1. Writing Parody
Poetry
Aiden Yeh, PhD
Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages

2. Learning Goal
• Learn how to write funny poems using
song parody

3. Parody
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/parody

4. • Oh My Darling, Clementine
• The Itsy-Bitsy Spider
• On Top of Old Smokey
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat
• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
• Miss Susie
• My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
• Yankee Doodle

5. My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
• My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
My Bonnie lies over the sea.
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
Please bring back my Bonnie to me.
• Bring back, bring back,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.
Bring back, bring back,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

6. • To change this into a new song, we will want to
keep the same rhythm and the same rhyme
pattern.
• have the second line rhyme with the fourth line,
just as in the original.
• We’ll probably also want to have something or
someone lying on top of something or someone
else.
• change “Bonnie” and the thing that “Bonnie” is
on.

7. Ken Nesbitt’s Parady

8. My Bonnie lies over
the over the ocean
Sing along, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp_vkZkMQNU

9. Sing along, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnh3Ag8yAfk
http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/how-to-write-a-silly-song-parody/

10. It’s your turn
• Pick a song (short children’s song)
• Change the first line just enough to make
it different but still recognizable
• Keep the original rhythm and the original
rhyme scheme
• Keep on writing and see where it leads
you

11. It’s your turn
• Oh My Darling, Clementine
• The Itsy-Bitsy Spider
• On Top of Old Smokey
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat
• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
• Miss Susie
• My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
• Yankee Doodle

12. You’re Beautiful/ You’re Pitiful
Parody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeAWESP7THs
With lyrics, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVGoOBTmDA8

13. Assignment
• Pick a song to parody (no children’s song this
time)
• Change the first line just enough to make it
different but still recognizable
• Keep the original rhythm and the original rhyme
scheme
• Keep on writing and see where it leads you
• Read, http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cVGoOBTmDA8 for more tips
• No obscenities please