Groundhogs Day

Tune = The Ballad of Jed Clampett (The Beverly Hillbillies theme)
Copr. 1988 by Don Halley

Come and listen to a story 'bout a groundhog, Phil
He sleeps throughout the winter to escape the bitter chill
And then one day on February Two
He's up from the ground, and here's what he will do
Open his eyes - Look around - Prognosticate

Well the next thing y'know, ol' Phil's a media star
Camera crews and newsmen come from near and far
To Punxsutawney town in the middle of PA
To determine whether winter will go or will it stay
Six more weeks - Maybe longer - In Minnesota

A shadow means a longer nap for Phil and all his kin
They begin to huddle up and start a new sleep-in
But you and me we just can't sleep throughout the winter here
So have a heapin' hopin' the shadow won't appear

According to the old English saying:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

From Scotland:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year.

And from America:
If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay.

From Germany:
For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.

If the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day,
an animal would cast a shadow,
thus predicting six more weeks of Winter.

The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck (Marmota monax), is a member of the squirrel family. Groundhogs in the wild eat succulent green plants, such as dandelion, clover, and grasses. According to handler Bill Deeley, a local funeral director, Phil weighs 15 pounds and thrives on dog food and ice cream in his climate-controlled home at the Punxsutawney Library. Up on Gobbler's Knob, Phil is placed in a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stump on stage before being pulled out at 7:25 a.m. to make his prediction.