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Short Stories: Four Generations of Popeye and His Garbage Can

popeye the sailor man

As a child in the 1960s, I was taught several ditties by my father, including one about Popeye and his garbage can:

Popeye the sailor man, lived in the garbage can,

Ate all the worms, and spit out the germs,

Popeye, the sailor man!

As a father, I taught my children this song too. Classical music at its best. 🙂

Several of our children came over on Mother’s Day to worship at Polly’s feet. We had a wonderful day.

As I came into our living room, I overheard son #2 tell one of his younger children:

Popeye the sailor man, lived in the garbage can,

Ate all the worms, and spit out the germs,

Popeye, the sailor man!

🙂

Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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3 Comments

  1. Avatar
    MJ Lisbeth

    I grew up with this version,

    I’m Popeye the Sailor Man
    I live in a garbage can
    I eat all the junk
    And I smell like a skunk
    I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.

    Some things never get old.

  2. Avatar
    Dave

    Here was mine:
    I’m Popeye the sailor man-I live in a frying pan-They turn on the gas-And burn off my ass- I’m Popeye the sailor man

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