Back in third or fourth grade, around 1988–90, a teacher taught us two songs: Joy to the World and a song called Shoeflies. Shoeflies stuck with me.
I forgot most of the lyrics except “Shoeflies faster than me, I gotta run, run, run…Butterflies over the hill.....” I searched for it starting in the late ’90s but found nothing and began to think I’d imagined it. I would sing it every now and then searching again finding nothing new.
Eventually, (2025! The year of the Shoeflies to me!) I found online posts quoting the same line, which led me to old Silver Burdett music books. One finally mentioned Shoeflies and credited Bob Sakayama. I had the lyrics and music notations! My husband helped me transcribe it so I could hear the melody, but I still wanted the original version.
Digging into Sakayama’s work led me to the 1970s show Vegetable Soup. I watched SO MANY of these to find this precious gem. I can't even describe the feeling of finding this for the firs time and showing my husband. Finally, a YouTube episode where he performed Shoeflies. After decades of searching, I heard it again.
Bob, at 7 minutes and 28 seconds solving the whole mystery.
2025 will always be the Shoeflies year for me.
2025 will always be the Shoeflies year for me.
After finding the episode, I felt like I had to say thank you. I tracked down an email for Bob Sakayama and sent a note, not really expecting a reply but he wrote back!
He told me Shoeflies was one of the first songs he sold to Silver Burdett. Sadly, his own copies had been lost in a studio renovation years ago, and the Vegetable Soup clip was the only version he knew still existed.
Bob also shared other songs he’d written for his children and sent links to his music projects over the years, including work on the the Growler series.
Original sheet music and lyrics for the children's song 'Shoeflies' by Bob Sakayama, printed in a Silver Burdett music curriculum book.
Shoeflies
Words and music by Bob Sakayama
© 1972 Earthling Music. Printed by Silver Burdett Company.
Words and music by Bob Sakayama
© 1972 Earthling Music. Printed by Silver Burdett Company.
Verse 1
Shoeflies faster than me,
I gotta run, run, run,
or I won’t see it.
And when the man says,
“Fit my foot,”
Shoeflies.
Shoeflies faster than me,
I gotta run, run, run,
or I won’t see it.
And when the man says,
“Fit my foot,”
Shoeflies.
Verse 2
Dominoes more than I do,
and there’s a chance
that he may really
even know more than you,
And when the man says,
“I don’t know what to do,”
Dominoes.
Dominoes more than I do,
and there’s a chance
that he may really
even know more than you,
And when the man says,
“I don’t know what to do,”
Dominoes.
Verse 3
Butterflies over the hill,
You can’t find it,
then nobody will.
And when the man says,
“Bake my bread,”
Butterflies.
Butterflies over the hill,
You can’t find it,
then nobody will.
And when the man says,
“Bake my bread,”
Butterflies.
Vintage textbook page showing the sheet music for Shoeflies by Bob Sakayama.
One of the problems I’ve found is that they’ve misprinted the lyrics in multiple education materials watching Bob sing the song I hear it is I gotta run run run or I won’t SEE IT and when the man says “fit my foot” but the book says “I won’t sit” and “dig my foot” which makes no sense. So I’ve gone with what Bob is singing and what I see as the actual lyrics, though some people may have been taught the wrong lyrics.
Vintage 1982 'Teaching Music' vinyl record by Silver Burdett / Columbia Special Products featuring the track 'Shoeflies' by Bob Sakayama.
I still wanted to own the original vinyl, so off to eBay I went. After months of searching, I finally found a copy with Shoeflies.
My husband converted it to MP3 so I can play it anytime—and now you can too. I even made a little YouTube video.
Vintage 1982 'Teaching Music' vinyl record by Silver Burdett / Columbia Special Products featuring the track 'Shoeflies' by Bob Sakayama.
Page 171 from a Silver Burdett music curriculum teacher's guide outlining classroom activity and dance steps for the song 'Shoeflies' by Bob Sakayama.
"Did you learn the children's song 'Shoeflies' in school? If you have memories or information to share—like where you grew up hearing it (I learned it in Texas!)—please reach out using the form below or leave a comment on the YouTube video above. I’m especially curious to hear from others who remember this rare track from the Silver Burdett music curriculum!"
Thank you!