Good Advice

Lyrics

[Verse 1] I know a man named Otis who invented a room And his heart was filled with pride I said to Mr. Otis, "What does your room do?" He said, "It goes from side to side" So I said, "Mr. Otis, if you take my advice You'll be the richest man in town You gotta take that room that goes from side to side And make it go up and down" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price I sincerely doubt That the world could do without My good advice [Verse 2] Sir Isaac Newton came around to my house one day His face was all sunburned and red He said he didn't want to sleep in the shade of a tree Because an apple might fall on his head I said, "Sir Isaac, you dumbbell, take my advice Go right back there and sleep beneath that tree And if you let that rotten apple fall down on your head Why, you'll discover gravity" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price The world's a better place Since I gave the human race My good advice [Verse 3] A man named Mr. Waterman invented a tube He was sad because it sprung a little leak He said, "Darn it, when I hold my tube on a piece of paper The ink leaks out and makes a little streak" He said, "I've gotta find a way to stop that leak I'll start working on my leakproof tube again" I said, "Waterman, you idiot, don't stop that leak! You just invented a fountain pen!" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price I'm so worldly wise I should get the Nobel Prize For good advice [Verse 4] Good old Henry Ford, he was a hardworking man He worked all night and all day I said, "Henry, watcha doin'?" And Henry, he said, "I'm inventing the Chevrolet" He said, "I've already built twenty-five models One for each letter from A to Z" I said, "Henry, you fool, there are twenty-six letters in the alphabet He said, "Good heavens, I forgot the Model T!" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price It's fruitful as can be And it's absolutely free My good advice [Verse 5] Wilbur and Orville were two brothers named Wright The nicest pair of kids you've ever seen They worked twelve years on a secret project They thought it was a washing machine I said, "Fellas, what are all those wings for?" They said, "For hanging clothes out to dry" I said, "You fools, take that washing machine out to Kitty Hawk And see if the darn thing'll fly" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price I'm so smart that I'm Gonna win a Guggenheim For good advice [spoken] One more time! [Verse 6] Benjamin Franklin was a charming old man He was always flying his kite One night I said, "Benjy, why ain't you out with your kite?" He said, "Because it's raining tonight" I said, "Benjy, sweetie, you go right back out there And to your kite string, tie a key This may shock you, Benjy, my boy But that's electricity" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price I'll be fond of you If you'll only listen to My good advice [Verse 7] Ooga Magoog was a Neanderthal man A very poorly educated soul He had a great big square thing made of solid stone And in the middle of it was a hole One day he had to go from his cave in Natchez To his uncle's cave in Mobile I said, "Round off those corners and buy a set of tires And Oogy baby, that's a wheel" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price Harvard offered me A Phi Beta Kappa key For good advice [Verse 8] Sigmund Freud, he had an unfurnished house He was a very nosy fellow, so it seems He had no chairs so he made all his friends stand around all day And tell him all their secrets and their dreams Well, while they stood there talking 'till they got fallen arches They yelled, "My feet are killing me—ouch!" I said, "Sigmund, don't you realize you've got a gold mine here? Go out and buy yourself a leather couch!" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price Every word you're told Will be 18 karat gold That's good advice [Verse 9] Alexander Graham Bell was building a fence With some wood, and a long piece of wire He said, "There's something strange going on around here I keep hearing the voice of Uncle Myer." I said, "Mr. Graham Cracker"—that was my little joke— "With that wire you got the world in your power Just get a mouthpiece, and an earpiece, and a piece in between And you'll sponsor The Telephone Hour" [Chorus] And that was good advice, good advice Good advice costs nothing, and it's worth the price Every word ya hear Is the message of the year It's good advice [Verse 10] Christopher Columbus was a seaman second class When I told him that the Indies could be found By sailing to the West instead of sailing to the East I advised him that I thought the world was round—I really thought so! And then I sent him down to ask good Queen Isabella To pawn her jewels for all their worth Next day he set sail, and as everyone knows He fell off the edge of the Earth [Chorus] And that was bad advice, bad advice Bad advice is just the same as good advice Everybody makes Occasional mistakes And that was bad advice