The Marvelous Toy

When I heard this song as a kid I felt I desperately wanted a toy like this. I imagined it kind of like a remote control car without controls and indescribably cooler. Probably because it sounded magic. I imagined that when it wasn't under the chair and was suddenly behind him, that it had actually teleported. Either for wonderful or perhaps sinister reasons.
By Tom Paxton
Rise Up Singing chapter: Play, p.174

D A7 D A7 / G D E7 A7 / D A7 D G / G D AD A7
When I was just a wee little lad full of health and joy
My father homeward came one night and gave to me a toy
A wonder to behold it was with many colours bright
And the moment I laid eyes on it it became my heart's delight

Chorus:
D A7 D G / G D A7 D
It went "zip" when it moved and "bop" when it stopped and "whirr" when it stood still
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will

The first time that I picked it up I had a big surprise
For right on its bottom were two big buttons that looked like big green eyes
I first pushed one and then the other, and then I twisted its lid
And when I set it down again, here is what it did:

It first marched left and then marched right and then marched under a chair
And when l looked where it had gone, it wasn't even there
I started to sob and my daddy laughed, for he knew that I would find
When l turned around, my marvelous toy, chugging from behind

Well the years have gone by too quickly, it seems, and I have my own little boy
And yesterday I gave to him my marvelous little toy
His eyes nearly popped right out of his head and he gave a squeal of glee
Neither one of us knows just what it is but he loves it, just like me

Last chorus:
It still goes "zip" when it moves, "bop" when it stops and "whirr" when it stands still
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will