Name the episode

[NotKosh]

"Marcus, this is the kind of conversation that can only end in a gunshot."

[Natxomann]

Racing Mars?
THe same one in which we can also hear "no , no , no , no , I can┤t do it if someone is looking"?

[NotKosh]

nope.

[Radhil]

It's Atonement, right before Racing Mars.

I'm vainly trying to memorize the song that Marcus sings, in the hopes I too can drive someone stark raving bonkers with it.

[NotKosh]

During the credits, Marcus sings a good bit more of it. They should have had a PPG blast effect right after the end of the song.

[Radhil]

Originally posted by NotKosh
During the credits, Marcus sings a good bit more of it. They should have had a PPG blast effect right after the end of the song.

Indeed he does. But The Whole Thing is far far more effective, and may in fact cause real-life gunshots.

[Ben-Thayer Dunnthaedt]

Drat! Just about to post and Rad beat me to it!To heck with it, it took me so long to type it out I'm posting it anyway!

The song? From Gilbert and Sullivan's the Pirates of Penzance. Marcus sang the first verse, which I've reprinted here. Please excuse any mispellings or incorrect words, I did this from memory. When I saw the episode back in the first run of the series I went out and found the song and learned it. It's DIFFICULT. Especially the third verse, which one sings almost twice as fast. Even after years of practice I still struggle with the darn thing. Here we go:

I am the very model of the modern major general,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral.
I know the kings of England and I quote the fights historical
from Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical.
I'm very well acquainted with all matters mathematical,
I understand equations both the simple and quadratical.
About binomial theory I'm teeming with a lot'a news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse

(chorus)
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,
I know the scientific names of beings animalgulus,
In short in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of the modern major general!

Franklin: "And that's when I shot him, your honor."

[NotKosh]

OK who's next?

[Stunaep]

"Landing thrusters, hmm... Now if I were a landing thruster, which one of those would I be?"

[chaostaenzer]

A voice in the wilderness, part II

Ok, got another one.

"As my great-grandfather used to say, "cool"."

[jcbatz]

"Messages from Earth" right?

[chaostaenzer]

Nope...guess again.

[WorkerCaste]

Wouldn't it be "Matters of Honor?"

[AmyG]

The song? From Gilbert and Sullivan's the Pirates of Penzance. Marcus sang the first verse, which I've reprinted here. Please excuse any mispellings or incorrect words, I did this from memory. When I saw the episode back in the first run of the series I went out and found the song and learned it. It's DIFFICULT. Especially the third verse, which one sings almost twice as fast.

It's called a "patter song," which G&S wrote almost exclusively for their comic baritone roles (this one is sung by Major-General Stanley in "The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty)." They are _all_ loaded with many words and many syllables, and meant to be sung quickly. You could almost think of the comic baritone from Gilbert & Sullivan's original opera company as the Fed Ex guy of his time. (Remember the guy from the Fed Ex commercials who spoke very fast? That's who I mean.)

As for the lyrics, you were very close, but here's the correct set:

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England and I quote the fights historical,
From Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o'news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse

(chorus)
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypote-pote-nuse

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous;
In short in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

(chorus)
In short in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
He is the very model of a modern Major-General.

(And the rest

I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's,
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in elegiacs all the crims of Heliogabalus,
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous.
I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies,
I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristonphanes,
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,
(And here the baritone pauses comically, pretending to be stumped for a rhyme to "din afore" - and eventually coming up with "Pinafore," another opera by Gilbert & Sullivan)
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.

(chorus)
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pina-pina-fore!

Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform,
And tell you every detail of Caractacus's uniform;
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

(chorus)
In short in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
He is the very model of a modern Major-General.

In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin,"
When I can tell at sight a chassepot rifle from a javelin,
When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat,"
When I have learned what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery:
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.

(chorus)
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee,
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee,
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a, sat a gee.

For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

(chorus)
But still in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
He is the very model of a modern Major-General!

Aisling (comic mezzo)

[Ben-Thayer Dunnthaedt]

Way cool! I was going to run a spell check but when I saw Rad had posted a link to the song I got careless. Ah well.

When I can tell at sight a chassepot rifle from a javelin

Interesting. The version I downloaded used "Mauser Rifle" instead of chassepot.

BTW Aisling, just took a look at your photo page...OMG! Outrageous! How long did you keep the graphics? Very impressive! And so geeky-cool too......