“Monday’s a holiday”

It isn’t, in fact, but Helena’s comment in response to the previous blog entry made me realise that most readers probably have no idea how the song “Monday’s a holiday” actually goes. [I freely acknowledge that it’s quite likely that most readers probably don’t care either, so if you’re in this category you can ignore this entry!]

It’s an accumulating echo song with actions, whose tune—such as it is—I won’t be able to convey in text … and you also have to appreciate the slightly Australian context of having a couple of weekends in the year where Monday is, indeed, a public holiday, resulting in the luxury of a three-day weekend. Other footnotes are listed at the end. [I also freely acknowledge that this is probably one of those “you really had to be there” things, that don’t make sense unless you were (and possibly not even then!)]

Leader: Monday’s a holiday [raises arms in jubilation and makes other general celebratory actions]
All: Monday’s a holiday [raise arms in jubilation and make other general celebratory actions]
Leader: Is everybody happy?
All: You bet your life we are! Diddly dit-didit-didit-di, Diddly dit-didit-didit. (1) [everyone does silly dance rotating on the spot]

Leader: Tuesday’s a trainin’ day [mimes typical action of the sport of choice (2)]
All: Tuesday’s a trainin’ day [mime typical action of the sport of choice]
Leader: And Monday’s a holiday [raises arms in jubilation and makes other general celebratory actions]
All: And Monday’s a holiday [raise arms in jubilation and make other general celebratory actions]
Leader: Is everybody happy?
All: You bet your life we are! Diddly dit-didit-didit-di, Diddly dit-didit-didit. (1) [everyone does silly dance rotating on the spot]

(So, I’m hoping you’ve got the echo bit, and the accumulation bit, and so I can just give you the remaining critical words and actions as presented in the final verse:)

Sunday’s a prayin’ day [do the classic Albrecht Durer praying hands pose (3)]
Saturday’s a playin’ day [do some different action from the sporting code of choice (2), preferably more like what is done in a real game, rather than some training drill]
Friday’s Maccas day [draw the golden arches, with both arms, starting at the middle of the M and working outwards (4)]
Thursday’s detention day (5) [wave a scolding finger]
Wednesday’s a waggin’ day (6) [mime the act of sneaking out of school]
Tuesday’s a trainin’ day [do that first sport of choice action]
And Monday’s a holiday [by the time you get to this line on the final verse it should be yelled in wild celebration, not least because the song is FINALLY over!]

1. I have no idea how to spell this bit.
2. The sporting code of choice in our rendition is Australian Rules Football, which is an antipodean sport sometimes referred to as aerial ping-pong (which is singularly unhelpful) and is kind of like Gaelic football, soccer, and gridiron … only not.
3. You could do the Mormon “fold your arms, and bow your head” thing, but that might confuse those of other denominations!
4. Surely I don’t have to explain Maccas?! Or the golden arches?!
5. “Kept in” after school for being naughty.
6. Wagging is slang for skiving, playing truant, being AWOL. I was going to say that it was Australian slang, but Wiktionary cites Dickens. Therefore it is cultured!

Make sense?!