“They asked if I could sing tenor—ten or twelve miles away”
“Tenor” sounds like “ten or.” A joke was told on the comedy television series The Muppet Show on September 17, 1977:
Statler : Can you sing tenor?
Waldorf : What?
Statler : Can you sing tenor, as in ten or eleven miles away from here?
“They asked if I could sing solo—so low they can’t hear me” is a similar joke.
Wikipedia: Tenor
A tenor (from Latin tenor - holder, or tenere - hold) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range or section is higher than baritone and lower than countertenor. A person, instrument, or group that performs in that range or the tenor clef is also called a tenor
IMDb
The Muppet Show (TV Series)
George Burns (September 17, 1977)
Richard Hunt: Scooter, Statler, Janice, Pig, Luncheon Counter Monster, Whatnot
Quotes
Statler : Can you sing tenor?
Waldorf : What?
Statler : Can you sing tenor, as in ten or eleven miles away from here?
3 April 1982, Indianapolis (IN) News, “I.U.‘s Waiting For Oak Ridge Boys” by Skip Hess, Free Time sec., pg. 3, col. 1:
There’s a bubble gum wrapper joke that goes something like this:
First man (annoyed by and speaking to another man singing flat and off key)—“Can you sing tenor?”
Second man—“Why, yes, I certainly can.”
First man—“Good. Do me a favor and sing ten or 20 miles away.
OK, nobody said bubble gum wrapper jokes were funny or good.
7 September 1983, Fort Lauderdale (FL) News, “The birth of the ‘bruise’ brothers’ singing career” by Michael Romano, pg. 11B, col. 1:
A self-avowed “shower singer,” Glenn noted that his wife, upon the mere hint that he will begin to croon, “always asks me to sing ‘tenor’—ten or fifteen miles away.”
2 December 1990, The Journal-News (Nyack, NY), “Just for Laughs,” Pennywhistle Press, pg. 3, col. 2:
Tom: I wish you’d sing solo.
Laura: Solo?
Tom: So low I couldn’t hear you!
Laura: Not funny! Have you ever heard yourself sing? You should sing tenor.
Tom: Tenor?
Laura: Tenor twelve miles away!
Loren Williams Age 8
Jessica Williams Age 10
Satellite Beach, Florida
Google Books
Gospel Music:
Vocal Cords & Related Issues
By Eustace A Dixon
Mantua, NJ: Eureka Publications
1992
Pg. 174:
He replied that he tried, but people asked him to sing “tenor”, “ten or” twelve miles away. Singing is not his calling.
Google Groups: rec.humor
musician jokes
Blaise Goodpaster
8/11/95
(...)
Can you sing tenor?—Ten or twelve miles away.
Twitter
Kathee Austin
@evliving
Some soloists are so bad they should sing tenor twelve miles away.
3:15 AM · Apr 30, 2009·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
DarkeManne
@TheDarkeManne
“We’d like to hear you sing solo; solo we can’t hear you. Can you sing tenor? Tenor 15 miles away from here?” —-The Muppet Show
9:01 PM · Aug 11, 2009·Twitter Web Client
Google Books
Silly Animal Jokes & Riddles
By Seymour Simon
Illustrated by Dennis Kendrick
Great Neck, NY: Seymour Science
2012
Pg. ?:
“That cat should sing tenor…”
“Tenor?”
“Yeah, ten or eleven miles away.”
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/DazBlintze June 19, 2014
Can you sing tenor?
Then sing ten-or twelve miles away.
A classic put-down of my singing from my Dad. R.I.P.
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/MichaelRM May 4, 2017
My dad said of my singing voice, “wow, you should sing Tenor!!”
... Tenor miles away. Zing.
Twitter
Curley Q. Link 🌊⚖️🗽🇺🇸✌🏻 #BLM #SaveDemocracy
@curly_woowoowoo
Nice!!!!!!! Not too bad a voice!
But, can you sing Tenor?
Ten or twelve miles away! (JK)
Or
Solo?
So low we can’t hear you?
🤣😂👊🏻✌🏻
Really, not bad! 👏🏻👏🏻🤷♂️🎼
Quote Tweet
Howard
@HowardA_Esq
· Jun 2
I didn’t want to do it, really, but with his incessant whining I had no choice. So yes, I cannot sing, but enjoy and laugh at his and my expense.
0:45
5:13 AM · Jun 3, 2019·Twitter for iPad
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/SpaghettiSquawk August 5, 2019
You know, I’m such a good singer, people always ask me to sing solo
......solo they can’t hear me.
Coincidentally, they also ask me to sing tenor.
.....tenor twelve miles away.