Back in 1952, the equivalent of todays 'video going viral' might well have been a record like the one Oklahoman comic and musician Johnny Standley made, in front of an enthusiastic audience, which sold a million copies and for a while was constantly heard on radio, both here and in the US. It's a simple piece of character comedy, sending up the style of the tent-meeting revivalist preacher, waving his book on high...

I have a message for you - a very sad message!

My subject for this evening will be... Little Bo Peep.

It says here, "Little Bo Peep, who was a little girl, has lost her sheep. And doesn't know where to find them."

Now that's reasonable, isn't it?

It's - it's reasonable to assume, if Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep, It's only natural that she wouldn't know where to find them. That, that basically is reasonabl-l-le, but, uh, "leave them alone".

Now that overwhelms me...completely overwhelms me!

he man said she lost her sheep, turns right around and boldly states, "She doesn't know where to find them". And then has the stupid a-a-a-u-u-udacity to say, "Leave them alone"!

Now! Now, now think for a moment! Think!

If the sheep were lost, and you couldn't find them, You'd HAVE to leave them alone, wouldn't you? So... "Leave them alone". "Leave them alone"...

It's in the book!

"Leave them alone, and they" (they being the sheep) "they will come home". Ah yes, they'll come home. Oh, there'll be a brighter day tomorrow, they will come home!

It's in the book!

"They will come home...a-waggin' their tails" Pray tell me, what else COULD they wag?

They will come home, a-waggin' their tails... behind them." Behind them!

Did - we - think - they'd - wag - them - in - front?!

Of course they - they might have come home in reverse. They could have done that, I really don't know.

But nonetheless, it's in the book!

Now if you will, kindly, pick up your books, and turn to page two-hundred twenty-two, we'll ask you all to sing. You'll find your books on the back of your seats. Are we ready?

[Short Band intro]

Everyone, two twenty-two, let's really enjoy ourselves, let's live it up. All together...

[Piano arpeggio]

[Sings] You remember Grandma's lye soap
Good for everything in the home,
And the secret was in the scrubbing,
It wouldn't suds and couldn't foam.

[Chorus - exuberant]

Then let us sing right out of grandma's, of grandma's lye soap
Used for - for everything, everything on the place,
The pots and kettles, the dirty dishes,
And for your hands and for your face.

[band stops - audience clapping dies away slowly]

Shall we now sing the second verse...
Let's hit it with a great exuberance, let's live it up.
It's not raining inside tonight...
Everyone...let's have a happy time.
Are we ready? All together, the second verse.

[takes tuning note from piano]

[Sings] Hmmm.
Little Herman and Brother Thurman
Had an aversion to washing their ears
Grandma scrubbed them with the lye soap.
And they haven't heard a word in years.

[Chorus]

Then let us sing right out of grandma's, of grandma's lye soap.
Sing all out, all over the place.
The pots and kettles, the dirty dishes,
And also hands and also face...

[clapping fades again as band has stopped]

Well, let's sing what's left of the last verse.
Let's have a happy time, everyone.
The last verse, al-l-l-l together.

Ev-v-v-very one!

[piano note]

Mm-m-m-m. Thank you kindly, kindly,
[Sings] M-m-Mrs. O'Malley, out in the valley,
Suffered from ulcers, I understand.
She swallowed a cake of grandma's lye soap,
Has the cleanest ulcers in the land.

[Chorus - wild - lots of whooping!]

[Sings]Then let us sing right out of grandma's, of grandma's lye soap.
Sing right out. All over the place.
The pots and - the pots and pans, oh dirty dishes,
And the hands...

[tarah chord to finish]