Fridays' Unscientific Poll: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

[nanila]

Before Christmas, the bloke & I were amused to discover that the alternate Batman-based lyrics to "Jingle Bells" apparently percolate into the consciousness of children at a very early age.

Since Christmas, we've been amused because Humuhumu will randomly sing them whenever the fancy strikes her, no matter if Christmas is still 10 months away. (As were the elderly couple who were exiting Powis Castle at the same time as us last weekend. They applauded her, which caused her to be overcome with shyness and hide behind Daddy's legs.)

I found it intriguing that the lyrics differ from the ones I sang as a child in the US and are specifically British-English because of the use of the word "motorway". Now I'm wondering if there are other regional variations!

Poll #17326 Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47

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As a child, I mostly sang these alternate Batman-based lyrics to the Christmas carol "Jingle Bells".

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Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg/Batmobile lost a wheel and Joker got away
20 (52.6%)

Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away/Santa Claus lost his claws on the motorway
4 (10.5%)

Something else which I shall write in the text box
14 (36.8%)

I sang these alternate Batman-based lyrics instead:

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Comments

[cmcmck]

Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin's run away.
The Batmobile has lost its wheels
And can't come out today..........

[kaberett]

... both

[major_clanger]

Surprisingly I don't remember hearing that one when I was small. However, we did have the alternate version of While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night:

While shepherds washed their socks by night
All watching ITV
The Angel of the Lord came down
And switched to BBC

[ironed_orchid]

Apparently our regional version has weird sexism and references to an airline that no longer exists:

Jingle Bells Batman smells,
Robin Ran away,
Wonder Woman lost her bosoms
flying T.A.A

ETA: I wonder what Aus kids sing these days, and whether it rhymes with Jetstar or Tiger Air

[ankaret]

We three Kings of Leicester Square
Selling ladies' underwear
So fantastic, no elastic
Only eight pence a pair

[ayebydan]

edit: i missed the robin part.

ours was
Jingle bells,
Batman smells, Robin flew away
while the Batmobile lost a wheel
on the m8 motorway.


The M8 is one of the busiest in Scotland. But M-whatever could be used.

[davidgillon]

None of those rang a bell, so I went googling, and found http://www.robweir.com/blog/2006/01/jingle-bells-batman-smells.html, with 400+ replies with versions sung. And part way down I found:
"In North East England in the 1980s the lyrics we used were:

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin flew away
Lost his pants in the middle of France
And found them in Bombay – hey!"

I'd have heard it a decade earlier and the last two lines don't entirely ring a bell, but "Robin flew away"? Yeah, that.

[pbristow]

There was a slight variant at our school with "Robin says he's gay". It remains unclear whether this was Robin coming out himself, or attempting to out Batman, but either way it rhymed better than "laid an egg"(!). Not a version I'd recommend resurrecting, however... =:o\

Very minor Canadian variation

[ed_rex]

Mid-1970s, Sudbury (northern) Ontario, Canada. We sang the first option, but with the before "Joker". Warn't just any Joker, is what I'm saying.

I'm a little bit surprised it crossed the Atlantic, though.