Dave Van Ronk — Swinging On A Star

Or would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And be better off than you are Or would you rather be a fish? A fish is an animal that swims in a brook He can't write his name or read a book To fool the people is his only thought But though he's slippery, he still gets caught By the way, if you don't clean up your dish You may grow up to be a fish Would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And be better off than you are Or would you rather be a mule? A mule is an animal with long, funny ears He kicks up at everything he hears His back is brawny but his brain is weak He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak And by the way, if you hate to go to school You may grow up to be a mule Or would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And be better off than you are Or would you rather be a pig? A pig is an animal with dirt on his face His shoes are a terrible disgrace He's sloppy and he's dirty and he's grungy up-front When he talks all he does is grunt And if you don't care a feather or a fig You may grow up to be a pig And all the monkeys ain't in the zoo Everyday you'll meet quite a few So you see it's all up to you You could be better than you are You could be swingin' on a star You could be swingin' on a star You could be swingin' on a star