Because they're macaws?
 

After a recent Tiki Room visit, GD and I were mentioning the lyrics and realized there was one part we never quite understood. I just looked it up and found that I've been saying it wrong.

Kamikaze? In the song the word is pronounced kaw-ma-cause, not ka-mi-ka-zi. I thought the line went "the boys in the back are called macaws".

So what does it mean? Are macaws naturally violent? Was the mispronunciation an accepted Americanization of the term back then?

It seems there are always more mysteries to uncover in the enchanted tiki room.

I'm finding several different transcriptions of the lyrics on the internet and I don't know if any are from official sources. From old war movies I've never heard kamikaze pronouned kah-mi-cause.

But the transcription I'm finding that matches my understanding of the lyrics is:

- The boys in the back are called macaws

- Because of their caws?

- No, because they're macaws!


That has the benefit of making sense (reminding me of a David Mamet line: "Everybody wants money. That's why they call it money."

Could this kamikaze version be an "excuse me while I kiss this guy" situation?

I don't know about the kamikaze thing, but this last time I listened carefully and I'm pretty sure I distinctly heard "because of their claws", not "caws". But I'm often wrong in such matters.

I think Greg's right.

I also have to admit that I had my own "scuse me while I kiss this guy" moment in the Tiki Room. "In the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room... where the birds sing words and the flowers groom..." Yeah, my brother informed me it's "croon." But it doesn't rhyme!

Ah, the blessing and curse of the half-rhyme.

Yeah, I hope all those lame lyrics sites are wrong. It makes much more sense the other way.

Does anyone have a Disneyland songbook they can reference, or maybe some CD liner notes lyrics?

I always thought the lyric was:
The boys in the back are called Macaws
Because of their claws?
No! Because they're macaws!

I thought it was one of those silly answer-not-an-answer jokes.

Ditto.
I just played it on the pod, and I dont get kamakazie at all.

I'm with Ponine - I have three versions on my iPod, and I just listened to 'em all again.

"The boys in the back are called macaws.
Because of their claws?
Because they're macaws!"

I think the lyrics are printed in one of the official park CDs I have at home... I'll check it out later.

Oh well, I still always sing "All the birds make turds/While the tourists snooze/In the Tacky tacky tacky tacky tacky room" :)

oooh ow :p