket --
On the island he was stuck;
Bad reputation, couldn’t chuck it,
Based on body build –
Girls found him too ‘strong-willed’,
Which fate could not reverse,
Brought on by a simple twist of verse.
Plus three times the square root of four;
Divide by seven, no whit more,
And add eleven fives,
And hope your brain survives;
That’s nine squared per Leigh Mercer,
Cited in this twisted limerick verse.
4. A mean miser, name of Clarence -
Simonized both of his parents;
Found initial cost of care
Immense, but still declared,
He’d save on wear- and tearance
Humor which emerges
Clearly from O. Nash’s limerick verse.
5. A brave girl of Connecticut
Flagged the train with her petticut.
Some folks deplored her lack of
Ecticut, some more inclined
To laud her presence of mind -
Debate in which immersed
Her critics in this controversial verse.
6. A young southern belle of Natchez’
Garments always were in patches.
She divulged she itched, but scratches
If the need arose;
Played havoc with her clothes,
Which stitching could reverse,
Apart from this fickke twist of verse.
CHORUS:
People say it makes them sick
To hear too many limericks;
I fear it had become my shtick,
But now I've lost the knack,
With no good jokes to crack --
A tendency perverse;
Blame it on a fickle twist of verse.
I fear it had become my shtick,
But now I've lost the knack,
With no good jokes to crack --
A tendency perverse;
Blame it on a fickle twist of verse.
