In an interview on NPR's "Fresh Air With Terry Gross," John Linnel said that the lyrics don't have any special meaning, as he often writes the music first and then just tries to "fit the correct number of syllables" in it.
The most famous version of this song is the "Single Mix" (as opposed to the album version), which is featured in the video and on the compilation albums Then: The Earlier Years and Dial-A-Song: 20 Years Of They Might Be Giants.
The video was shot at the 1964 World Fair ground at Flushing Meadows, Queens, NY, which both John Flansburgh and John Linnel attended the fair as children and remember it fondly. The world fair is also mentioned in their 1989 song "Ana Ng."
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