Title: Interjections!
Music & Lyrics by: Lynn Ahrens
Performed by: Essra Mohawk
First aired: 1974
My rank: #8

“Interjections!” has, without a doubt, one of the most entertaining choruses of any song ever written. Around my kids I’ll often bust out with a “so when you’re happy” and then paused only to see them both instantly smile and shout “hooray!” a second later. There’s just something empirically fun about this entire piece.

Just one of three entries in my top ten that weren’t written by Bob Dorough, “Interjections!” was penned by Tony award winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens (who also wrote the lyrics to “Seussical the Musical”) with vocals by prolific singer and songwriter Essra Mohawk. Mohawk’s familiar voice completely carried other SHR staples like “Suffering Until Suffrage” and “Mother Necessity”. I absolutely adore the way she accentuates the ends of several lines of the lyrics with her perfect harmonizing.

Now I’ve been accused for years by friends and co-workers alike of using too many exclamation marks when I write emails. I’m just being true to what I learned in my #8 favorite Schoolhouse Rock — “they’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point…or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.” So there!

As mentioned earlier, my children absolutely love the chorus of this song. My daughter, after receiving a particularly good grade card, held it out to show me and posed like the girl from the episode. And, yes, she even gave me a rather exaggerated “w-o-w!” to boot. “Interjections!” is just an all-around solid introduction to something that most kids don’t realize they use as often as they do. Now only if we could get them to say “rats” when they find themselves mad rather than what they default to these days.

Favorite line: “Hurray! I’m for the other team!” I’ve often used this taunt when watching sports with someone that is rooting for a team that has just lost their lead. Also “Hey, that’s not fair givin’ a guy a shot down there!” I couldn’t agree more, kid.

The lyrics:

(Cough! Cough! Cough!)
When Reginald was home with flu, uh-huh-huh,
The doctor knew just what to do-hoo.
He cured the infection
With one small injection
While Reginald uttered some interjections..

Hey! That smarts!
Ouch! That hurts!
Yow! That’s not fair givin’ a guy a shot down there!

Interjections (Hey!) show excitement (Yow!) or emotion (Ouch!).
They’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point,
Or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.

Though Geraldine played hard to get, uh-huh-huh
Geraldo knew he’d woo her ye-het
He showed his affection
Despite her objections
And Geraldine hollered some interjections…

Well! You’ve got some nerve!
Oh! I’ve never been so insulted in all my life!
Hey! You’re kinda cute!

Interjections (Well!) show excitement (Oh!) or emotion (Hey!).
They’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point,
Or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.

So when you’re happy (Hurray!) or sad (Aw!)
Or frightened (Eeeeeek!) or mad (Rats!)
Or excited (Wow!) or glad (Hey!)
An interjection starts a sentence right.

The game was tied at seven all, uh-huh-huh,
When Franklin found he had the ba-hall.
He made a connection
In the other direction,
And the crowd starting shouting out interjections…

Aw! You threw the wrong way!
Darn! You just lost the game!
Hurray! I’m for the other team!

Interjections (Aw!) show excitement (Darn!) or emotion (Hurray!).
They’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point,
Or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.

So when you’re happy (Hurray!) or sad (Aw!)
Or frightened (Eeeeeek!) or mad (Rats!)
Or excited (Wow!) or glad (Hey!)
An interjection starts a sentence right.

Interjections (Hey!) show excitement (Hey!) or emotion (Hey!).
They’re generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point,
Or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.

Interjections show excitement or emotion,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah… YEA!

Darn! That’s the end!