Little Twelvetoes Lyrics

Now if man had been born with 6 fingers on each hand
He'd also have 12 toes or so the theory goes
Well, with twelve digits, I mean fingers
He probably would have invented two more digits
When he invented his number system
Then, if he saved the zero for the end
He could count and multiply by twelve
Just as easily as you and I do by ten

Now if man had been born with 6 fingers on each hand
He'd probably count: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, dek, el, doh
"Dek" and "el" being two entirely new signs meaning ten and
eleven
Single digits!
And his twelve, "doh", would be written 1-0
Get it?
That'd be swell, for multiplying by 12

Hey Little Twelvetoes, I hope you're well
Must be some far-flung planet where you dwell
If we were together, you could be my cousin
Down here we call it a dozen
Hey Little Twelvetoes, please come back home

Now if man had been born with 6 fingers on each hand
His children would have them too
And when they played hide-and-go-seek they'd count by sixes fast
And when they studied piano, they'd do their six-finger exercises
And when they went to school, they'd learn the golden rule
And how to multiply by twelve easy: just put down a zero
But me, I have to learn it the hard way

Let me see now:
One times 12 is twelve, two times 12 is 24
Three times 12 is 36, four times 12 is 48
Five times 12 is 60, six times 12 is 72
Seven times 12 is 84, eight times 12 is 96
Nine times 12 is 108, ten times 12 is 120
Eleven times 12 is 132, and 12 times 12 is 144
WOW!

Hey Little Twelvetoes, I hope you're thriving
Some of us ten-toed folks are still surviving
If you help me with my twelves, I'll help you with your tens
And we could all be friends
Little Twelvetoes, please come back home