Up In The Air, Junior Birdman!

Words & Music:

Traditional

 

Since I first published this, I have received many offers to teach me the tune to this!   Here is a MIDI file one reader sent me.  When you sing it looking through "goggles" made of your thumb and forefinger – with your palms inverted towards your face so that the rest of your fingers make the "straps" to your aviator's helmet!  Correspondent Matt West was kind enough to send along this picture of him & his family showing you exactly how to hold your hands.  Thanks, Matt!

 

Major Bill Bacon (ret.) sent along this story about the "Junior Birdman" song.  I don't know the movie to which he refers.  (Anyone else know?  IMDB is no help.):  "... As a "Junior Birdman" flying the Berlin Wall before it was a wall, we would sing this song while partying with our new ex- Lufwaft Pilot friends.  They never saw the movie and far as they were concerned we were all "Junior Birdmen" of a feather.  I had lost the words over the years and I'm sure my friends in the Army Aviation Association of America will enjoy.  Side note: I flew the CH-47 in Vietnam (1967) and they're still being flown in combat today (2009)! God Bless the USA!..."

 

VERSION I LEARNED:

Up in the air, Junior Bird Man!

Up in the air, Bird Man true!

Up in the air, Junior Bird Man!

Keep your eyes up in the blue!  (Up in the blue!)

 

And when you hear that grand announcement,

Then we will all have wings of tin.

And you can bet your Junior Bird Men

Will send their boxtops in!

 

It takes just 4 boxtops, 6 bottle bottoms,

3 wrappers, 2 coupons,

And one thin dime!

 

 

ANOTHER VERSION:

Up in the air, Junior Bird Man!

Up in the air, upside down!

Up in the air, Junior Bird Man!

Keep your noses off the ground!  (Off the ground!)

 

When you hear the doorbell ring, (buzz, buzz)

When you see the badge of tin, (tin, tin)

Then you know that Junior Bird Man  [alt:  "Junior Bird Men..."]

Has turned his box tops in!  [alt:  "Have turned their box tops in!"]

 

For it takes: 5 box tops, 4 bottle bottoms,  [alt:  "...4 labels,"]

3 coupons, 2 wrappers,  [alt:  "...2 tokens,"]

And one thin dime!

 

B-i-r-d, B-i-r-d, B-i-r-d-m-a-n  Birdman, Birdman, Birdman  Buzzzzzzzz!

[alt:  "Oh, my goodness!  Oh, my soul!  I'm a member of the Bird Patrol!  Neeeeeeeee-ooooowwwwwwwwww!"]