Tarzan
(Leader goes: This is a repeat after me song!)
Tarrrrrrrzan
Swinging on a rubber band
Tarrrrrrrzan
Bumped into a frying pan
Ooo that hurts
Now Tarzan has a tan
And I hope he doesnt peel
Like a banaaaaaaana
Jaaaaaane
Hanging on an airplane
Jaaaaane
Crashed into a traffic lane
Ooo that hurts
Now Jane has a pain
And Tarzan has a tan
And I hope he doesnt peel
Like a banana
Cheeeeeetah
Dancing on a pizza
Cheeeeetah
Burned his little feetza
Now Cheetah is velveeta
And Jane has a pain
And Tarzan has a tan
And I hope he doesnt peel
Like a banaaaana
(Singer sings name of a camper)
Fell in love with Cheetah
Ooooooooooooo
Nicole Ross is the camp director of First Neighborhood Day Camp in Westlake Village, CA. Over 200 kids attend camp every week, and throughout the day the counselors lead multiple song medleys. Generally, Nicole selects a counselor to come on stage with his/her group of campers and pick a song, which they will sing on stage in front of the entire camp. I attended the camp from ages 7-13, but when I arrived to work as a head counselor in the summer of 2006 I noticed that many of the songs had changed. Since the camp has been around for more than twenty years, many of the songs have been modified, and Nicole brought many new songs to the camps tradition. She claims to have learned Tarzan back when she was a camper around 1993.
At first glance, the lyrics of Tarzan seem very random, intended merely for entertainment purposes. Inspired by the traditional Tarzan stories, the popular song features reckless characters that reach bizarre consequences for their actions. Thus, the songs central theme is to warn kids from performing senseless actions (such as hanging on an airplane) by stressing the potential risks of such activity ( as Jane crashed into a traffic lane). First Neighborhood Day Camp is not gated and is surrounded by public parks and residential neighborhoods; therefore, it is imperative that the campers do not wander off and act foolishly. Of course, the primary goal is for the kids to have fun, but not at the expense of their safety. The song suggests that people must take responsibility for their actions, even if they seem as harmless as dancing on a pizza. At the end, the song ends on a humorous note, with the song leader selecting a camper that will fall in love with Cheetah, much to the amusement of the rest of the camp.