Singing in the bathtub

Is there anything more rewarding than finishing a grimy, sweaty job that has to be done and hopping into the fresh, fragrant arms of a nice steamy shower or sliding into a sudsy tub of hot water?

It's like all of your work was worth it for those moments bobbing along in the tub or feeling the pulsating of the massaging shower head spray its magical watery fingers along an aching back.

Of course, while contemplating soaps, loofahs and various colors of washcloths from the stack brings up all kinds of thoughts that are normally pushed either to the back burner or completely off the stove entirely.

Can my voice echo enough reverb in the tile shower stall to equal the magnificence of Reba singing "Fancy" or will the tub offer a more mellow tune as I warble out a Gladys Knight number sans the Pips?

Sometimes, I have the window by the shower open to allow steam to escape to the yard and I have wondered what the neighbors think, if anything, about the song-filled ritual of cleanliness that goes on.

I've heard it said that cleanliness is next to Godliness and wonder if the addition of music adds or detracts from the potential Godliness? Does God like the Pips? Or would He prefer Aida?

Although my musical tastes are fairly eclectic and I do have a broad base from which to choose, I'd hate to know that when my time comes, that should I happen to be in the shower when the fateful tick of the clock arrives, my opportunity at a heavenly berth was unsecured because I was belting out my own rendition of a show tune that didn't pass muster with the Heavenly Chorus.

While it is true that I participate in church choirs and in my youth was in choirs from primary school through college, and even now enjoy the rich and beautiful music of a well rehearsed choir, I must confess to spending plenty of quality alone time singing into hairbrushes and combs while blowdrying my hair. I'll admit from time to time, I have also employed a hot curling iron as a microphone between roll-ups. I've been known to sing in the car as I drive along gathering the stares of the other people on the road who must certainly wonder why the license examiner would allow a mentally defective person to have a license to drive.

But far and away, it seems that the muse of music strikes the most often while I'm lathering up in a soapy, humid environment. I'm not exactly sure what creates the urge to bring on my inner "Lion King" while I'm shaving a leg or two. And frankly, if the neighbors ARE disturbed by the cacaphony of sound belting out of the bathroom window, they have, up to this point, been remarkably restrained in their response. No bags of flaming dog poop have appeared on my front porch... yet.

Perhaps it all harks back to a Tweety Bird cartoon I watched as a wee small gnat of a child. There he was in all his feathered and yellow glory immersed in a pint sized claw-foot tub with an oversized back scrubbing brush singing to the top of his lungs. The evil eye of Sylvester was spying on him necessitating a quick hop from the tub and a wrap in a tiny towel to clothes the window blinds for privacy from the prying eyes of a hungry cat. Although the rest of the cartoon has long since faded from memory, I can still hear that lispy, high-pitched Tweety Bird voice carrying his tune in the tub.

I have found the lyrics and post them here as a dip in the pond of warm memories.

If you find yourself singing along, don't blame me. I just provide the lyrics, I don't ask you to entertain your neighborhood from your own open bathroom window.

Singing In The Bathtub


Magidson/Washington/Cleary


1. Singing in the bathtub


Sitting all alone


Tearing out a tonsil


Just like a baritone




2. Singing through the soap suds


Life is full of hope


I can sing with feeling


While feeling the soap




3. Oh the ring around the bathtub


Isn't so nice to see


But the ring around the bathtub


Is a rainbow to me




4. I can yodel opera


Even while I scrub


Everybody's happy


While singing in the tub




5. Never take a shower


It's an awful pain


Singing in the shower's


Like singing in the rain





6. Oh there is dirt to be abolished


But don't forget one thing


While the body's washed and polished


Sing, brother, sing






7. Reaching for a towel


Happy once again


Watching all my troubles


Go swirling down the drain