The Macaroni and Cheese Song words and music © 2001 by James Kushner (first draft Dec 28, 2001) (this version Apr 30, 2003) (chorus) D - - - Ma-acaroni and cheese D - A7 - Ma-acaroni and cheese D D7 G - Oh, the cheese, it may be phony, but that's real macaroni A7 - D - In the ma-acaroni and cheese (verse) D - G D When lunchtime rolls around, then really I could use D - E A7 a quick and filling meal, and what better thing to choose? D D7 G - It's a culinary offer that I never can refuse D - A7 - It's macaroni and cheese D - G D I could have a bowl of soup, or a fast-food fish filet, D - E A7 Some ham and Swiss on rye, or some good ol' PBJ D D7 G - But there's really no occasion where I could ever say D A7 D - No to macaroni and cheese (chorus) Ma-acaroni and cheese Ma-acaroni and cheese Add some butter and some milk, it goes down as smooth as silk It's ma-acaroni and cheese (verse) You can have it with a roll, or maybe with some toast But plain and simple in the bowl is how I like it most It's a kitchen-cupboard staple feeding folks from coast to coast It's macaroni and cheese Some folks would give their arm for a roasted leg of lamb And some folks go all gooey for a buttered scone with jam But for me, a box of this stuff is the finest food what am- It's macaroni and cheese (chorus) Ma-acaroni and cheese Ma-acaroni and cheese Serve me up a steaming bowl, it will thrill me to my soul It's ma-acaroni and cheese (verse) The expensive stuff from Annie's, or the cheaper stuff from Kraft Or the no-name in-store house brand, you'll never get the shaft. I've eaten so much, now I look like William Howard Taft- Lots of macaroni and cheese It's a comfort food I search for every time I'm in the store On the coldest winter day, it warms me to the core Then I see my bowl is empty and I've GOTTA HAVE SOME MORE! More macaroni and cheese (last chorus) D - - - Ma-acaroni and cheese D - A7 - Ma-acaroni and cheese A Bb B C It will put your mind at ease, it will rarely make you sneeze C# D Eb E It gets rid of ticks and fleas, it will charge your batteries F F# G G# It will please all dieties! (Keep it cool, but do not freeze.) A7 - D - It's ma-acaroni and cheese! - - - - - - - - - - Okay. It's a fast, bluegrassy-type tempo. Eight beats per line, two beats per chord or hyphen. I'm not sure about the chords for the third line of the chorus, and the seventh (and maybe third) line of each verse. I've got them as D D7 G -, but I think maybe it would be better as D D7 G G#dim. Whaddya think? In the last chorus, you don't sing the long lines, you just speak them in rhythm as the guitar (or concertina, piano, dulcimer, sousaphone, whatever) does the chromatically-rising-chord thing. - - - - - - - - - - The melody for the chorus, basically, is ripped off from the song "Raggedy", a good old rabble-rousing union ballad, as sung by Pete Seeger on _American Industrial Ballads_ (Smithsonian/Folkways). Fortunately, the music for that song is public domain, so there aren't copyright issues. (For that matter, the chords for the chorus are almost the same as those for "When the Saints Go Marching In"; that A7 in line 4 is the only deviation.) I sing the chorus and verse something like this (an underline immediately precedes each of the eight beats in the line; a slash indicates that the syllable is not sung on the beat, but on the subsequent (unindicated) upbeat. I hope that makes sense.): a ba f#e d f# D - - - _Ma-_aca_roni _and _cheese _ _ _ a ba f#e d e a a D - A7 - _Ma-_aca_roni _and _cheese _ _ _Oh, the d d d e f# d e f# g g a b g a b D D7 G - _cheese, it _may be _phony, _but that's _real _maca_roni _in the a ba f#d e d a A7 - D - _ma-_aca_roni _and _cheese _ _ _ /When d d d e f# e d e d b a a D - G D _lunchtime _rolls a_round,_ /then _really _I could _use _ /a d d d e f# e d f# e e f# e D - E A7 _quick and _filling _meal, _and what _better _thing to _choose? a a _It's a d d d e f#d e f# g g g a b g D D7 G - _culi_nary _offer _that I _never _can re_fuse _ /It's a ba f#e d e a a D - A7 - _ma-_aca_roni _and _cheese _ _ _I could d d d e f# f# e d e d b a a D - G D _have a _bowl of _soup, _or a _fast-food _fish fi_let, _ /Some d d d e f# e d f# e ef# e a a D - E A7 _ham and _Swiss on _rye, _or some _good ol' _PB _J _But there's d d d e f#d f# g f# g a b a g D D7 G - _really _no oc_casion _ /where _I could _ever _say _No to a ba f#d e d D A7 D - _ma_aca_roni _and _cheese _ _ _ In performance, there would probably be a lot of rhythmic syncopation, to spice things up. I didn't indicate where the octaves go high and go low, but it should be pretty obvious. (The verse lines generally start on low a, while the a that starts "ma-acaroni" is one octave higher.)