One of my favorite Bristol people is Wallace Barnes. I know him pretty well, but he still surprises me with his stories and recently, he shared one about the Crocodile Club that I can share with the readers of Extra B.S.
In 1954, at the tender age of 26, Wally ran against Tom Dodd (Chris Dodd's dad) for Congress in the First District. Our man from the Mum City "lost big time," as he put it, but had a lot of fun in the process.
In fact, he said, he was "infected by a lifetime case of 'politicicis.'"
A highlight of the race, he told me, was attending the Crocodile Club and performing a song at the event on the ukelele. He wrote the lyrics, set to the tune of "Five Foot Two."
It was, he told me, "one of the limited number of tunes I could play."
Now for your Extra B.S. exclusive,which I saved for right before the Crocodile Club.
Here are the lyrics, published with permission from the ukelele-playing Wally Barnes himself:
"Out in Bristol, by a clear cool lakeEvery year there's a big sheep bake
They named it after a crocodile.
Gad Norton's plan was not too deep
He approached the boys who liked roast sheep
And they all ate like crocodiles!Now, whether this tale is false or true
Is very hard to say.But the Good Lord wasn't too dismayed
'cause the sun always shines on Crocodile Day.
So, eat the sheep, enjoy the fun
And doze away while the speeches run
Today we all are crocodiles."
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