"Alligator in the House", in its original form, was written by Betsy and Katie Tinney. Everything went loopy when the two of them sang it for S.J. Tucker in their living room one night, and they all rolled in the floor and giggled. Betsy gave S.J. permission to embellish her Alligator, give her a couple more verses, and, yes, even record it with her. The 'pit with the snakes' verse is dedicated to Mia and Ryan, with oodles of love. This version includes Alec's incontrovertibly hysterical backing accompaniment.
lyrics
There's an alligator in the house
A toothy grin appears beneath my chair
A scaly tail goes sliding out of sight
Now it's gone - was it ever there?
Something odd has moved into the house
Reptilian tracks lead underneath our bed
And all the cats are tasty, fat, and scared
Though I doubt we've lost any yet
CHORUS
So what's the big deal? Doesn't everyone
Have an alligator somewhere, somehow?
And maybe this one has always been here,
But I never noticed it till now.
There's an alligator in the house
Just caught her napping in the living room
She was dozing on the velvet couch
And the cats were sleeping there too
There's an alligator in the house
No one seems to mind except for me
Well, at least she doesn't eat the cats
I suspect she'd rather eat me
There's an alligator in the pit
she is dancing wildly with the snakes
to win them over to her cause
she will do whatever it takes
They think I don't see their little smiles
as they plan a reptilian overthrow
but I hear them talking in my dreams
they will not be sad to see me go!
CHORUS
I've begun to worry 'bout my toes
The alligator seems to think they're nice
I've counted all of them a hundred times
But I never got the same answer twice
There's an alligator in my bed
she is not a master of disguise
just a pillow waiting for my head
soft and sweet and hungrily she lies
There's an alligator in the house
Today she joined me for a spot of tea
She helped herself to raspberries and cream
And she didn't leave any for me
Well I thought that I had seen it all
but this alligator proved me wrong
like a lady as she drank her tea
she sang to me this little song:
ALLIGATOR'S CHORUS:
"so what's the big deal, doesn't everyone
have an alligator somewhere somehow?
I know you'd miss me if I went away
though you never noticed until now!"
CHORUS
credits
from Mythcreants,
released August 1, 2009
S. J.: guitar, vocals
Betsy: cello
Alec: percussion, snake pit, gator noises
words by Betsy and Katie Tinney
embellished by S.J. Tucker
The new EP from Scottish songwriter Alec Bowman_Clarke goes deep, setting vulnerable lyrics to gentle melodies & stripped-back arrangements. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 30, 2021
Alec Bowman perfectly captures the dark soil under the pastoral world of British folk with this collection of melancholy originals. Bandcamp New & Notable May 12, 2020
supported by 47 fans who also own “Alligator in the House”
A silky, smooth, sultry voice weaving lyrical imagery upon a canvas of exquisite tonal contours. Immensely pleasurable. The bouncy cheer of " Little Bird" is a delightful contrast to the dusky jazz groove of this truly beautiful album. Much gratitude for you S J ! roddylloyd