Judge — October 29, 1927 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents "Winged Ballads," a humorous song by S.J. Perelman with musical notation and accompanying illustration. The song is a comedic parody of sentimentality about respecting elderly relatives. The joke's premise is absurd: it "advises" against hitting one's grandmother with a shovel because it makes a bad impression, then suggests the "better way" is to hit her with a rock instead. This is deliberately nonsensical humor—the entire moral framework is inverted. The song pretends to offer respectful guidance toward grandmothers while actually describing violent acts, treating them as equivalent choices. The accompanying illustration shows a domestic scene with an adult and child, reinforcing the mock-didactic tone. The satire lampoons sentimental Victorian-era songs about family virtue by subverting their earnest moralizing with absurdist violence. This reflects Perelman's characteristic style of witty, surreal humor that deflates pretentiousness through illogical extremism.