A popular song from 1950
Words and music by Ernest Emurian, George Gordon and Dick Maxwell
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
1. I’m a relative of the whale that swallowed Jonah
(Swallowed Jonah)
I’m the great great great great grandson of that fish
(Famous fish)
And my grandfather always said
“That the preacher was poorly fed
‘Cause that runaway prophet wasn’t a tasty dish”
(Oh no, Oh no, he wasn’t a tasty dish)
2. It all began in a storm when a ship was sinking
(It was sinking)
And they blamed it all on the guy who had thumbed a ride
(Thumbed a ride)
So they said, “Let’s throw him out
It’ll plug this water spout”
So they gave him the old heave ho, right over the side
(Heave-ho, heave-ho, right over the starboard side
3. Then my Grandpa spotted Jonah in the ocean
(In the ocean)
A trashin’ around and splashin’ enough for ten
(Enough for ten)
And he opened his mouth a mite
And Jonah slid out of sight
But he’ll never gobble down a preacher again
(Oh no, Oh no, he’ll never gobble down a preacher again)
4. For the next three days that whale was a mighty sick creature
(Mighty sick creature)
He moaned and he groaned and was sick as a whale could be
(Poor fish!)
Then he gave old Jonah a break
And he cured his stomach ache
And cast him on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea
(Yes Siree, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea
5. So you see when the Lord said “Jonah, go preach in Ninevah”
(Go Preach!)
Jonah said, “No, no Lord, that will never do”
(Never do)
Then he ran the other way on the double
Into a whale of a lot of trouble
So will you if you run when there’s work to be done
So will you if you run, when there’s work to be done
So will you if you run, if you run, run, run, run, run
If you run