Text

Informant: This is called “There was a Great Big Moose.”

There was a great big moose

(There was a great big moose)

Who liked to drink a lot of juice

(Who liked to drink a lot of juice)

There was a great big moose!

(There was a great big moose!)

Who liked to drink a lot of juice

He went “woah-oh”

(he went “woah-oh”)

“Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh”

(Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh)

“Way-oh, Way-oh”

(Way-oh, way-oh)

“Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh”

(Way-oh, way-oh, way-oh, way-oh)

Context– The informant is my twelve-year old sister. She learned these songs while going to various summer camps over the years and has often taught them to her friends so that they could sing them together for fun.

Analysis– This song is amusing mainly because of the absurd rhymes. The lyrics of the song make no logical sense and instead focus on making lines rhyme. This focus on rhyming is probably what makes the song amusing to young children, as young children like to rhyme. The song also as the added element of having a leader sing the lyrics initially and followers repeating those lyrics, which makes the song sort of a game that can be played by the children singing.