Listen!
Bump, bump, bump –
Here comes the Bump.
The Bump can walk, but the Bump won’t jump.
He can bump up high, he can bump down low,
He can bumpbumpbump quick or bbuummpp real slow,
He can bomp-bomp fat, he can bim-bim thin,
But the Bump won’t jump till the Bat comes in.
Now watch!
Here comes the Bat, with a bat-tat-tat.
Bump, meet Bat. Bump, Bat.
The Bump sits here and the Bat goes there,
The Bump hits the floor and the Bat gets air,
The Bump jumps forward and the Bat beats back,
Till the hops make your hips go snack-snick-snack.
Now the Bump’s got you jumping like a bat-black cat
And your rump bump-bumps till you scat where you sat.
Then the Bat beats RAT-A-TAT! WE NEED MORE!
Hey, chump! says the Bump! Come jump on the floor!
So the chicks scurry in, one, two, three, four,
Jump through the stumps of the Bump on the floor.
That beat, that beat, that’s right where it’s at:
It goes bump, chick, bat, chick, ba-bump, chick, bat.
Bump, chick, hat trick, a sump-pump rat,
Hop back, fat chick, a stomped chick’s flat.
Now I’m stumped, chicks. We’ve got the bat, chicks, bump,
So why do I still feel down in the dump?
‘Cause the beat won’t ride, say the chicks, won’t sing,
Till the ring glides in going ting-ting-ting!
Ring ting bump ting-a bat chick ting
Bat chick-a bat bump bump ting-a-ling,
Chicky chicky bump rat-a-ting bat bump,
Here is the thing to make you sing, make you jump!
Hey, chicks! sings the Bat, now you can’t stand pat,
Got to mix it up, switch it from a this to a that.
Bump – ba-bump – ba-bump, chicka rat tat!
Chickity chickity ting bumpity up-tick scat!
Bump – wait – bump – wait – bump, tingle rack tack,
Hop, skip, paper clip, jingle in your backpack!
Tock says the clock, tick tock, what’s in store?
Are we flat, are we tuckered, can we bump no more?
Hey, wait! Who’s that, knock-knocking on the door?
Can she keep that beat with her feet on the floor?
I can swing that, bring that, sing that and more,
Got some things in my pocket you ain’t seen be-fore,
Be-five, be-six, be-seven, be-eight,
Now quiet, now hush, make ’em wait, make ’em wait.
All right, bring it back, chick, hush, chick, pause,
Got a thing right here with some fur, with some claws,
Gonna howl with the beat once I give that sign,
Get ready, chick, seven chick, eight chick, nine,
Take a breath, chick –
Now jump in, the beat’s fine!
YOLLYOLLYOLLY goes the howling cat!
As the beat goes bat, chick, ba-bump, chick, bat!
GROMBLE-OM-BOM says the growling thing,
As the Bump and the Bat go ba-dump, chick, ting!
Now watch these things and I’ll tell you what they is:
It’s a jar full of bees, these’ll make a bee-whiz,
Set ’em free, every bee, let ’em join that noise
With a rizz-tizz-fizzle! Now, pick it up, boys!
Bizzy-izzy-ish, chick, ba-bump, grum-growl,
Skizzle that rump, chick, make your mama scowl,
Now don’t slump back, says the Bump, fizz-crack,
Keep it up! What you got in your pocket, in your sack?
Easy now, mind what you’re asking of me,
Can you handle what I’ve got if I set it all free?
You can rum that tumble, you can rizz that tizzy,
But I’ve got enough, chicks, to make your heads go dizzy.
All right, Bump, Bat, want to make a real din?
Hold tight, chick, ting, here goes, for the win,
Everybody take a break, then we’ll all crash in…now
BREAK!
Sshhhhhhh…
chick.
(wait!)
chick.
(quiet!)
chick.
(hush!)
sshhhh!
chick, chick, Chick, Chick, CHICK, CHICK, BOOM!
Bibbity bobbity argle bargle beagle bibble babble!
Honk blatt screech with a whump scribble-scrabble!
Ruck sack caddy shack nickels on the dollar!
Ba-bump, chick, bat, keep the beat while we holler!
Scalawazabulous alakazoomium polomologolo slapakapow!
What, those ain’t words? Well they sure are now.
It’s a peg-leg big-wig hootenanny shindig,
Big boss hog pig cruisin’ in a big rig,
Cattle in the king cab, chickens in the cargo,
Get that weasel to an easel, he could be a Leonardo,
If it don’t make sense where you come from,
Just relax, chick, listen, bump, ting, to the drum.
Snollygoster cockalorum collywobbles poodle,
Battly-bump, bat, bat, use your little noodle,
Capellini, farfallini, ziti, garganelli,
Doesn’t matter ’cause it all ends up in the belly.
Squeaky scree scree, sweep your broom, clean your room,
Bring your spoon, eat the moon, we’ll be goofy as a loon,
With a bump, bump, bat-um-ting! Scream that tune!
Make the maharajah poop in his purple pantaloons!
Hum-bly gum-bly gum-bly gum-bly gum,
Don’t need to clear it with the panjandrum!
Fee fi flim flam flip flop fum!
And bump, chick, bat, chick, ba-bump, goes the drum!
Pheeeewwwwww-ee!
Got to wind it down, don’t you see, don’t you see.
Got no more juice left in me, left in me.
Got to shut the lid on this jam-bo-ree.
Slow it down, Bump, Bat, while I pack my sack,
These bees, that cat, gonna sling ’em on my back.
Had a real good time making noise with you –
Now I’ve got to get home, ’cause I’m tired clean through.
Till next time, ring-thing! Meeting you was sweet,
Thanks for the tings that you brung to the beat.
Scurry home, chicks, count ’em, chicks, three chicks, four,
Gonna seem awful quiet once you’re gone from the floor.
Well, that’s that. Just the Bump and the Bat.
Says the Bump, “Can’t we stop just once for a chat –
Without all that racket busting loose? Do you think?”
“Same time tomorrow?” says the Bat with a wink.
And he jumps right up and he scats out the door
And the Bump sits there like a lump on the floor.
The Bump can walk, but the Bump won’t jump,
So the Bump bumbles off going bump –
bye! –
bump.
–
At top: “Jazz Village” by Romare Bearden