I wrote this when I was 15. There was a kid in class we’d nicknamed “Sumo” because of his girth. One day he got a “Dutchboy” haircut, then he was “Sumo Dutchman.” So I made up a song about him.
THE BALLAD OF SUMO DUTCHMAN
Sit back, relax, my maties, while I tell my little tale
About a Sumo Dutchman who’s a cousin of the whales
He’s got the brains of twenty and the strength of ninety-five
Oh, there is no doubt about it, he’s the toughest man alive
When Sumo was a baby, he was dumped by mom and dad
It seems they couldn’t take it, he was naughty, mean, and bad
But then a whale took him in down by the sea one day
And Sumo like it so much he decided he would stay
CHORUS
Cuz he’s Sumo Dutchman, he’s as deadly as formaldehyde
If you see Sumo comin’, best get on your horse and ride
He’s meaner than a polecat, and he’s gonna mangle you
Oh, when you meet Sumo Dutchman, you have net your Waterloo
When he was only twelve years old, he weighed four hundred pounds
He lived on rhinos, badgers, beavers, and a few bloodhounds
The day that he turned eighteen he was standin’ twelve foot three
And he became a sailor cuz he’d always loved the sea
He bought a sailin’ ship, her name was “Old Potato Sacks”
And when the crew took sight of him, they fainted in their tracks
He set a course for Spain, because he’d heard there’s treasures there
And when the crew got out of hand, he pulled out all their hair
CHORUS
Once a hearty sailor tried to do ol’ Sumo in
He sneaked up behind the Dutchman and he bashed him in the chin
The sailor started laughing and he thought himself quite brave
But the Dutchman gave a sumo kick and sent him to his grave
The crew became unsettled and they staged a mutiny
They planned to tie the Dutchman up and throw him in the sea
But when they charged his cabin, they found nothing there to tie
Cuz Sumo’d found a female whale and ran off to Shanghai
CHORUS