Long ago, not yet a teen
Advertisement, magazine
Color sketch, a toy real keen
A fiberboard submarine

So I asked my Mom and Dad
Seven dollars, neither had
My ambition stayed a dream
Never sailed my submarine

Childhood dream was to own a submarine
Private submarine, my own submarine
Wishes stirred by a comic book I'd seen
Want a submarine, want a submarine

Wealthy kids got quite a shock
Their fancy toy--a cardboard box!
And then they began to play

"Has the mailman come yet? Where is he?"
"You'll just have to wait"
"Here it is. Open it up"
"Look, Mom, look"
"Aw, shucks, aw shucks".

So they took it to the pool (to the pool)
Every one of them (every one of them) and tossed it in (They tossed it in)
Soggy mess (soggy mess) soon clogged the screen (clogged the screen)
Say good-bye to (say good-bye to) submarine (Submarine)

Kids all played with their cardboard submarine
Sure did treat them mean, sure did treat them mean
Honor House sold a phony submarine,
Played with children's dreams, played with children's dreams
Grown up now, looking for that submarine
No more to be seen, none left to be seen
They're all gone, every cardboard submarine
Cardboard submarine, cardboard submarine