Effervescing Elephant
by Syd Barrett
An [G] effervescing elephant with [G7] tiny eyes and great big trunk
once [C] whispered to the tiny ear, the [C7] ear of one in fear, you hear
that [G] by next June he'd die, Oh yeah!
And the tiger would [D] roam, the little one said,
"Oh my [D7] goodness - I must stay at home!
And every time I hear a growl, I'll know the tiger's on the prowl,
And I'll be really safe, you know, the elephant, he told me so."
Everyone was nervous, Oh yeah!
And the message was spread
to zebra, mongoose, and the dirty hippopotamus
who wallowed in the mud and chewed his spicy hippo-plankton food
and tended to ignore the word, referring to a survey I heard
of stupid water bison Oh yeah!
And all the jungle took fright,
and ran around for all the day and the night,
But all in [G] vain because, you see, the tiger [G7] came and said,
"Who me? You know I [C] wouldn't hurt not one of you -
I [C7] much prefer something to chew,
and [G] you are all too scant."
Oh [C] yeah!
He ate the [D] ele- [G] phant.
once [C] whispered to the tiny ear, the [C7] ear of one in fear, you hear
that [G] by next June he'd die, Oh yeah!
And the tiger would [D] roam, the little one said,
"Oh my [D7] goodness - I must stay at home!
And every time I hear a growl, I'll know the tiger's on the prowl,
And I'll be really safe, you know, the elephant, he told me so."
Everyone was nervous, Oh yeah!
And the message was spread
to zebra, mongoose, and the dirty hippopotamus
who wallowed in the mud and chewed his spicy hippo-plankton food
and tended to ignore the word, referring to a survey I heard
of stupid water bison Oh yeah!
And all the jungle took fright,
and ran around for all the day and the night,
But all in [G] vain because, you see, the tiger [G7] came and said,
"Who me? You know I [C] wouldn't hurt not one of you -
I [C7] much prefer something to chew,
and [G] you are all too scant."
Oh [C] yeah!
He ate the [D] ele- [G] phant.