If You're Happy and You Know It

"If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular children's song, or nursery rhyme, of which the authorship is not sure. It is supposed to belong to the public domain, although many of the different versions of the song are still protected by copyright law. One such version is the one written by songwriter Alfred B. Smith (1916-2001). It has, like many familiar childhood cantations, been altered in various ways over the years for various uses, particularly as political rags.

The original song as it is known to many people begins:

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're happy and you know it,

And you really want to show it,

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

A common variation of the fourth line is "Then your face will surely show it."

The song usually proceeds with other verses that replace "clap your hands" with things like "stomp your feet." New York Islanders fans at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum sing that song as "If you know the Rangers suck clap your hands."

OTHER VARIATIONS

If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it

If you're happy and you know it, then you really ought to show it

shout "Hurray!"

(hoo-ray!)

say "Amen"

(Amen)

slap your legs

(slap slap)

turn around

snap your fingers

(snap snap)

slap your knees

(slap slap)

nod your head

(nod nod)

tap your toe

(tap tap)

Honk your nose

(honk honk)

Stomp your feet

(Stomp Stomp)

Other versions

Numerous variations of this have been created as entertainment.

In the popular TV show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody the English and Japanese versions were sung in the Tipton Hotel's entertainment show for adults.

"Shiawase Nara Te o Tatakō" (幸せなら手を叩こう, meaning "If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands.") is the Japanese version of this song written by Rihito Kimura. A version of it can be seen in the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

For years, Cal Worthington has used a variation of the tune as the advertising jingle for his Worthington automobile dealerships in the United States.

The European resorts of Centerparcs use the tune in their tv adds promoting holiday parcs.

Comedian-singer Steven Brust recorded a song titled "I Was Born Ten Million Songs Ago" about rock performers, including verses such as:

I told Goodman he should write about a train; [ City of New Orleans (song) ]
I told Brian Wilson not to go insane;
When Mick was very young
I cut off half his tongue,
And I tried to keep poor Buddy off that plane.

By late 2002-early 2003, before the Iraq War, a song named "Bomb Iraq" circulated on many sites on the Internet. The lyrics criticized war.

See also

Miyavi - the Japanese solo artist once covered the song during a live concert using Japanese lyrics in place of the original English ones