Campers Have To Dine

Campers Have To Dine was one of those projects that never made it to the final stage — actually being performed. The premise behind this little ditty was to take the Acappella song and create an ode to the camp cooks on staff.

Each year these faithful women, and men, worked to prepare meals for a camp and staff that averaged 100-120 folks. Many long hours were spent preparing meals, policing the kitchen area, and losing one's sanity.

Justin, Josh, Geoff and I thought we would put together a camp skit to honor the hard work of these individuals. I still have the handwritten lyrics from the day we put the words on paper — sometime back around 1994-1995.

Campers Have To Dine
(A parody of the Acappella song, Not My Will But Thine)

intro
Camp cooks slaved in the kitchen
And prepared the food for me
They fought heat and much exhaustion
In a room with no A-C

They could have chosen not to suffer
Leave a starving camp behind
But the lips of our pained cook staff
Uttered, "Campers have to dine"

sung underneath following verses
Cooks they slave, In the kitchen they slave
Cooks they slave, In the kitchen they slave
Cooks they slave, In the kitchen they slave
Campers have to dine

verse 1
Let me tell you what they went through
You know they really never had to
They could have easily just walked away
But they said.. Campers have to dine

verse 2
The blisters and the backaches
All for burgers and for pancakes
Yet the campers keep a cryin'
The eggs still need a fryin'
Get 'em fryin'
We ain't lyin'
Still they said... Campers have to dine

verse 3
They hit the sack exhausted
Searchin' for some relief
They're cookin' at the crack of dawn
Yet the campers give them grief
The vegetables are torture
Of the cruelest kind
Still they said... Campers have to dine

verse 4
Campers gripin'
Some are whinin'
Never happy with the dinin'
I don't see
I can't see
How could this ever be
Poor cooks, in hopeless misery
But they said... Campers have to dine

fade out
Can't you see them
Can't you see them
Cooking there
Suffering bakers