You may have noticed how much I like using a lot of alliteration and substantial internal rhyming in my writing. I finally figured out when my fondness for same probably developed. When I was a young child I had a record (remember 45’s?) and on one side of it was a song that was full of alliteration. I played it so often that I ended up memorizing about half of it.
I’m not sure of the name of the song, but I think of it as “Belinda Bought Some Butter”. The part that I remember:
“Belinda bought some butter but she said, “My butter’s bitter. If I put it in my batter it will make my batter bitter.” So Belinda bought some better butter, put in her bitter batter and it made her bitter batter better.
“But Belinda understood that her batter wasn’t good so she said I think I’ll make some bread instead…” (Then I believe the song took off on a tangent focusing on words that began with the letter “D” but I don’t remember how the rest of it went.)
So now you (and I) know why I sometimes go off the deep end in my use of alliteration and internal rhymes…
Russ
Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
But your posts are never bitter only better and better. 😉
LOL! I LOVE it! Thank you for the great compliment, Diana. Happy New Year!
Russ
Happy New Year to you too!
Look what I found. Only 10 years late! LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl1orbYuii0
Fun! Thank you, kiki!
“so she put it all away and decided she would play by helping mommy clean the house upon a rainy rainy day.” I believe this is the ending to that 45 called “Belinda’s rainy day” on the Bozo label.
Thank you, Thomas. Your comment brought back several wonderful memories. I didn’t recall that it was on the Bozo label 45, but in retrospect it doesn’t surprise me. Bozo was a favorite character of mine and as a young child instead of a Teddy Bear I had a Bozo the Clown. It had a stuffed cloth body and his head was painted plastic or rubber. As I said, many sweet memories.
Russ
Belinda bought some butter but she said “The butter’s bitter.
If I put it in my batter it’ll make my batter bitter.”
So Belinda bought some better butter, put it in her bitter batter,
And it made her bitter batter better.
But Belinda understood,
Her batter wasn’t good.
And so she said, “I think I’ll bake some bread instead.”
Belinda made some dough, but didn’t do it as directed,
So the dough was not delicious, she was dreadfully dejected.
So she put it all away, and decided she would play,
By helping mommy clean the house upon a rainy, rainy day.
Thank you for providing the rest of it Joe. I played it so often as a child that 50 years later I still remembered it through the “bread instead” line. Russ
Bozo Belindas batter
Thank you, kiki! I loved the clip you provided the link to.
Thanks Joe – I’ve been reciting this for years but always got stuck on one part ….this was always missing… “Belinda made some dough, but didn’t do it as directed, So the dough was not delicious, she was dreadfully dejected.” the ending, I had, but those “d” words all rolled into one. Now when my daughter and niece hear it, I can finish it and teach it to them. I can’t believe there were others who had this Bozo record…. Arlene
Wow, there are at least 3 of us on whom that little record had such an impact that it is remembered 50 year later. At least in my case it was 50 years ago. I guess that officially makes me an old geezer!
Russ
Thank you Russ for posting this initially – it’s the little things, that make us smile!
Your post inspired a smile from me. Thank you.
Thanks Russ for posting this initially. It’s the little things that make our heart smile!
Arlene
Thank you, Arlene! The little things, indeed!
Russ
My family moved into an old house in the 60’s. In the basement was an old wind-up phonograph. That record was with the phonograph. As kids we played and wound and played and sang to that record. I could only remember up to “I think I’ll bake some bread instead”. Thanks Joe and Russtowne for not only getting the song lyrics, but for helping me relive the times we had when we were little.
Your email brought back some wonderful memories and a big smile to my face, Ray. I too could only remember up to “I think I’ll bake some bread instead”. May you always feel welcome here and at my three other blogs.
Speaking of my blogs, the most recent fiction story I wrote for Imaginings of a Grateful Man http://imaginingsofagratefulman.com/ features a character named Ray. He’s a good guy in the story. There are a couple of violent scenes in the story.
Russ
After that it’s
“Belinda made the dough but didn’t do it as directed. So the dough was not delicious. She was doubly dejected.
So she put it all away and decided she would play and help her mommy clean the house upon the rainy, rainy day.”
I loved that record too.
Thank you, spookiewon. I remembered it was a series of words beginning with the letter “d” but didn’t remember which specific ones.
Belinda made the dough but didn’t do it as directed. When the dough was not delicious she was dreadfully dejected.
Thank you, Jeanne! Your additional words to the lyric brought a smile to my face.
I am 26 and I have been looking for this EVERYWHERE! I grew up watching Disney & BOZO VHS’s and this was always my favorite song. I looked to find a BOZO VHS’s for my daughter with no success and today I stumbled upon your website. That just goes to show how funny life is. Anyway, thank you guys so much for completing this poem!
I hope you succeed in finding what you’re looking for.
I still have the 45. I am a teacher and I used to use this song when teaching alliteration to 6th graders. I actually made a cassette tape of it an still have that as well.
What a great way to teach alliteration!
I too have not forgotten parts of this song. Neither has my two year younger brother!! I am now 68 years old. This had to be 60 years ago. We played it all the time for some reason. Also, I remembered it had something to do with Bozo.
And to think I have to think hard to remember things that happened last week!
Yes, Bozo! I don’t recall the connection either, but I remember there was one. I loved Bozo so much that the only plush I remember having was a Bozo with a cloth body and painted rubber head.