CBbdimDm/A
Now that's really four tens so you make it three tens,
AbdimG7C
Regroup, and you change a ten to ten ones,
BbdimDm/AG7/BC
And you add'em to the two and get twelve, And you take away three, that's nine.
B
Is that clear?
EmEm/EbEm/DEm/Db
Now instead of four in the tens place you've got three, 'Cause you added one,
Em/C
That is to say, ten, to the two,
Em/BEmEm/EbEm
But you can't take seven from three, So you look in the hundreds place.
EmEm/EbEm/D
From the three you then use one - to make ten ones...
Em/DbEm/CEm/BBEmG
(And you know why 4 + (-1) + 10 is 14 - 1? 'Cause addition is commutative, Right!)
C/GDm/AG7/BC
And so you've got thirteen tens and you take away seven, and that leaves five...
Well, six actually... But the idea is the important thing!
CBbdim
Now go back to the hundreds place,
Dm/AAbdimC/GDdim/F#
You're left with two, And you take away one from two, And that leaves...?
Dm/F
Everybody get one? Not bad for the first day!
[Chorus]
(GAB) FC7B7Bb7A7
Hooray for New Math, New-hoo-hoo Math,
DmDm7G7CA7
It won't do you a bit of good to review math.
DmEb
It's so simple, So very simple,
G7BC
That only a child can do it!
[Spoken]
Now, that actually is not the answer that I had in mind,
because the book that I got this problem out of wants you to do it in base eight.
But don't panic! Base eight is just like base ten really - if you're missing two fingers!
Shall we have a go at it? Hang on...
CBbdimDm/A
You can't take three from two, Two is less than three,
AbdimC/G
So you look at the four in the eights place.
C/GBbdimDm/A
Now that's really four eights, So you make it three eights,
AbdimG7C/GBbdim
Regroup, and you change an eight to eight ones, And you add'em to the two,
Dm/AG7/B
And you get one-two base eight, Which is ten base ten,
G7/BG7CB
And you take away three, that's seven. Ok?
EmEm/EbEm/DEm/Db
Now instead of four in the eights place, You've got three, 'Cause you added one,
Em/CEmB/Eb
That is to say, eight, to the two, But you can't take seven from three,
Em
So you look at the sixty-fours...
[Spoken]
"Sixty-four? How did sixty-four get into it?" I hear you cry!
Well, sixty-four is eight squared, don't you see?
"Well, ya ask a silly question, ya get a silly answer!"
EmEm/EbEm/D
From the three, you then use one To make eight ones,
Em/DbEm/CEm
You add those ones to the three, And you get one-three base eight,
B/EbG7Dm/A
Or, in other words, In base ten you have eleven, And you take away seven,
G7/BC
And seven from eleven is four!
CBbdimDm/A
Now go back to the sixty-fours, You're left with two,
AbdimG7D7
And you take away one from two, And that leaves?
G7C
Now, let's not always see the same hands! One, that's right.
Whoever got one can stay after the show and clean the erasers.
[Chorus]
(GAB) FC7B7Bb7A7
Hooray for New Math, New-hoo-hoo Math,
DmDm7G7CA7
It won't do you a bit of good to review math.
DmEb
It's so simple, So very simple,
G7BC
That only a child can do it!