Aphrodisiac Poem by Shel Silverstein
Aphrodisiac
Now, listen to me, folks...
Hear what I say.
You got to eat oysters everyday
They'll put your love life back on track
They're nature's own aphrodisiac.
Ohh, ohhh... yes it's true
What a little oyster can do for you.
Ohh, ohhh... ain't it fun
Here's some things them oysters done...
They made Jim Beam
They made Allen Thick
They made Jonathan Swift
And they made Gracie Slick
They made Victor Mature
And they made Tom Petty
They started Willie Waylon
And they got Helen Reddy.
They made Tom Cruise
They made Oscar Wilde
They gave Gary Hart
But they gave Gomer Piles
They made William Hurt
They made Lucille Ball
They made Wilson Picket
And that ain't all.
Ohh, ohhh... yes it's true
What a little oyster can do for you.
Ohh, ohhh... ain't it fun
Here's some more them oysters done.
They made Stevie Wonder
And they made old John Wayne
They made Saul Bellow
And caused Thomas Paine
Turned Clint Black
And turned Barry White
Made Doris' Day
And Gladys' Knight.
They gave Bob Hope
They gave Percy Faith
They made Marvin Gaye
But they made George Straight
They made Bobby's Short
And Lester's Flatt
And hey... they even did more than that.
Ohh, ohhh... yes it's true
What a little oyster can do for you.
Ohh, ohhh... ain't it fun
Here's some more them oysters done.
They got George Bush
They made Bozo a Clown
They got Bobby Bare
And made Ezra Pound
They made Gallo Wine
They made Merle Haggart
They Made Andy Devine
They made Jimmy Swagger
They made Rich Little
And made Hughie Long
They made BB King
And they made Neil's Armstrong
And if you ask my wife,
She'll tell you quite gaily
Best of all they made old Pat Daily.
Ohh, ohhh... yes it's true
What a little oyster can do for you.
Ohh, ohhh... ain't it fun
That's all about oysters
Now we're done.
LINE 3: I searched and found: 'Everyday is an adjective we use to describe something that's seen or used every day. It means "ordinary" or "typical." Every day is a phrase that simply means "each day." SO 'every day' should be used.
AND...'Here's some things them oysters done...'...I'd say 'Here're some things THOSE oysters DID.' BUT....poets 'can' claim poetic license AND anyone can speak differently than I was taught to speak in school, ...even ME! ;)
I liked this BUT....I feel sorry for readers who are too young, and/or haven't lived in the U.S. all their lives and who pay no attention to TV or movies, and whose English language knowledge is not great.
'They made Gallo Wine They made Merle Haggart' I believe 'Wine' and 'Haggart' (and some other words in poem) are suggestive of other words the poem means to imply. In this case: 'whine' and 'haggard'.
Stanza 7: 'George Bush' (I'll assume the second Bush U.S. President) BUSH as a slang adjective: 'Gross, ugly, disgusting' I had to research this.
I think poet should type 'Bobby Short', not 'Bobby's Short'. OH! Now I understand. Oysters made SOME of Bobby's body short (I think) .
My favorite so far (from an old TV show) : 'But they gave Gomer Piles'. This would be a tough poem to understand for readers unfamiliar with 'those people' named.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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10/30/2025 8:54:53 PM # 1.0.0
if laughter is the best medicine then Silverstein is the best pharmacist of them all