The Camel's hump (Kipling, set by J. Berger, E. German) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
    Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
    From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,
If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,
        We get the hump --
        Cameelious hump --
The hump that is black and blue!

We climb out of bed with a frouzly head
    And a snarly-yarly voice.
We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl
    At our bath and our boots and our toys;

And there ought to be a corner for me
(And I know there is one for you)
        When we get the hump --
        Cameelious hump --
The hump that is black and blue!

The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
    Or frowst with a book by the fire;
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
    And dig till you gently perspire;

And then you will find that the sun and the wind,
And the Djinn of the Garden too,
        Have lifted the hump --
        The horrible hump --
The hump that is black and blue!

I get it as well as you-oo-oo --
If I haven't enough to do-oo-oo --
        We all get hump --
        Cameelious hump --
Kiddies and grown-ups too!

Authorship

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Just So Stories

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Jean Berger (1909-2002)

Just So

Edward German (1862-1936)

The Just So Song Book

Date added to the website: 2009-02-10.

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