Paul McCartney giggles his way through singing "Sitting on a woody-pecker/ sucking on a lollypoppa... everytime I try to do it/My whole darn tongue gets tired"
Transcript of Paul McCartney and Donovan recorded during the sessions for Mary Hopkin’s Postcard LP as heard on the “No. 3 Abbey Road N.W. 8” bootleg CD. (reproduced from https://davidgray101.tripod.com/PaulandDonovan.html )
Fade in, Paul playing acoustic guitar and singing How Do You Do?. Paul: (singing)How to suck a lollypopper, Sitting on a woodypecker, Dancing in the double-decker shoe, (Donovan snickers, presumably at Paul’s nonsensical lyrics) (note, this is the writers assumption that what Donovan is laughing about is the 'nonsensical lyrics' and not the innuendo) I don’t know,
How do you do?
Paul and Donovan:(singing together) How to suck a lollypopper,
Sitting on a woodypecker,
Dancing in the double-decker shoe,
I don’t know,
So, how do you do?
Donovan attempts to harmonize on the last word, ‘do’, but hits a sour note, causing both him and Paul to laugh. Paul carries on alone.
Paul: (singing) I don’t know how you do it,
Lordy, knows I try,
But every time I try to do it,
My whole darn tongue gets tied
Regarding ‘How Do You Do’ John C Winn writes in ‘That Magic Feeling’
As the tape opens, Paul is singing what appears to be a nursery rhyme of his own creation ‘How Do You Do’,, although the lyrics about “sucking on a lollipopper” and “sitting on a woody pecker” can be taken more than one way! Donovan harmonizes in spots, and Paul does a double-time impression of the song as Danny Kaye might perform it.
(yes, Paul singing about sucking and sitting on phallic objects can definitely be taken in more than one way!)
I can only take it in one way, myself.
