You Put Your Left Arm In – Speech 3 by Kane Baltetsch

Put your left arm in….

It's a dance that inspires. A dance that is celebrated around the world. Children adore it. Women love it; men want to dance to it. It is the Hokey Pokey. What joy is spread around the world as someone says put your right arm in. Is it like if you're happy and you know it? No, if you're happy and you know it does not require participation. I quote, if you're happy and you know it clap your hands. These lines do not require participation. First, you have to be happy to participate, and then you have to know that you're happy to participate. Then there are heads shoulders knees and toes. This song does not require presence in its writing. Heads shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes. Eyes and ears and mouth and nose, heads shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes. There is something wrong with this song. There is no creativity to the writing. Then there is the Hokey Pokey. Everyone say the words, hokey pokey. There is magic in these words, there is a sense of wonder in these words, say them again hokey pokey.

You put your right arm in, take your right arm out, put your right arm in, and now then shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn around, that's what it's all about!

to demonstrate the power of this wonderful wonderful song, I must insist in looking at, what is a hokey pokey, Where did the Hokey Pokey come from, and is the Hokey pokey far more powerful then any of us could ever imagine.

The origins of the song are varied around the world. Upon researching the Hokey Pokey for this speech, I found a site that insisted that there exists a painting of Adam and Eve doing the Hokey Pokey in the Garden of Eden. I then went on to find this picture. There once again show the popularity of the dance. The Hokey Pokey is a participation dance in which people of different ages nationalities and other fun areas of our life, I say fun simply because the word fun is often mentioned alongside the words hokey pokey. The words Hokey Pokey mean Ice cream. A hokey pokey was an Italian gelato sold on the streets of Britain where the Italian street vendors would yell

hokey pokey hokey pokey ho,

then the people would smile, laugh and immediately have a hankering for some hokey pokey. They would then go to the hokey pokey man and he would give a little, which is the original Latin meaning of the words.

Others say that a hokey pokey derives from the word hocus pocus, another word for magic. Others say that the dance was made up from catholic roots. The priest would take the Eucharist, then turn his back on the congregation and say words in Latin and make movements whilst preparing communion for the congregation.

It was in the 1940's however that the song really took off and there were and still are a number of translations to the song that are sung in different countries. These include Britain, the USA and Australia. The first version is known as the Hokey Cokey.

Left arm in,

left arm out,

left arm in,

shake it all about,

you do the hokey kokey as you turn around,

that's what it's all about.

In Australia, we know the chorus as woah, the hokey pokey, woah, the hokey pokey, woah, the hokey pokey, that's what it's all about however according to the internet and it's vast source of unreliability, we actually sing,

Do the hokey pokey

Do the hokey pokey,

Do the hokey pokey

And that's what it's all about.

The British use the words

You put your left arm in,

you put your left arm out,

in, out, in, out,

shake it all about,

you do the hokey cakey as you turn your self around,

that's what it's all about.

Woah, hokey cokey cokey,

woah, hokey cokey cokey,

woah, hokey cokey cokey,

knees bent, arms stretched ra ra ra.

But more so than the origins of the song, and more so then which countries are smart enough to sing the song, I think there is a hidden message within this song. I think this song, contains powerful messages about the meaning of life and how to get through life unscathed and, how to live life to the full.

Say you have just started your new job at Target. You are the new Manchester boy/girl you choose. Your boss comes to you and says we need to straiten and tidy because the head of all NSW Targets is coming to the store and we need to have the place ship shape. You walk to the toasters. You put your right arm in, is that straight, take you right arm out, no still not straight, you put your right arm in then shake the toaster all about. Wow, its strait. You o the hokey pokey as you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about. You can do this with every part of your body. To clean and tidy the store. Shake it all about, still doesn't look right, turn yourself around and have a look from a different angle, that's what it's all about.

Your in a new relationship and she wants you to do the dishes, start with the right hand in, out in , out , hokey pokey, turn yourself around, THAATS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT. What powerful messages, what powerful lessons. The meaning of life, why else would the Hokey Pokey say, that's what it's all about.

You might get to a point where you are throwing your whole self in, yeah scary I know, then taking your whole self out, Do the hokey pokey, turn yourself around, That's what it's all about!!

For some of you I have introduced you to a great song, for some, I have reintroduced you to a great song; my advice is to use this song in everyday life. That's what it's all about.