Lizard and Fish

If I ran a game store I would play the song Lizard and Fish by Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club.

If I ran a pet store I would play the same song since the song is about a lizard and a fish on a pet store shelf dreaming of the wide world. Well, maybe not since the song gets a bit tragic. The daydreams of Lizard and Fish are cut short when a fire erupts and sends a panic through the shop. Roaring flames and clouds of smoke imperil Lizard and Fish, when suddenly, just like in the film Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Pee-Wee Herman strides in to carry all to safety.

Lizard and Fish is from Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club 2003 album Goodbye My 4-Track – an album that I have heard Dr. Demento describe as "the Sergeant Peppers of comedy music"* and that I will be citing later on X Marks the Beat. A lot of Whitehurst's music is compared to They Might Be Giants and Flight ofthe Conchords. I think this one has a little Randy Newman in it. Lizard and Fish is a stroll along a piano keyboard with an accompanying clarinet, some broken meter on lyrics, and one of the best committed gags with Fish's voice.

* Spoken at an event on August 30, 2014 at Cinefamily/Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles

Lizard and Fish on CDBaby

Lizard and Fish lyrics

Lizard and Fish, oh what a pair

One lived underwater and the other breathed air

On a shelf in a pet store, on Aisle 13

Lizard and Fish would sit together and dream

And Lizard said, "Fish, how's the water today?"

And Fish said, "(blub blub blub)"

And Lizard said "Somehow, we'll both get away

And be a refugee lizard and fish"

Lizard was bright, he was clever and sly

There wasn't an escape routine that he hadn't tried

And Fish was a master of keeping his cool

While dreaming about the day he'd go back to school

And Lizard jumped up on the wall of his tank

And Fish said, "(blub blub blub)"

And Lizard said, "Someday we'll get to the river bank

And we can live like a lizard and fish"

One day

There was a fire in the back of the store

And all the animals were screaming and squawking and otherwise talking

About the terrible stench and the roar of the flames

Then suddenly Lizard and Fish were grabbed from their homes

By Pee-Wee Herman

Who was clearing out the burning store and putting all the animals outside

Take it, Fish

 (blub blub blub blub)

And Lizard said, "Fish, we're finally free

And fish said, "(blub blub blub)"

And they built a rocket and flew to the moon

Where they spent their days eating flies a lot

And singing about the wonderful day

The store burned and Pee-Wee saved them

And looking at the stars 'cause they were

Really really pretty

And living their lives like lizard and fish