As we sat on the front porch watching the sunset, which by the way was fabulous, we were discussing a new author who we have fondly nicknamed Glowboy. With so many references to the word GLOW, I began singing “Glow Little Glow Worm”, a song I learned in my early teens. My husband joined in and we sang one of the few duets we will ever sing. As we got to the end of the song, Austyn, our daughter, looked at us as if we had lost it.
“Are those the word to the song?” she asked.
“Yes.” I said confidently, “It’s what we were taught.”
I started the lyrics again, Jeff promptly joined me and Austyn shook her head and laughed.
Glow little Glow Worm glimmer glimmer
I know a guy that could be slimmer
Teeth bashed in and hair peroxided
In the moonlight he’s cross eye-ed
Ruffles on his panties
Blowing in the breezes
Just to show off his knock-kneezes
But I don’t care what people say
I love _(enter the name of your true love)_ anyway.
I figured I should do some research since I was now questioning myself. I wanted to confirm what I had learned was accurate. Come to find out someone sold me the wrong lyrics. I’ve read the history of the song, listened to a few YouTube renditions. The real words are a bit odd, actually a little boring. It’s funny that I think the real lyrics are odd.
This made me wonder how many other wrong lyrics in life I have been sold. I’m guessing several. I am aware of hundreds that I have had to research, rethink and relearn. I am certain that I will be sold many more. I can’t stop it from happening. I can’t stop believing. I can’t become one of those individuals who are unable to trust anyone; who are suspicious, assuming everyone is out to get me.
What I can do is a little research and decide for myself what is true. If I don’t do that, I am the fool who blindly believes. There is no rule that says I have to believe what is true. I can believe what I want; but in doing so I become the fool.
As far as “Glow Little Glow Worm” is concerned, I choose to be foolish. I like the lyrics I was sold. I called my mother and asked if she remembered the lyrics and she did, but they were the real ones. She pulled the parent excuse, “I did not know you were singing it that way.” I called my sister to have her sing the song to me. She also was sold the wrong lyrics.
The wrong lyrics made us laugh. The fact that they aren’t real made us laugh more. I’m sticking with the wrong lyrics. There are too many things in this life that do matter; areas in our life that we can’t be foolish. “Glow Little Glow Worm” is not one of them.
Its so funny, I learned the same rendition as you at boyscout camp in Missouri in the mid to late 60’s. I am so surprised that when I googled the lyrics, yours was the only reference. Anyway, just thought I’d speak up.
Leo, perhaps it’s a Midwest thing; I grew up in Wisconsin. So glad they can now be referenced. It would have been a shame if they had been lost forever. Thanks for speaking up.
I’m a California girl and even though they are not the Glow Little Glow Worm lyrics that I grew up with, it’s good to know you have such a strong conviction on your lyrics. My only concern is that you may have also been sold on the incorrect lyrics of “Little Bunny Foo Foo”, and that would be a real shame.
This is how my Grandma sang it:
Glo worm
>
> Glo little glo worm
> Glimmer glimmer
> Such a little girl growing
> Slimmer slimmer
> Teeth knocked out
> Hair peroxided
> Tell by the moonlight
> Shes cross sided
> Ruffles of her petticoat
> Blowing in the breezes
> Caused by the knocking
> Of her kneezes
> One leg gone and the other
> One lame
> But i love her just the same.
In the 60’s I learned yet another variation–
Down by the seashore, glimmer, glimmer
There sat (girl’s name, i.e. Suzy simmer, simmer
Teeth knocked out and hair p’roxided
Tell by the moonlight she’s cross eyeded
Ruffles on her underwear, swinging in the breezes
Tell by the knocking of her kneeses,
She’s got one leg can’t walk home
Oh but we love her so!
And there was (girls name, I.e., Suzy),
Swinging on the outhouse gate
MWithout her nighty,
Waiting for the garbage man,
His name was ______
I remember learning this song in 1960 but there was one line I couldn’t recall, so I decided to google it. This is how we sang it in Tennessee–
Down by the river, glimmer, glimmer
Met a little girl named Shimmer, Shimmer
Teeth knocked out and her hair p’roxided
Tell by the moonlight she’s cross eyeded
Ruffles on her underwear, flapping in the breezes
Keeping time with the knocking of her kneeses,
One peg leg and she can’t get home! ………………
But I love her just the same!
I guess there were silly versions of this song all over the country.
Grew up in El Monte Ca, the way I learned it, In the moonlight dimmer, dimmer I saw something thinner, thinner, His teeth were bucked ,his hair peroxide ,in the moonlight he looked cross eyed. Ruffled on his panties, blowing in the breezies , boy did he have skinny kneezies ,I don’t care what the neighbors say, I love him anyway. When I sang that as a kid I was told I was warped.
My Dad sang me a similar version about a girl after he came back from WWII. Just remembered it today and decided to see if anyone else knew it. His words were a little different as he as singing about a girl.
My mother taught me a variation 50 years or more ago:
Down by the seashore glimmer glimmer
Watch her form grow slimmer slimmer
She’s got false teeth and her hair’s proxided
By the light of the moon you can tell she’s cross-eyed
Ruffles on her petticoats flutter in the breezes
Sounds like sandpaper scraping on her knees and
She’s got a wooden leg so she can’t walk ho-o-o-o-o-m
But I love her just the same.
I’m researching the same thing and all I can find is your post about these lyrics! Here’s how my mom, in Mississippi, used to sing it to me. It differs a little from the others above:
Glow little glow worm glimmer glimmer
There sits my boyfriend, slimmer slimmer.
Teeth knocked out and hair lopsided
Tale by the moon that he was cross eyeded.
Ruffles on his underwear floppin in the breezes,
dancin to the tune of the knockin of his kneeses.
Got one leg and he can’t get home but I love him just the same!
I cant find any lyrics to this song just like ours, but my mother born in 1920 said that the song was sung like this in the 1930’s at Dance Halls….
I like ours best!
Glow little glow worm, glimmer glimmer, see her shape grow thinner thinner, ruffles on her petticoat shimmering in the breezes, caused by the sandpaper on her kneeses, her teeth are false and her hair peroxided, light of the moon you can tell shes cross-eyeded, has a wooden leg and she cant walk hoooooome, but he loves her just the same!
Gosh, those were the days!
I cant find any lyrics to this song just like ours, but my mother born in 1920 said that the song was sung like this in the 1930’s at Dance Halls….
I like ours best!
Glow little glow worm, glimmer glimmer, see her shape grow thinner thinner, ruffles on her petticoat shimmering in the breezes, caused by the sandpaper on her kneeses, her teeth are false and her hair peroxided, light of the moon you can tell shes cross-eyeded, has a wooden leg and she cant walk hoooooome, but he loves her just the same!
Gosh, those were the days!
So, maybe it was a 60s thing. My mom who grew up between Tennessee and California taught me a version while I was growing up the 80s. All I remembered is:
”glow little glow worm
Shimmer shimmer
You are getting thinner thinner
Your teeth‘s falling out and hair a p‘roxide….“
That’s all I got though.
Amazing! Heard the music on the radio and started to sing along as i sang it when i was a kid in the 40,s and 50,s! Couldnt remember all the lyrics so looked it up and they were different … Until i found your post! Only difference is ….its a female in my memory.. she looks crosseyed etc and …ruffles on her petticoat blowing in the breezes, you Can see up to her Knees-es. Thank you for A memory laugh. Cheers to you.
After reading all of these remarks I realize that I learned a slightly different version. Glow Little Glow Worm
Glimmer, Glimmer.
I want a gal that’s slimmer, slimmer.
False eyelashes, hair peroxide
In the moonlight she looked cross-eyed.
Ruffles on her petticoats, swayed in the breezes
up above her bow legged knees’s
But I don’t care what people say
I love that guy anyway.
I have no memory of where I learned that, probably at camp.