"Tubby The Tuba At The Circus" lyrics - THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER

THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER
"Tubby The Tuba At The Circus"

Tubby joins the circus but ends up as a water carrier for the elephants. He really wants to become a star under the big top bu walking the tightrope. However, Tubby takes an embarrassing fall. A kindly old elephant helps him to see that music is Tubby's special talent.

[Tubby (Tim Hauser):]
When the buds begin to pop
And the robin takes a hop
Everybody says, "It's spring today!"
I suppose that may be so,
But I'd like for you to know
I can always tell it's spring another way/
I can always tell it's spring
When the circus comes to town;
It makes me want to sing
When I bump into a clown!
When the circus marches past
And the band goes tan-ta-ra
I know it's spring at last,
And my heart goes, "OOM-PAH!"

[Tubby's Idea (Cheryl Bentyne):]
Alley-oop, OOM-PAH,
Alley-oop, OOM-PAH,
An acrobat you ought to be,
Alley-oop, OOM-PAH,
Alley-oop, OOM-PAH,
Hey Tubby! You'd be a sight to see!

[Elephant (Alan Paul):]
Be yourself, you can't be anybody else,
Be yourself is my advice to you,
Or else you'll always be a nobody,
So be yourself, or else.
A hippopotamus
Would look very curious
Flying like a butterfly;
A fierce and hungry lion
Would look silly tryin'
To bake an apple pie.
I think you'd get a laugh
If you saw a tall giraffe
Swinging by his tail from a tree;
I think an octopus
Would look quite ridiculous
Knitting sweaters at the bottom of the sea.
So be yourself, and do the things that you know best,
Be yourself, I think that you'd be happiest
By being no one else but you.