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Song Parodies -> "It's Late (The Dead Parrot Sketch)"

Original Song Title:

"It's Late"

Original Performer:

Queen

Parody Song Title:

"It's Late (The Dead Parrot Sketch)"

Parody Written by:

Phil Alexander

The Lyrics

A tribute to Monty Python's finest moment...
I bought this parrot
Only half an hour ago
And if you say it's lunchtime, then before you close
Please tell me, what I'd like to know
'Cause there's something inside
This cage that I took away
Look: it's a dead parrot
"What's wrong with him?" you say

It's late, ain't you hearing what I said
It's late, he's not resting, no this parrot he is dead
It's late - when I gave him an inspection more detailed
It's late - I realised that on his perch he had been nailed
It's late, it's late, it's late
This bird is late.

You say 'e's resting
And I tell you that it's dead
But after I've tried shaking, and I've tried shouting
He doesn't even shift his head
Now you tell me he's moving
But you hit his cage - I saw you
No, he's not pining
My inert Norwegian Blue
HEY POLLY!! TESTING!!
I can tell this parrot's through

It's late, lovely plumage, the Norwegian Blue
It's late, but his feathers were only stuck on with glue
It's late - he's met his maker, he has found his just rewards
It's late - don't try to tell me he's just pining for the fjords
It's late, it's late, it's late,
This bird is late

This bird is dead
Oh yes he's dead
He's bleedin dead
We need to work it out
I said he's dead
You know he's dead
I want to know what are you gonna do about
Tell me

It's late
It's late
Bird is late

He's staring at me
No expression in his eye
If we gave him jolts
Of four million volts
I know he still wouldn't fly
He's bereft of life
He is bleedin' demised
He's off the twig
This parrot's not alive

It's late and soon he will start to spoil
It's late, passed away, shuffled off his mortal coil
It's late - he's expired, and so why should I care it
Ceased to be, kicked the bucket - THIS IS AN EX-PARROT
It's late, it's late, it's late, it's late
It's late, it's late, it's late
The bird is late

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 LittleLots
Matches Pace of
Original Song: 
How Funny: 
Overall Score: 



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Voting Results

 
Pacing: 4.0
How Funny: 4.0
Overall Rating: 4.1

Total Votes: 7

Voting Breakdown

The following represent how many people voted for each category.

    Pacing How Funny Overall Rating
 1   1
 1
 1
 
 2   0
 0
 0
 
 3   0
 1
 0
 
 4   3
 1
 2
 
 5   3
 4
 4
 

User Comments

Comments are subject to review, and can be removed by the administration of the site at any time and for any reason.

Billy Florio - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
Nice job....the dead parrot sketch is funny, but The Comfy chair torture, the idiot convention and the ministry of Silly walks is more funny. lol....great job though
Olvan The Terrible - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
Bwah ha ha! Perfectly executed! Now all we need is a Lumberjack-related parody.
John Cleese - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
The parrot may be dead, but this paordy is very much alive, ol' lad! You get straight 5's!
Eric Idle - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
I give ya straight 5's too, lad! We need more Monty Python parodies on Amiright. British is my kind of humour.
Chris Bodily TM - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
I love Monty Python. It's is a brilliant British comedy show. I gave ya straight fives, even though I had to get an MIDI of the song, being that I had never heard of the song that you parodied, but wanted to read it!
Aunt E. Choy Sir - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
Did you really have to specify 'British'? That's just like that programme 'America`s Dumbest Criminals' :/
Claude Prez - July 08, 2003 - Report this comment
Great job Phil.
Phil Alexander - July 09, 2003 - Report this comment
Thanks... I was singing along to the original in the car when the idea struck, and laughed so much I almost drove off the road... must see if I can find a karaoke version - failing that, I might try using a MIDI file for recording (though they never sound quite right).

Olvan - it'd be difficult to do a worthwhile Lumberjack parody... but I have an idea (watch this space)
Spaff.com - July 09, 2003 - Report this comment
Nice combination of influences. Makes me want to listen to both Python and "News of the World." What's next, "Crunchy Frog" to "Spread Your Wings"?
Phil - July 09, 2003 - Report this comment
...or "Do a silly walk" to "Tie your mother down"? - do you think you could get "Spanish Inquisition" to scan in "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy"?
Spaff.com - July 09, 2003 - Report this comment
Uh-oh, Phil, you've unleashed the beast. "Holy Grailian Rhapsody." It's only a matter of time.
Phil Alexander - July 16, 2003 - Report this comment
It's just struck me: I've already done a Holy Grail-based parody, called "Crazy Knights", to the tune of Kiss' "Crazy Nights": http://www.amiright.com/parody/80s/kiss1.shtml
Snaggletoth - July 17, 2003 - Report this comment
Yeah, that sketch rocks, not only did I learn the phrase "kick the bucket" from it, it also inspired me to use it (the phrase) in a limerick, or rather a limerick-meter based verse: An udderly mad cow from Nantucket is alive, though she did kick the bucket bse-fied and hairy she´s more zombie than dairy we must dig out her brain and then smack it (I didn´t say it was very well paced, did I?) :-)
Snaggletoth - July 17, 2003 - Report this comment
Hmmm... forgot about the no linebreaks thingie. And no commas, at least not in the linebreaking places. Sorry.
Phil - July 17, 2003 - Report this comment
An udderly mad cow from Nantucket
is alive, though she did kick the bucket
bse-fied and hairy
she´s more zombie than dairy
we must dig out her brain and then smack it
:-) (stick br in angle brackets to get a hard return)
Hoeveel - July 17, 2003 - Report this comment
Just a couple of points :) Aren't cows normally hairy? And what kind of accent do you have where 'bucket' rhymes with 'smack it'? :D
Phil - July 17, 2003 - Report this comment
I think the mis-rhyme of "smack it" is intentional... think about what would ;-)
Hoeveel - July 17, 2003 - Report this comment
It did cross my mind but that makes even less sense. :/ I assumed Snaggletooth was American too so i wouldn't have expected a besto-necrophilic limmerick from him...*shrugs*
Devil Master - July 04, 2004 - Report this comment
THIS IS GENIUS!!! I liked it so much that I downloaded the MIDI base just to sing this parody over it!
Phil Alexander - July 07, 2004 - Report this comment
Thanks, DM... I kind of like this one, too :-)
Devil Master - October 16, 2004 - Report this comment
I finally did it! I've sung this parody, trying to make my best Freddy Mercury impression, and I put the result online at http://devilmaster.supereva.it/parrotislate.zip !
Phil Alexander - October 16, 2004 - Report this comment
Glad you got it together, DM - but when I try looking at it, I get a message that looks like you're over your webspace allocation (or bandwidth - my Italian's not that hot)
Devil Master - October 16, 2004 - Report this comment
Have you tried to disable your download manager? If you do, the link should directo you to a page with the following message: --- Il file richiesto è ospitato su uno spazio web gratuito offerto da SuperEva. Clicca sul link sottostante per scaricarlo: http://devilmaster.supereva.it/parrotislate.zip --- Now, if you click on the link that page is showing (always with your download manager OFF) you should get it.
Phil Alexander - October 16, 2004 - Report this comment
Download manager? Never touch the things (using Opera, you don't need 'em). Have tried again, and it's coming down as I type... watch this space :-)
Devil Master - October 20, 2004 - Report this comment
It's late, it's late, the comment is late! :-D What's up Phil, did your computer start pining for the fjords? :-DDDDD
Devil Master - October 20, 2004 - Report this comment
P.S. Did you read this? http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-9-2004_pg9_8 It really cracked me up! :-D
Phil Alexander - October 24, 2004 - Report this comment
Hi, DM - enjoyed your recording. Thanks for taking the time and letting me know :-)
Rick C - September 16, 2005 - Report this comment
Great concept and execution Phil :-)

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