MovieChat Forums > Pop Gear Discussion > Creepy song, creepy host....

Creepy song, creepy host....

posted 10 years ago by marknpnk
10 replies | jump to latest

I saw this on TCM tonight, and just about fell on the floor when, after Robert Osborne had mentioned during the intro that the movie's host (more of a VJ, really) Jimmy Savile, had been uncovered after his death as a serial child molester (one of the worst in British history), that the first song up was Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas hit, "Little Children", which contains these charming lyrics:

"Little children, you better not tell on me I'm tellin' you
Little children, you better not tell what you see And if you're good
I'll give you candy and a quarter
If you're quiet like you oughta be
And keep a secret with me".

Good Lord! Is that the official pedophilia anthem?
Possibly the creepiest song I've ever heard, and surprised that Savile didn't have them perform an encore of it .....

[–] cj102359 10 years ago

My wife and I are watching this as I type and she said exactly the same thing.

[–] MystMoonstruck 10 years ago

One must have a perverted mind to decipher the lyrics in that way! A boy is bribing his girlfriend's siblings to leave them alone! He doesn't want to kiss her while they are spying on them.

Sheesh! How difficult is that to understand?! How can people twist such innocent lyrics into a darker meaning?

I'm shocked by the minds in the world today that see perversion in a Sixties date song, in Shirley Temple movies and in practically everything nowadays. Wash your minds out!

LYRICS:
Little children, you better not tell on me
I'm tellin' you
Little children, you better not tell what you see
And if you're good
I'll give you candy and a quarter
If you're quiet like you oughta be
And keep a secret with me

I wish they would go away
Little children, now why aren't you playin' outside
I'm askin' you
You can't fool me, 'cause I'm gonna know if you hide and try to peek
I'm gonna treat you to a movie
Stop your gigglin', children do be nice
Like little sugars and spice.

You saw me kissin' your sister, you saw me holdin' her hand
But if you snitch to your mother, your father won't understand.

I wish they would take a nap
Little children, now why don't you go bye-bye
Go anywhere at all
Little children, I know you would if you tried
Go up the stairs
Me and your sister, we're goin' steady
How can I kiss her when I'm ready to
With little children like you around?
I wonder what can I do around
Little children like you?

DO NOT TAKE THINGS OUT OF CONTEXT! Many songs and lots of literature (as well as non-fiction) can be interpreted vastly differently if you pick and choose words. WASH OUT YOUR DIRTY MINDS!

(W)hat are we without our dreams?
Making sure our fantasies
Do not overpower our realities. ~ RC

[–] xdayton 10 years ago

One must have a dull mind to not at least make the connection to Saville's crimes.

First thing I thought of.

[–] gmierz 10 years ago

The song was a pretty big hit in the U.S., so anyone who remembers it from that era can place "Little Children" in its proper context. Savile sure looked creepy, though.

[–] tedspe 10 years ago

Yeah, I just watched this on TCM On-Demand yesterday. Until they get to the final verse, it did come off as creepy as hell especially after being introduced by Savile. In fact, I rewound it and listened again just to ensure myself

[–] TomInSanFrancisco 10 years ago

If you (and some others here) made that connection, then I see how it would creep you out. But don't insult the rest of us who enjoyed that song for decades, and can listen to it without seeing Saville in the shadows.

[–] mcfaddensflats 8 years ago

Absolutely, Myst!

[–] Hermies_Purrbuckets 8 years ago

Yes, it's pretty obvious that "Little Children" was written as a tongue-in-cheek homage to England, known all over the world even then as the land of the pedophile. The "plot" of the song is as the above poster stated, but of course the "subtext" is about something else entirely. This is one of the oldest tricks in song-writing, and this song is a good example of this technique at its peak. And it is impossible that the producers of this film were unaware of host Jimmy Saville's notorious reputation, even then, and that is probably why "Little Children" is the first studio-set song in the film. (A number by the Beatles preceded the main credits in the original release - I don't know which version made it to TCM). So Billy J Kramer's song was a little in-joke on the part of the industry...

[–] CaptainTerrific 10 years ago

I've always thought this song had creepy undertones, long before the news of Savile's extra-curricular activities came to light. Having an old film of him introducing this, right out of the gate, is pretty strange, in a so-disturbing-it's-oddly-funny kind of way.

[–] mcfaddensflats 8 years ago

For goodness sake!
The song is about an older teenager who has been fumbling on with his girlfriend in the front room when they think they're alone. Then he finds out the younger siblings of the girl have seen them carrying on and he's bribing the kids not to squeal to the parents about it. There's nothing "paedo" about the song.