On Top of Spaghetti



"On Top of Spaghetti" is a ballad and children's song with the best-known performance by folk singer Tom Glazer with the Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus in 1963. The song is sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smoky". It is the tale of a meatball that was lost when "somebody sneezed". The song discusses what happened to the meatball after it fell off of a pile of spaghetti and rolled away.

In 1961, to the same tune, Dick Biondi, The 9-Midnight DJ on WLS Chicago (1960–63), had recorded on IRC "The Pizza Song". In 1962 Sharon and the Lollipops recorded, on Versatile 112 published by Luristan Music Inc, registered through ASCAP, a 1:36 version of "On Top of Spaghetti" with a lyric credit to Sharon Ruth. Released in June 1962 and reviewed by Billboard under its Limited Sales Potential column in June 23 of that year. A version in Swedish was released in 1962 by Snopporna.

Tom Glazer with the Do-Re-Mi Children's Chorus, extended version was released on Kapp in 1963 with a contradictory lyric credit to Tom Glazer, but no publishing references were noted on the release labels.

The Kidsongs Kids perform their version on their video: A Day at Camp.

Italian Australian Joe Dolce from the Swap Shop TV Series also performs this song on ABC For Kids: Video Hits.

Lyrics
On top of spaghetti, All covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball, When somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table, And on to the floor, And then my poor meatball, Rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden, And under a bush, And then my poor meatball, Was nothing but mush.

The mush was as tasty As tasty could be, And early next summer, It grew into a tree.

The tree was all covered, With beautiful moss moss, It grew lovely meatballs, And tomato sauce.

So if you eat spaghetti, All covered with cheese, Hold on to your meatball, And don't ever sneeze.