Looking at Mars mission photos, I was struck by the contrast between scenes of a rocky, lifeless planet and the rich, fanciful portrayals of Mars in popular culture. I prefer a fanciful Mars. A place, where flora and fauna from the pages of Ernst Haekel’s book, “Artforms in Nature”, fill a Ray Bradbury inspired world and a 50’s Sci-Fi alien femme fatal watches a song, sung by my sister in girlscout camp to the melody of “The Snake Charmers Tune”, weave it’s way though the landscape.this quilt is whole cloth painted with textile paints 37" x 62" 2004
If you would like to see step by step how I made this quilt look in the May archives
This won Judges choice at IQF Houston, Judges Choice and Viewers Choice at the Glendale Quilt Guild Show
My sister, who's work you can see on my links, learned this song in Girl Scout camp when we were kids in Maine. the song goes like this.
There's a place called Mars,
where the ladies smoke cigars.
Every puff they take
is enough to kill a snake.
When the snake is dead,
they put roses on its head.
When the roses die,
they put diamonds in their eyes.
When the diamonds break,
it will be 1968.
I love to hear when some one else knows this song or a close variation (not the one about france and ladies under pants). When I was in Houston I had people from all over New England, upstate New York and Pennsylvania tell me they learned this song in the early 60's. Another woman from Tennesee jumped rope to it in the late 50's. It was also known by someone in Colorado and another from Southern California from the late 50's. A woman from New jersey said she knew it with tulips and I think it ended in 1969.
I remember this seeing this quilt last year on the internet, don't remember what web site. But it had a huge impact on me, and still does when I see it again today. Wonderful! Love it!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see this quilt (the first time was at Houston's Quilt Festival), I'm just fascinated. I love both the vivid colors and the humorous subject. Thanks for posting this here so I can see it anytime I want!
ReplyDeleteI remember it this way:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on mars
where the ladies smoke cigars
and the brand they smoke
is enough to kill a goat
and the goat they kill
is enough to take a pill
and the pill they take
is enough to fry a snake
and the snake they fry
is enough to tell a lie
and the lie they tell
is enough to go goto hello operator
give me number nine
if you disconnect me
i'll show you my behind the refrigerator
there was a piece of glass and little annie sat on it and cut
her little ask me no more questions
tell me no more lies, the boys are in the bathroom, zipping down their flies
we also made one up. here's how it
ReplyDeletestarted:
There's a place on Venus
(i'll let you finish)
On the planet mars where the ladies smoke cigars
ReplyDeleteEvery puff they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snakes are dead they put mushrooms in their head
When the mushrooms die they put diamonds in their eyes
When the diamonds shine it is 1969
funny...i found this site because i was looking up the song i remembered from my childhood...which was, by the way, in new england in the 1960's, as you have previously mentioned.
ReplyDeletei remember it similarly...
There's a place called Mars
Where the ladies smoke cigars
And the smoke they make
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
They put roses on his head
When the roses die they count
1 2 3 4 5
also, another commenter is mixing another song i remembered...
Lulu had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
When Lulu went to heaven
The steamboat went to hell-
O operator
Give me number 9
If you disconnect me
I'll kick you in the be-
Hind the refridgerator
There was a piece of glass
When Lulu went to pick it up
She cut her big fat as-
K me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
Lulu told me all of this
Right before she died
She died
I love it, i totally remember that one!
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars,
ReplyDeleteWhere the ladies smoke cigars,
And the men wear bikinis,
And the children drink martinis....
That's the starting variation my bosses six year old sang to me.
:)
What a riot, i love hearing these variations. keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteI learned this song from my brother when i was very young, around 1982, in north Texas! haven't heard it in years. I was trying to find the words on the net is how i found this page :)
ReplyDeleteits funny i usually get several blog visits a day that come from google searches on this song. it has been around for an awfully long time, the earliest recollection I have heard was from someone who said they learned it in the Los Angeles area in the late 1950's.
ReplyDeletehi there - i just came searching for the song which popped into my head as i was walking down the street with my 6 year old. i don't recall much beyond the snake, the roses and the diamonds, but i can tell you that i learned this song in the early seventies in london, real england. lovely quilt btw - we don't have that tradition here,except the aids one :(
ReplyDeleteHi! Like others, I too found your site while trying to look up the lyrics to that song. (I love your quilt by the way, it's a much more beautiful and artistic representation than I'd ever imagined.) I lived in Massachusetts and went to school in the '90s there, so it's still alive and well with only slight variations. Here's the one I learned:
ReplyDeleteOn the planet Mars
Where the ladies smoke cigars
And the way it takes
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
They put roses on its head
When the roses die
They put diamonds in its eyes
When the diamonds break
It's the year of '88.
This is actually an example of "child folklore," something I'd really love to study if ever I have the opportunity. It's stories and songs passed down through the generations entirely by children. Who says oral tradition is dead?
There's a place on Mars
ReplyDeleteWhere the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the children drink martinis
Every breath they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
They put roses on his head
When the roses die
They put diamonds in his eyes
When the diamonds crack
They put mustard on its back
When the mustard fades
They call the King of Spades
And the King of Spades says FREEZE!!
theres a place called mars
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
and the men whear bikinis
and the children drink martinis
every step you take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
you put mustard on its head
when the mustard's dry
you put diamonds in its eyes
when the diamonds break
it is 1998
Wow I haven't heard this since the late 90's
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the children drink martinis
Every breath they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
They put mustard on its head
when the mustard dries
they put diamonds in it's eyes
when the diamonds fade
they call the king of spades
And the king of spades says FREEZE!
There's a place called mars ,
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead,
they put roses on its head.
When the roses die,
they put diamonds in their eyes.
When the diamonds break,
it will be 1968.
There's a place called mars ,
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead,
they put roses on its head.
When the roses die,
they put diamonds in their eyes.
When the diamonds break,
it will be 1968.
theres a place on mards where the women smoke cigars and the men wear bikinis and the children drink martinis every step u take is enought to kill a snake when the snake is dead they put mustard on its head when the mustard dries they put diamonds in its eye. when the diamonds fade they call the king of spades.... thats all i know... lol
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting to see so many different versions...
ReplyDeleteI'm from North Texas and mine went...
There's a place on mars
Where the women smoke cigars
and the men were bikinis
and the children drink martinis
every breath you take
is enough to kill a snake
and when the snake is dead
you put diamonds on its head
when the diamonds crack
you put mustard on its back
when the mustard fades
you call the king of spades
and the king of spades says STOP
I randomly came across your blog
You'll never believe this!
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I were talking about this song lasst weekend. We remember playing a clapping game to it. You won't believe our words...talk about deja vu!
There's a place called Mars
where the ladies smoke cigars
every puff they take
is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
they put roses on its head
when the roses wilt
they begin to make a quilt
when the quilt is done
then they start to have some fun.
anonymous, the first one, said something from a clapping game rhyme I remember from the late 1990's.
ReplyDeleteMiss Suzie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell--DING DING!
Miss Suzie went to Heaven,
The steamboat went to HELL-
--O operator!
Give me number nine!
And if you disconnect me, I'll chop off your
Behind the frigerator,
There was a piece of glass.
Miss Suzie sat upon it
And broke her little
Ask me no more questions,
Tell me no more lies.
The boys are in the bathroom,
Zipping up their
Flies are in the meadow,
The bees are in their hives.
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend
Are kissing in the
D-A-R-K! D-A-R-K!
DARK! DARK!
Darker than the ocean,
Darker than the sea,
Darker than the underwear
My mommy puts on me-me-me!
I know I know my ma,
I know I know my pa,
I know I know my sister
With the 40-acre bra-bra-bra!
My mommy is Godzilla.
My daddy is King Kong!
My sister is the stupid one
That taught me this dumb song-song-song!
(Fin)
We sang this clapping song when were kids (and now my daughter sings it with her friends)
ReplyDeleteMiss Molly had a steamboat
The steam boat had a bell
When Molly went to heaven
The steamboat went to
Hello operator
please give me number nine
And if you disconnect me
I'll kick you from
Behind the refridgerator (or yellow curtain)
There was a piece of glass
Miss Molly sat upon it
And cut her big fat
Ask me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Doing up their
Flies are in the city
Bees are in the park
Boys and girls are having fun
Kissing in the
D A R K dark is like a movie
Movie like a show
Show is like a TV
And that is all I
Know I know my ma
Know I know my pa
Know I know my sister
With the 80 meter bra!
From Eastern Washington state:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on mars
Where the children drive their cars
And the men wear bikini
And the women have their weenie
(something I don't remember)
(don't remember) snake
When the snake is dead
they put mustard on it's head
when the mustard dries
they put diamonds in it's eyes
when the diamonds break
It's 1968 SHOOT
for some reason i remember a completely different version than everyone else......
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars where the women smoke cigars and the brand they use is enough to kill a snake...
But the snake wouldn't die so they poked him in the eye...
And the eye turned blue so they put him in a zoo...
But the zoo wouldn't take him so they cooked him in some bacon...
But the bacon wouldn't cook so they put him in a book...
But the book wouldn't close so they poked him in the nose...
And his nose turned red so they put him in a bed...
Then the bed turned over and the snake was dead...
Im a 90s kid and the version we sang was
ReplyDeletetheres a place on mars
where the ladies smoke cigars
every puff they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
they put roses in its head
when the roses die
they put diamonds in its eye
when the diamonds break
it is time to bake a cake
when the cake is done
its the year 2001
The way I learned it (in 1980) was:
ReplyDeleteOn the planet Mars
Where the monkeys smoke cigars
Every puff they take is enough
to kill a snake...
yadda yadda yadda
I don't remember the end though.
Mrs. Robare taught us that in second grade!
I grew up in Massachusetts
ReplyDeleteI learned this version around 1997/1998
On the planet mars
where the ladies smoke cigars
where the boys wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis
every step that you take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
you put ketchup head
when the ketchup dries
you put diamonds in its eyes
when the diamonds break
you will bake a wedding cake
when the cake is done
it is 1941
This is fun! I don't know if I can remember the exact version I learned after reading so many other ones, but I think it was (from Minnesota in the 90's)
ReplyDeleteOn the planet mars
where the ladies smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the babies drink martinis
every step you take
is enough to kill a snake
and when the snake is dead
you put flowers on his head
and when the flowers die
you put ice cubes in his eye
and when the ice cubes break
it is 1958
And another one people have been sharing:
Miss Suzie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell ding ding
Miss Suzie went to Heaven
The steamboat went to...
Hell-o operator
Please give me number nine
And if you disconnect me
I'll chop off your...
Behind the fridgerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it
And poked her in the...
(Ass)k me no more questions
I'll tell you no more lies
The boys are in the girls room
Zipping up their...
Flies are in the meadow
Bees are in the park
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend
Are kissing in the d a r k d a r k
dark dark
Dark is like a movie
A movie is like a show
A show is like a TV set
and that is all I know
I know my ma
I know I know my pa
I know I know my sister
With the 80 dollar
80 dollar
80 dollar bra bra
Bra is for a woman
A woman is for a man
A man is for a TV set
and that's the end!
HA! i remember that from 5th grade. One variation i remember was
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on mars
Where the women smoke cigars,
The men wear bikinis and the
Babies drink martinis
They kill big snakes with
Really huge rakes
And when the snake is dead,
They put mustard on it's head
And when the mustard dries,
They put diamonds in their eyes.
And when the diamonds break,
They go Highway 58
:)
In my summer camp in the 90s where to people would sing this while doing some kind of hand clap pattern that I forget.
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on mars
where the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis
every breath you take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
you put roses on his head
when the roses die
you put diamonds in his eye
when the diamonds crack
your put mustard down his back
when the mustard fades
you must call the king of spades
when the king of spades says FREEZE
then at that point the first person to move lost the game.
there's a place on mars
ReplyDeletewhere the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children eat linguini...
on the plant mars where the babys smoke sigars and the men wear bikinis and the women drink martines every breth u take is enough to kill a snake when the snake is dead u put musterd on his head when the musterd dries u put dimonds in its eyes when thedimonds break it is 1948 theres a place in france where the naked ladys dance and theres a hole in the wall so the boys can see it all
ReplyDeleteon the planet mars
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
where the men wear bikinis
and the babies drink martinis
they sit they take..
it's enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
they'll put mustard on it's head
when the mustard dries
they'll put diamonds in it's eyes
when the diamonds break
the year's 1948
oh & the other one:
ReplyDeletemiss lucy had a steamboat
the steamboat had a bell
miss lucy went to heaven
the steamboat went to
hell-o operator
please give me number 9
and if you disconnect me
i'll chop off your
behind the refrigerator
there was a piece of glass
miss lucy sat upon it
and broke her little
(ass)k me no more questions
please tell me no more lies
the boys are in the bathroom
and they're zipping up their
flies are in the meadow
the bees are in the park
miss lucy and her boyfriend
are kissing in the
d-a-r-k d-a-r-k
darker than the ocean
darker than the sea
darker than the naked boy
who's chasing after you - not me
i know i know my mother
i know i know my pa
i know i know my sister
with the 40 acre bra
i know my mom's godzilla
i know my dad's king kong
i know i know my brother
who made up this dumb song
so hello operator
please give me number 10
and if you disconnect me
i'll sing this song again!'
wow that brought back some memories!!
my version is from about 1998 when i was in elementary school
I remember it from the 5th grade and it went something like this:
ReplyDeleteOn the planet mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men where bikinis
And the babies shake their tities
And the girls in France
Do the hula hula dance
And when they shaaaake
Its enough to kill the snake
And it the snake don't die
They put diamonds in their eyes
And if the diamonds break
It'll be 1988
-Lexi
Coca-Cola went to town
ReplyDelete7-up knocked him down
Mountain Dew picked him up
Brought him to Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper gave him sleeping pills
He had a dream that went like this-
There's a place on mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the children drink martini's
Every step they take
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
They put mustard on its head
When the mustard dries
They put Rubys in its eyes
When the Rubys break
They bring it to the king and shout
BOO!
I heard the version-
ReplyDeleteOn the planet mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the children drink martinis
Every breath that I take
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
We'll put diamonds in his head
When the diamonds crack
We'll put mustard down his back
When the mustard fade
We'll call the king of spades
And the king of spades says freeze
Tha waii i lernd waz: There's a place called mars when the babies smoke ciagars and tha men were bikinis and tha women drink matinis Every step i take is enough to kill a snake when the snake is dead we put mustard on there heads when tha mustard dries we put diamonds in there eyes when the diamonds break it'll be 1968
ReplyDeleteThey are using the tune of the song on a faucet commercial now.
ReplyDeleteHaha! That song was huge when I was in about first grade. Here's how we did it in Ohio:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
Where the babies smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the women drink martinis
Every sip they take
Is enough to kill a snake
And when the snake is dead
They put mustard on his head
And when the mustard dries
They put diamonds in his eyes
And when the diamonds break
It's year 3048
P.S. I'm sixteen, and I was in first grade in 1999! I also found this page by googling. ♥
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm fourteen, we sang a variation of that song from around 3rd grade - 5th grade (2002-2005) in Portland, Oregon. It went like this:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
While the children drink martinis
And the breath it takes
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
You put rubies in it's head
When the rubies rot
You put mustard on the spot
When the mustard fades
You call the king of Spades
When the king is there
You put rubies in his hair
When he says to you
"Go away!"
And you don't know what to do
You...
FREEZE!
Some of it doesn't really make a lot of sense, but now that I read some of the older versions, it makes a lot more sense!
miss suzie had a steamboat
ReplyDeletethe steam boat had a bell.
miss suzie went to heven
miss suzie went to
hello opperator please give me
number 9 and if you disconnect me i will chop off your behind the refrigerator there was a piece of glass miss suzie fell upon it
and broke her little ask me no more questions please tell me no more lies the boys are in the bathroom swatting out the flies are in the city the bees are in the park miss suzie and her boyfriend are kissing in the d-a-r-k d-a-r-k dark dark dark dark dark dark is like a theater a theater is like a show a show is like a movie i know i know i know iknow my mama i know i know my pa i know i know my sister wharing the 18 hour bra bra bra
on a place called mars where the ladies smoke cigars every step you take is enough to kill a snake when the snake is dead you put roses in his head when the roses die you put diamonds in his eyes when the diamonds braek it is 1998-FREEZE!!!
To the gardens (prance?) do the hoochie coochie dance, and the way they dance is enough to kill a snake when the snake is dead they put roses on its head, when the roses die they put diamonds in their eyes, when the diamonds break its the year of 68 (we also had a line about the mustard craking too)
ReplyDeletei remember this song when i was in 3rd grade so i was about 8 (bringing back memories!)
ReplyDeleteThere's a places on mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the babies drink martinis
Every step they take
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
They put ketchup on their head
When the ketchup dries
They put diamonds in their eyes
When the diamonds break
It will be 2008!!
And this one.....
Miss Suzy had a steam boat
The Steam Boat had a bell (Toot Toot)
Miss Suzy went to heaven
the steam boat went to
Hell-O operator
lease give me number 9
And if you disconnect me
Ill kick you from
Behind the refridgerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss suzy sat upon
And broke her little
(Ass)k me no more questions
Tell me No more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping up their
Flies are in the city
Bees are in the park
Miss Suzy and her boyfriend
are kissing in the
D A R K D A R K
darker then the ocean
darker then the sea
darker the the underwear My momma put in me!
i heard the second song like this:
ReplyDeletemiss mary had a steamboat
the steamboat had a bell (ding ding)
the steamboat went to heaven
miss mary went to hell-
o operator please give me number 9
and if you disconnect me
ill kick you from behind
the 'frigerator there was a piece of glass
miss mary sat upon it
and broke her little as-
k me no more questions
tell me no more lies
the boys are in the bathroom
zipping up their flies
are in the city
bees are in the park
miss mary and her boyfriend are kissing in the
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K
DARK DARK darker than the ocean
darker than the sea
darker than miss mary kissing you not me!
I also recollect the other song going like this:
theres a place on mars
where the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the babies drink martinis
every step you take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
you put mustard on his head
when the mustard dries
you put diamonds in his eyes
when the diamonds crack
you put flowers on its back
when the flowers die
then all of the pigs can fly
I just learned a new version on Friday, it goes like this:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
Where the women are the gods
And the men don't care
Because they eat their underwear
Every step you take is enough to
Kill a snake
When the snake is dead
You pour mustard on it's head
When the mustard dries
You put diamonds in his eyes
When the diamonds break
It was 1948.
There's a place on mars
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars.
every birthday cake
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
they put dimonds in it's head
when the dimonds break
they call the king of spades
and- the -king -of -spades -says -FREEZE!
the hand clap- clap hands together. right hand facing up, left down. clap with partner. reverse. and repeat. at the end of the song you get into a postition before the singer says freeze. the first person to move loses the game.
Emily says:
ReplyDeleteOn the planet Mars,
where the ladies smoke cigars,
every breath they take,
is enough to kill a snake,
when the snake is dead,
they put roses on his head,
when the roses die,
they put diamonds in his eyes,
when the diamonds crack,
they put mustard on his back,
when the mustard stick it is 1986.
(or we just edit the number for the futur for example, 2026 instead of 1986)
On the planet Mars
ReplyDeletewhere the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the children drink martinis
Every step you take
you just may step on a snake
and when the snake is dead
you put roaches on its head
When the roaches die
You put diamonds in their eyes
On the planet Mars
du du du du du du du
And...
Miss Suzy had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell (ding ding)
Miss Suzy went to heaven
the steamboat went to hell-
O operator Give me number 9
And if you disconect me
Ill kick you from Be-
Hind the refrigerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Suzy sat upon it
And broke her little
Ask me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
the boys are in the bathroom
Zipping up their
Flies are in the meadow
Bees are in the park
Miss Suzy and her boyfriend
Are kissing in the
D-a-r-k. D-a-r-k
Dark dark
Darker then the ocean
Darker then the sea
I see a naked lady
Chasing after me
my ma gave me a penny
My dad gave me a dime
My sister gave me a boyfriend
His name is Frankenstein
He made me wash the dishes
He made me mop the floors
He made me wear his underwear
So I kicked him out the door
I kicked him over London
I kick him over France
I kicked him over Hawaii
where the hula girls dance
hula hula!
Theres a place on mars
ReplyDeleteWhere the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children drink zucchinis
every breath they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
they'll put flowers on its head
when the flowers die
they'll put diamonds in its eye
when the diamonds crackle
they'll put mustard on its back
when the mustard fades
they will call the king of spades
when the king of spades yells freeze
there's a place called Mars
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis
every breath you take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
you pour mustard on his head
when the mustard dries
you put diamonds in his eyes
when the diamonds break
it is time to bake a cake
when the cake is done
it is time to have some FUNN
also
Miss Suzie had a steamboat
the steamboat had a bell
Miss Suzie went to heaven the steamboat went to
hell-o operator
please give me number nine
and if you disconnect me
i'll kick you from
behind the 'frigerator
there was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it
and broke her little
ask me no more questions
tell me no more lies
the boys are in the bathroom
zipping up their
flies are in the meadow
bees are in the park
Miss Suzie and her boyfriend
are kissing in the
D-A-R-K D-A-R-K
dark dark dark
is like a movie
a movie's like a show
a show is like a TV screen
and that is all i know
i know my ma
i know i know my pa
i know i know my sister
with the 40 acre bra!!
I learned the song as:
ReplyDeleteOn the planet of mars
where the ladies smoke cigars
every birthday cake is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead they put diamonds in his head
when the diamonds break
We go back to '68...
There's a place on Mars
ReplyDeleteWhere the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis.
Every breath they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snakes are dead
they put roses on their head
when the roses die
they put diamonds in their eyes
when the diamonds crack
they put mustard on their back
when the mustard fades,
they call the king of spades
and the kind of spades says....
FREEZE!
I learned it as a hand game.
There's a place on Mars
ReplyDeleteWhere the women smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis.
Every breath they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snakes are dead
they put roses on their head
when the roses die
they put diamonds in their eyes
when the diamonds crack
they put mustard on their back
when the mustard fades,
they call the king of spades
and the kind of spades says....
FREEZE!
I learned it as a hand game.
This is what I know, I know the hand movements and everything perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI learned this when I was younnggg.
There's a land on Mars,
Where the women smoked cigars.
And the men wore bikinis,
And the children drank martinis.
Every breath you take, is enough to kill a snake.
When the snake is dead,
You put roses on its head.
When the roses die,
You put diamonds in its eye.
When the diamonds crack,
You put mustard down its back.
When the mustard fades,
You call the King of Spades.
When the King of Spades says FREEZE.
When I was little my swim team would sing this when we were waiting to compete.
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on mars
Where the ladies smoke cigars
Every breath they take
Is enough to kill a snake
When the Snake is dead
They put diamonds in its head
When the diamonds break,
They will count from one to eight.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 -
There's a place in France
Where the pantless ladies dance
And the cops don't care
Cuz they still have underwear
There's a hole in the wall
Where the men can watch it all
When the girls catch on
They will put their pants back on.
Theres a place on mars where the women drive there cars but the men dont care cause they drive them every where every brethe they take is enogh to kill a snake when the snake gose dead they put roses on its head when the roses die the put dimends in its eyes when the dimends creak the put musterd on its back when the mustard fadeds they call the kings spades and the king says stop! no blinking no smiling no brething go!.......... now stop!
ReplyDeletetheres a place on mars
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
every puff they take
is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead
they put roses in its head
when the roses die
its the fourth of july
I learned a variation when i was in elementary school at my summer camp.
ReplyDeleteOn the planet mars,
where all the babies smoke cigars,
and the men wear bikinis,
and the women drink martinis.
Every step you take is enough to kill a snake,
when the snake is dead,
you put mustard on his head,
when the mustard dries,
you put diamonds in his eyes,
when the diamonds break,
it is time to bake a cake,
when the cake is done it is 1941!
FREEZE!
that was in early 2000 when i learned that. I'm in high school now.
And i also learned one like the lucy one.
miss lucy had a baby
she named him tiny tim
she put him in the water
to see if he could swim
he drank up all the water
he ate up all the soap
he tried to eat the bathtub,
but it wouldn't fit down his throat
miss lucy called the doctor
miss lucy called the nurse
miss lucy called the lady with the alligator purse
medicine said the doctor
shots said the nurse
pizza said the lady with the alligator purse
(something i think i'm forgetting....)
out went the doctor
out went the nurse
out went the lady with the alligator purse.
(and i think thats it but i don't really remember all of it. this was one i learned in elementary school along with miss merry mac)
I was in elementary school around 1993, we sang it this way:
ReplyDeleteOn the planet Mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
While the children eat sardinis
Every move you make
Is enough to kill as snake
When the snake is dead
They put roses in its head
When the roses die
They put diamonds in its eye
When the diamonds break
It is 1998.
Loved these little song games.
my 1st 1 was: on the planet mars were the babies smoke cigars and the men wear bikinis and the women drink martinis every step u take makes u wanna kill a snake when the snake is dead ill put mustard on its head when the mustard dries ill put diamonds in its eyes when the diamonds break itll be 1948 freeze the other 1 was:
ReplyDeletemiss lucy had a steamboat
the steamboat had a bell
miss lucy went to heaven
the steamboat went to
hell-o operator
please give me number 9
and if you disconnect me
i'll chop off your
behind the refrigerator
there was a piece of glass
miss lucy sat upon it
and broke her little
(ass)k me no more questions
please tell me no more lies
the boys are in the bathroom
and they're zipping up their
flies are in the meadow
the bees are in the park
miss lucy and her boyfriend
are kissing in the
d-a-r-k d-a-r-k
darker than the ocean
darker than the sea
darker than the naked boy
who's chasing after you - not me
i know i know my mother
i know i know my pa
i know i know my sister
with the 40 acre bra
i know my mom's godzilla
i know my dad's king kong
i know i know my brother
who made up this dumb song
so hello operator
please give me number 10
and if you disconnect me
i'll sing this song again!
Haha, this is a riot to read all of these versions! This is the one we sang in grade school, in the 90's in New Jersey.
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
where the women smoke cigars,
where the men wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis,
Every breath you take
is enough to kill a snake.
When the snake is dead
put a diamond on its head,
when the diamond cracks put some butter on its back.
When the butter melts,
call the King of Spades,
(sing faster)He tells you to go away
and when you don't he shouts
FREEZE.
This game was played in a clapping motion, similar to patty cake. The first girl (or boy) who moved lost. :)
Well, I'm 11 years old, and this is how my friends and I played the other day:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on mars,
where the babies smoke cigars,
And the men wear bikinis,
and the women drink martinis,
every step you take,
is enough to kill a snake,
when th snake is dead,
you put mustard on its head.
When the mustard dries,
you put diamonds in its eyes,
when the diamonds break its 1948.
Mickey Mouse built a house,
Donald Duck messed it up.
Who is the guilty one.
Y--O---U Pee-kaa-chu.
In Australia about 35 years ago I sang as a child
ReplyDeleteThere a place on mars where the women wear no bras
and the men walk around with their dickies hanging down
That was the rudest song I knew at the time I dont remember where I heard it though or where it orginated from.
Its fun knowing that naked martians were also showing up down under! thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteim in 5ht grade now and this is what we ussually sing
ReplyDeletetheres a place on mars
where the woman smoke sugars
and the men where bikinis
and the children drink martinis
>>>>>>>dont know<<<<<<<<<<<
every breath u take is enough to kill a snake
when the snake is dead you put diamnds n its head
when the dimaond cracks you put mustard on his back
when the mustard fades you call the king of spades
when the king ges home you play ping pong
when u play ping pong you FREEZE
I was on the way home from dropping off my daughter at a school dance (now called 'Fun Night') when this Kesha song ("Take it Off"-URGH!) came on with the tune of "Place called Mars...", which of course reminded me of the song and through my searching lead me to your site. I remember it EXACTLY as you originally posted,Judy! I grew up in CT in the mid 70's and that's when we were singing this little tune. Awesome...hadn't thought of it in years. Ha...also reminds me of the "baby, baby" and "Liar, Liar" ditties! :)
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing it slightly different growing up in the early 90's
ReplyDeleteOn the planet mars
Where the ladies smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And then monkeys suck their wee wees
And the babies shake their titties
Ha! I remember it almost EXACTLY as Judy posted it, down to the 1968 part - odd because it was probably closer to 1978 when I learned it. However the version I knew had this additional couplet after the first two lines and before ""Every puff..."
ReplyDeleteAnd the men don't care,
'cause they smoke their underwear.
Also, for whatever reason, "Freeze!" was yelled at the end of it. I learned it from a bratty, spoiled rich girl in CT in the mid to late 1970s.
As to the other tune mentioned often in the comments, my sister sang it as "Miss Lucy," and I always thought of Lucille Ball, in black and white as Lucy Ricardo, as being Miss Lucy. Odd what the six or seven year old mind comes up with.
im 16 and live in PA. we used to sing this all the time in elementary school and stuff. our version was:
ReplyDeletetheres a place on mars
where the wemon smoke cigars
and the men wear bikinis
and the children drink martinis
every breath you take
is enouugh to kill a snake
when the snake it dead
you put diamonds on its head
when the dismonds crack
you out mustard down its back
when the mustard fades
you put it in a cage
and cage always says:
no laughing no smiling no showing your teeth put your hands behind your back and freeze.
i dont remember the miss lucy one but here one i do remember
coca cols came to town
diet pepsi knocked him down
dr peper fixed him up
now were drinking 7-UP
7-Up caught the flu
now were drinking moutain dew
moutain dew fell off the moutain
now were drinking from the foutain
the foutain broke
now were drinking plain old ordinary coke
There's a place called mars ,
ReplyDeletewhere the ladies smoke cigars
Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead,
they put roses on its head.
When the roses die,
they put diamonds in their eyes.
When the diamonds break,
it will be 1968.
Yeah, I remember that one. The girls would play this game a they sang it. It involved one of them holding out her arm while the one singing would move her hand up and down it with light karate chop motions and as she sang the final syllable the final chop was not so light
I remember it like this:
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
Where the women smoke cigars
And the men wear bikinis
And the children drink martinis
And every breath they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead, they put mustard on its head
When the mustard dry’s, they but diamonds in its eyes
When the diamonds break, they call the King of Spades
And the King of Space says FREEZE!!
I know: theres a place in mars
ReplyDeleteWhere the women smoke cigars
The men wear bikinis
And children drink martinis
Every breath u take is enough to kill a snake
If the snake wont die
Then put diamonds in his eyes
If the diamonds crack then put mustard on its back
If he mustard fades
Tben call the king of spades
And the king of spades says freeze
On the planet mars,
ReplyDeleteWhere the women smoke cigars,
And the men wear bikinis,
And the children drink martinis,
Every move you make,
Is enough to kill a snake,
When the snake is dead,
You put roaches on its head,
When the roaches dissolve,
You can celebrate it all,
On the planet,
Mars mars mars!
Tanya.
ReplyDeleteI learned this near Ft. Worth, Texas in the late 70's:
There's a place called Mars,
where the ladies smoke cigars.
Every puff they take
is enough to kill a snake.
When the snake is dead,
they put roses on his head.
When the roses die,
they put diamonds in his eyes.
When the diamonds break,
they put mustard down his back.
When the mustard dries,
we count 1,2,3,4,5
I knew it as:
ReplyDeleteThere a place on Mars
Where the Women wear no Bras
And the men don't care
Cause they wear no underwear...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow - with all these variations I can't believe ours, from the early '70s in upstate NY, isn't here yet...
ReplyDeleteOn the planet Mars where the ladies smoke cigars
Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead they put roses in its head
When the roses die they put diamonds in its eye
When the diamonds crack they put mustard on its back
When the mustard sticks its the year of '66.
And...
Miss Lucy had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
The steamboat went to heaven and Miss Lucy went to
Hello operator
Give me #9
If you disconnect me
I'll kick you in
Behind the 'frigerator
There was a pile of glass
Miss Lucy slipped upon it
And it went right up her
Ask me no more questions
Tell me no more lies
Boys and girls are in the cellar
Pulling down their
Flies are in the city
Bees are in the park
Boys and girls are kissing
In the p-a-r-k Park.
When I was a kid growing up on Martha's Vineyard Island it went like this
ReplyDeleteThere's a place called Mars
Where the ladies smoke cigars
And the smoke they make
Is enough to kill a snake
But the snake don't die
He's a very lucky guy
The lyrics popped in my head for no apparent reason and stuck there, so I found this by a Google search to remember the year at the end. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area (East Bay) in the late 60's and heard it as a hand-clapping game or a jump rope rhyme this way:
On the planet Mars
where the women smoke cigars
every puff they take
is enough to kill a snake.
When the snake is dead
they put roses is its head.
When the roses die
they put diamonds in its eye.
When the diamonds break
it's in 1948.
Our hand clapping started with one hand up and the other hand down. The person opposite us had the reverse hands up and down. The top hands would come down as the bottom hands would come up. We would clap our hands with our partner's hands like that twice, then clap our own hands together, then clap right hands together,
clap our own hands
clap left hands
clap own hands twice
clap backs of hands with partner
clap fronts of hands with partner
Then repeat the whole thing with one hand up and the other down. We would see which pair of people could clap the longest.
I remember the steamboat and the bell with Hello Operator. Now another song popped into my head.
Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
with silver buttons buttons buttons
all down her back back back
I can't remember any more, but want to say there was something about a chute.
Thank you for the year (1948) to settle my brain and thank you for bringing up happy memories from my childhood.
I did an internet search on Miss Mary Mack and there was not a chute in it.
DeleteI guess there is another song I have mixed it up with. I remember a ladder too. Hmmm...
Hi Joyce, thanks for leaving your version of the rhyme too. I remember Miss Mary Mack too, it's probably documented somewhere. It's sad this kind of folklore is disappearing since kids play differently with less simple sidewalk games.
DeleteIt goes like this.
DeleteMiss Mary Mack Mack Mack
All dressed in black black black
With silver buttons buttons buttons
All down her back back back
She asked her mother mother mother
For fifty cents cents cents
To go see the elephants elephants elephants
Jump the fence fence fence
They jumped so high high high
They touched the sky sky sky
And never came back back back
Until Fourth of July July July
Hello Judy.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. It isn't seen as safe to leave children outside, unattended all day. Thank you for helping keep the memories and history alive. I am hoping someone will remember the one about the chute and ladder.
Joyce
Gotta add mine, especially since it seems I've remembered it so incorrectly. I learned the poem in elementary school in the 80s in California.
ReplyDeleteThere's a place on Mars
Where the Roaches smoke cigars
Every puff they take
Is enough to kill a snake
When the snake is dead
They put roses in his head
When the roses die
They put diamonds in his eye
When the diamonds break
It's 1988!
In the land of Oz
ReplyDeleteWhere the ladies smoke cigars
Every puff they take is enough to kill a snake
When the snakes are dead
They put roses in their heads
When the roses die
They put diamonds in their eyes
When the diamonds break
It is 1968