Text:
*singing
“I was sittin’ on a fencepost mmmmm
Chewin’ my bubblegum mmmm
When along came Squirmy the Worm he was this big
*S holds up a distance between forefinger and thumb
and I said ‘hey charli what’s happening?’
and he said ‘I’m hungry!’
and I said ‘Squirmy you should eat some food!’
“I was sittin’ on a fencepost mmmmm
Chewin’ my bubblegum mmmm
When along came Squirmy the Worm and I said ‘hey squirmy what’s happening?’
And he was thiiiis big
*S holds up a further distance between her hands
and he said ‘I ate five flies!’
and I said ‘No way Squirmy!’
“I was sittin’ on a fencepost mmmmm
Chewin’ my bubblegum mmmm
When along came Squirmy the Worm and I said ‘hey squirmy what’s happening?’
And he was THIS big
*S holds her arms out wide
and he said ‘I ate ten flies!’
and I said ‘Wow Squirmy!’’
“I was sittin’ on a fencepost mmmmm
Chewin’ my bubblegum mmmm
When along came Squirmy the Worm
He was this big
*S holds up a distance between forefinger and thumb
and I said “Squirmy! What happened?’
and he said ‘I ate one-hundred flies!’
and I said ‘Wow Squirmy!’’
“Basically it keeps going until Squirmy throws up at the end. We used to do it at summer camp and the camp counselors would just make it more and more ridiculous and make up different things for what he eats. I think they would add more when we were waiting around for stuff to take more time.”
Context: S grew up in Southern California, and explained that she went to different day camps each Summer, until she was about twelve. She says that at most camps they would sing a variation of “Squirmy the Worm.” S says the song was usually led by a camp counselor, but sung by everyone who knew the words.
Analysis: The tune that S sings is different from the one in the video attached below, entitled “Herman the Worm,” but much of the structure and lyrics of the songs are similar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-rg7EIt1x4. “Herman” or “Hermie the Worm” seems to be a semi-popular song at children’s summer camps. S’ version of Squirmy the Worm is at times spoken with animation more than sung by her, and is humorous in nature both with the aspect of the ridiculousness of the amount that Squirmy eats “one-hundred flies” and the punch line being that he “threw up.” As a result it could potentially be considered dually a ballad and a narrative joke. There’s also a lesson for children in Squirmy’s story: don’t be greedy and eat too much or there will be consequences. Camp songs and campfire songs for children gained popularity in the late 18th and early 19th century with the rise of the wilderness movement in which the Puritans believed it was their God-given responsibility to shape the American wilderness into “earthly paradise.” However, this song doesn’t include many mentions of nature, but it does have the singer interacting with a personified worm, giving the worm human characteristics of speech and feeling. This gives sympathy to one of nature’s smallest creatures and allows the children to feel a kinship with them, perhaps having once done something similar to Squirmy the Worm.