Dinosaur Songs, Part IV

[Amado Narvaez <anarvaez@umd5.umd.edu>]

This installment of the Dinosaur Songs finishes up the Jurassic period 
with "Stegosaurus" and "Allosaurus," and introduces the Cretaceous period 
with "Iguanodon."

A suggestion was made by one of the regular contributors to this listserv 
that metric measurements for any linear dinosaur statistics would be more 
appropriate than the feet and inches I've used so far in the songs. In 
retrospect, I agree completely. I will present the remaining songs as 
originally written, with feet and inches, but with annotations for line 
substitutions that provide metric equivalents. At the end of the last 
installment you will find alternate lines for the songs that appeared in 
Parts I-III. (Speaking as a "lyricist," it is a real challenge to take the 
phrase "six-inch teeth" referring to T. rex and somehow rework it to 
"fifteen centimeter teeth" and still fit the parameters of the melody... 
but I'm sure it wouldn't faze Irving and Oscar.)
 
(Note: For those who came in late... These songs were written by Amado 
Narvaez for a dinosaur unit at Montgomery Knolls ES in Silver Spring, 
Maryland. Commercial publication and recording rights are reserved by 
Amado Narvaez. Feel free to sing them in non-profit venues --school or 
community productions, or around the campfire.) 
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        Stegosaurus
(to the tune of "Frere Jacques" or "Are You Sleeping...")
(The two verses can be sung straight as written, then repeated as a round.)
 
Stegosaurus--Stegosaurus!
Plates on back! Plates on back
Helped to keep him co-ol!
Helped to keep him co-ol
In the sun! In the sun!
 
Stegosaurus--Stegosaurus!
Spikes on tail! Spikes on tail!
Very good protection!
Very good protection!
Kept him safe! Kept him safe!
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        The Hungry Allosaurus
(to the tune of "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain")
 
There's a hungry Allosaurus on the prowl!
There's a hungry Allosaurus on the prowl!
There's a hungry Allosaurus,
There's a hungry Allosaurus,
There's a hungry Allosaurus on the prowl!
 
She'd prefer a Stegosaurus. Yes, she would!
She'd prefer a Stegosaurus. Yes, she would!
She'd prefer a Stegosaurus,
She'd prefer a Stegosaurus,
She'd prefer a Stegosaurus. Yes, she would!
 
But a stegosaur can hurt her with his tail!
But a stegosaur can hurt her with his tail!
But a stegosaur can hurt her,
But a stegosaur can hurt her,
But a stegosaur can hurt her with his tail!
 
She is gonna try to get him anyway!
She is gonna try to get him anyway!
She is gonna try to get him,
She is gonna try to get him,
She is gonna try to get him anyway!
 
'Cause she has to feed a fam'ly! Yes, she does!
'Cause she has to feed a fam'ly! Yes, she does!
'Cause she has to feed a fam'ly!
'Cause she has to feed a fam'ly!
'Cause she has to feed a fam'ly! Yes, she does! 
 
        (That's why...)
 
There's a hungry Allosaurus on the prowl! (Be-ware!)
There's a hungry Allosaurus on the prowl! (Watch out!)
There's a hungry Allosaurus,
There's a hungry Allosaurus,
There's a hungry Allosaurus on the prowl!
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Iguanodon
(to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic"; the asterisk denotes a 
line for which an alternate metric measurement is provided at the end of 
the song.)
 
At the start of the Cretaceous
Lived a peaceful dinosaur
Who preferred to walk on two legs
But sometimes would walk on four!
He was 29 feet long*
And weighed five tons or even more!
Behold, Iguanodon!
 
        At the start of the Cretaceous,
        At the start of the Cretaceous,
        At the start of the Cretaceous,
        Behold, Iguanodon!
 
Five fingers he had on his hand,
Which was unusual!
And the spike that was his thumb
Was quite a very useful tool--
Good for self-defense and eating,
It was quite remarkable!
Behold, Iguanodon!
 
        At the start of the Cretaceous,
        At the start of the Cretaceous,
        At the start of the Cretaceous,
        Behold, Iguanodon!


*Note: Alternate metric line for stanza 1, lines  5&6:
  "Head to tail 9 meters long,
   He weighed 5 tons or even more!"

I have seen quite a range of estimates on the length of Iguanodon, 
ranging from a low of 25 feet (7.8 meters, cf. Pearce, _The Dinosaur 
Almanac_, p. 67) to 33 feet (10 meters, cf. Lessem and Glut, _The 
Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia_, p. 226). I opted for the 
statistic given by David Lambert in _The Ultimate Dinosaur Book_, p. 141.)


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Next Installment: Ankylosaurus, Triceratops and T. rex

----- Amado Narvaez
      anarvaez@umd5.umd.edu