The Song That Never Ends
Encyclopedia
"The Song That Never Ends" is a self-referential
and infinitely iterative children's song. The song is a single verse long, written in an infinite-loop motif in a march
style, such that it naturally flows in a cyclical fashion, repeating the same verse over and over. It is very popular with children and teens, typically sung when doing something repetitive or boring. The song was written by writer/composer Norman Martin in 1988.
, where it was sung at the end of each show.
Common variations include:
I know a song that gets on your nerves,
gets on your nerves, gets on your nerves.
I know a song that gets on your nerves
and this is how it goes.
Variants of ``And this is how it goes`` include ``I'll show you how it goes`` and ``I will never shut up``.
Another variation is ' I know a song that'll get on your nerves.'
, a 1992 televised
puppet
show on PBS
, though with slightly different lyrics and a slightly different title (known as "The Song That Doesn't End"). At the end of each episode, the puppets and children would sing several verses of the song while hostess Shari Lewis
would try in vain to stop them. They would eventually leave (on her urging), even while beginning a sixth verse (which eventually fades out). Then, Charlie Horse would return and try to get the song going again, but Shari successfully stops him by grabbing his mouth and persuading him to "go away." So Charlie leaves and slams the door (before Shari could even tell him not to slam the door).
A short rendition of the song appeared in a skit on the animated TV show Cartoon Planet
(the skit is also featured on the companion album, Space Ghost's Musical Bar-B-Que). Brak
sings the song until he is asked to stop by Zorak
, who finds it annoying. Brak explains that he is unable to because it's the "song that doesn't end." He attempts to continue until Zorak loses his temper, causing Brak to cease, remarking, "I guess it just ended."
The song has been adopted as an unofficial anthem
by disparate groups. The Discordian
organization (or disorganization) known as POEE has listed the song in their material with claims that it was written by a member, while fans of the rock
band Styx
adopted a variation, "The Tour That Never Ends", to describe Styx's 400-plus date tour in the late 1990s in support of their album Brave New World
.
A series of Canadian Motrin pain killer ads featured kids singing the song in the back of a car, during a traffic jam, while eating chocolate
-covered coffee
beans.
Self-reference
Self-reference occurs in natural or formal languages when a sentence or formula refers to itself. The reference may be expressed either directly—through some intermediate sentence or formula—or by means of some encoding...
and infinitely iterative children's song. The song is a single verse long, written in an infinite-loop motif in a march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
style, such that it naturally flows in a cyclical fashion, repeating the same verse over and over. It is very popular with children and teens, typically sung when doing something repetitive or boring. The song was written by writer/composer Norman Martin in 1988.
Lyrics
The most notable version of the song appeared in Lamb Chop's Play-AlongLamb Chop's Play-Along
Lamb Chop's Play-Along is a children's television series that was shown on PBS in the United States from 1992 until 1997, as well as on YTV in Canada. It was created and hosted by puppeteer Shari Lewis, and featured her puppet character Lamb Chop. Appropriately, Lamb Chop was a sheep; other...
, where it was sung at the end of each show.
- This is the song that doesn't end,
- Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
- Some people started singing it not knowing what it was
- And they'll continue singing it forever just because.
- This is the song that doesn't end,
- Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
- Some people started singing it not knowing what it was
- And they'll continue singing it forever just because.
- This is the song that doesn't end,
- Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
- Some people started singing it not knowing what it was
- And they'll continue singing it forever just because.
- This is the song that doesn't end,
- Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
- Some people started singing it not knowing what it was
- And they'll continue singing it forever just because.
- This is the song that doesn't end,
- Yes, it goes on and on my friend,
- Some people started singing it not knowing what it was
- And they'll continue singing it forever just because.
The song that gets on everyone's nerves
This song is very similar to the song that never ends. This variation is known to be much more annoying as it constantly reminds whoever is listening that it will get on their nerves. This song is usually sung by children trying to annoy an adult present at the time, more often than not during long trips or in a public area (the beach, the playground, etc.). This song is sometimes banned during long class trips due to its annoying nature.- I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves,
- everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves.
- I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves,
- and this is how it goes.
Common variations include:
- I know a song that gets on everyone's nerves,
- everyone's nerves, everyone's nerves.
- I know a song that gets on everyone's nerves,
- and this is how it goes.
I know a song that gets on your nerves,
gets on your nerves, gets on your nerves.
I know a song that gets on your nerves
and this is how it goes.
- I know a song that will get on your nerves,
- get on your nerves, get on your nerves.
- I know a song that will get on your nerves,
- and this is how it goes.
- I know a song that's very annoying,
- very annoying, very annoying.
- I know a song that's very annoying,
- and this is how it goes.
Variants of ``And this is how it goes`` include ``I'll show you how it goes`` and ``I will never shut up``.
Another variation is ' I know a song that'll get on your nerves.'
- I know a song that'll get on your nerves,
- Get on your nerves, Get on your nerves:
- I know a song that'll get on your nerves,
- Get, get get on your nerves
Notable appearances and recordings
The most notable appearance of the song was as the closing theme of Lamb Chop's Play-AlongLamb Chop's Play-Along
Lamb Chop's Play-Along is a children's television series that was shown on PBS in the United States from 1992 until 1997, as well as on YTV in Canada. It was created and hosted by puppeteer Shari Lewis, and featured her puppet character Lamb Chop. Appropriately, Lamb Chop was a sheep; other...
, a 1992 televised
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
show on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, though with slightly different lyrics and a slightly different title (known as "The Song That Doesn't End"). At the end of each episode, the puppets and children would sing several verses of the song while hostess Shari Lewis
Shari Lewis
Shari Lewis was an American ventriloquist, puppeteer, and children's television show host, most popular during the 1960s and 1990s...
would try in vain to stop them. They would eventually leave (on her urging), even while beginning a sixth verse (which eventually fades out). Then, Charlie Horse would return and try to get the song going again, but Shari successfully stops him by grabbing his mouth and persuading him to "go away." So Charlie leaves and slams the door (before Shari could even tell him not to slam the door).
A short rendition of the song appeared in a skit on the animated TV show Cartoon Planet
Cartoon Planet
Cartoon Planet is an animated variety show that premiered in 1995 on Superstation TBS, and ran afterward from 1996 to 1997 on Cartoon Network....
(the skit is also featured on the companion album, Space Ghost's Musical Bar-B-Que). Brak
Brak (character)
Brak is a supervillain on the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost, portrayed as a catlike alien space pirate trying to conquer the galaxy...
sings the song until he is asked to stop by Zorak
Zorak
Zorak is a fictional character who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost. Zorak appeared as a 7 foot tall green mantis and is a foe of the show's titular superhero.-Space Ghost:...
, who finds it annoying. Brak explains that he is unable to because it's the "song that doesn't end." He attempts to continue until Zorak loses his temper, causing Brak to cease, remarking, "I guess it just ended."
The song has been adopted as an unofficial anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
by disparate groups. The Discordian
Discordianism
Discordianism is a religion based on the worship of Eris , the Greco-Roman goddess of strife. It was founded circa 1958–1959 after the publication of its holy book the Principia Discordia, written by Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst after a series of shared hallucinations at a...
organization (or disorganization) known as POEE has listed the song in their material with claims that it was written by a member, while fans of the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
adopted a variation, "The Tour That Never Ends", to describe Styx's 400-plus date tour in the late 1990s in support of their album Brave New World
Brave New World (Styx album)
Brave New World is the thirteenth studio album by Styx, released in 1999. It is the last album with the band's original lead vocalist and keyboardist, Dennis DeYoung...
.
A series of Canadian Motrin pain killer ads featured kids singing the song in the back of a car, during a traffic jam, while eating chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
-covered coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
beans.