A gentleman's got a walking stick,
a seaman's got a gat,
And the merry men of Robin Hood,
they use their quarterstaff.
On the Spanish plains,
inside their canes,
they hide their ruddy swords.
First we make do with an old bamboo,
and everyone applauds.
One, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight.
The ol' bamboo, the ol' bamboo
You better never bother
with the ol' bamboo
If you have me, have it on the shoe
But you better never bother
with the ol' bamboo
When piping on the beautiful planes
You use a sturdy pole
To protect their fair complexions
Lady, use a parasol
It's useful in the underbrush
To have a hefty spear
But what we do with an old bamboo
makes everybody cheer
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
The old bamboo, the old bamboo
You better never bother
with the old bamboo
You can have me have it up and chew
But you better never bother
with the old bamboo
A fire in an aeroplane,
he steers it with a stick
A collier in the pits of Wales,
he leans upon his pick
Now every wheel of an automobile
revolves around a shaft
But what we do with an old bamboo
makes everyone go daft
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
The old bamboo, the old bamboo
You'd better never bother
with the old bamboo
You can have me hanging
up the ship
But you'd better never bother
with the old bamboo
You