Ballad of The Sneak
From Homestar Runner Wiki
The Ballad of The Sneak
Performed by DaVinci's Notebook.
The 1936 equivalent of The Cheat Theme Song, sung by The Barbershop Trio.
Cast (in order of appearance): The Barbershop Trio, The Sneak, The Guy at the Depot, The Strong Bad, The Homestar Runner, Fat Dudley, Sickly Sam, 1936 Marzipan, Strong Man, The Football Player, Mr. Shmallow (sort of), The Kaiser.
Page Title: The Ballad of The Sneak
Contents |
Lyrics
I know a lively fellow,
who is really quite unique.
He's small and smart and yellow,
with a rodent-like physique.
He doesn't play the cello,
and he never deigns to speak.
He's The Strong Bad's Leporello,
and they just call him The Sneak!
If you've got a caper
then you know who to call.
It's the Sneak!
It's The Sneak!
Who's the Dapper Swindler
out of Tammany Hall?
Mo-mo-lo-de-oh-do
It's The Sneak!
That charming little whatzit
who's The Strong Man's greatest pal?
It's The Sneak!
It's The Sneak!
Who did the Hully-Gully
on the Panama Canal?
Doo-wacka-doo-wacka-doo
It's The Sneak!
{instrumental}
Who's that jaunty jackanapes
with moxie and pizazz?
It's The Sneak! (Yes, sir!)
It's The Sneak!
Who's been drinking bootleg hooch
and listening to the jazz?
Vo-vo-voh-de-oh-doh
It's The Sneak!
Who captures all the flapper girls' affections?
Who made off with my Fluffy Puff confections?
He's dastardly!
He loves catastrophe!
His schemes are masterly!
Takes tea at half past three!
That sneaky sneaker's sneakin' all over town!
Who dropped The Homestar Runner
from his flying machine? (Humdinger!)
Is it The Sneak? (28 skidoo!)
It's The Sneak!
Who put a bengal tiger
in The Kaiser's latrine? (Ach Du lieber!)
It's The Sneak! (What's the rumpus?)
You know it's The Sneak! (Take it home!)
The Sneakity Sneak all day long!
THE HOMESTAR RUNNER: What?
Fun Facts
Trivia
- This toon features all of the main characters's 1936 counterparts except for The Poopsmith and Homsar.
- The dance Sickly Sam does is the Charleston, a popular dance in the 1920s and 30s.
- The Hully Gully was a hit in the 1960s, but wasn't around in 1936.
- A jackanapes is a whippersnapper. An upstart. A rascal.
- This toon, as well as That A Ghost, refers to illegal alcohol, but Prohibition had been repealed before 1936/37, when the cartoons were supposedly made.
Inside References
- The Sneak being silhouetted and going across hills may be a reference to the Old Intro 2.
- Seeing as the Sneak is the 1936 parallel of The Cheat, the scene of the Sneak's head being blown back and turned black by the phonograph is most likely a reference to The Cheat's Head Exploding.
- This is effectively the 1936 version of The Cheat Theme Song.
Real-World References
- "Leporello" is a reference to the Mozart opera Don Giovanni. In it, Leporello is a side-kick to the Spanish legend.
- "Tammany Hall" was a political society in New York City (19th/early 20th century), known for its corruption and power. William Tweed was a strong figure in Tammany. (see below)
- A political cartoon appears briefly which features The Sneak getting booted out of a door by a foot that says "Prohibition?" The Sneak has dropped a paper that says "Hoot-Smalley Tariff" and the caption reads "Boss Tweed gives The Sneak what-for!"
- The "Hoot-Smalley Tariff" is a play off of the "Smoot-Hawley Tariff" that was enacted during The Great Depression, largely considered to be one of the most inept pieces of legislation ever passed by congress.
- The scene with the Sneak and the phonograph is a parody of a well-known advertisment for the old devices which featured a little dog looking into an RCA Victor gramophone ("His master's voice").
- Ach du lieber "Why I ever!", is a reference to the Viennese folk song "Ach du lieber Augustin".
- The line may also be "Ach der lieber!", a reference to the song Return of the Red Baron by the Royal Guardsmen. This is the curse the Baron yells at Snoopy, which means "Oh dear!"
- "Moxie" is the name of a soft drink popular during the early 20th century. The name became a slang term meaning liveliness and daring.
- Bootleg Hooch (or "Moonshine") is homemade whiskey that is produced and/or sold through illegal methods.
- Prohibition was established in 1919 by the passage of the 18th amendment to the Constitution. It outlawed the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. It was eventually repealed in 1933 by the passage of the 21st amendment.
- "The Ballad of the Sneak" also appears on the album "Shame and Cookie Dough" by Paul and Storm, two former members of DaVinci's Notebook. The CD includes the original H*R.com version and one with commentary.
- "28 skidoo" is a play on "23 skidoo", a bit of slang popular during the Roaring Twenties. It generally meant to leave quickly, sometimes specifically meaning to "get out while the getting's good" (very appropriate for the Sneak). Webster's Online Dictionary offers a number of possible origins for the phrase.
- "What's the rumpus" is probably a reference to Miller's Crossing, a Prohibition-era gangster movie, in which it is used as a greeting by several characters.
- The Sir Strong Bad watch is a reference to the old Mickey Mouse watches of the 1930s.
- The scene with the Sneak running inside an I-beam while other characters dance on top may be a visual reference to the old Atari game Pitfall. If nothing else, several cartoons from the time period featured characters playing in the I-beams of construction sites, such as Olive Oyl when she was hypnotized by Bluto in a Popeye cartoon.
- The poster with The Dappler Swindler has "known in the Northwest Territories as The Sneak" at the bottom. The Northwest Territories is a territory located in, well, the northwest of Canada.
