Shelving Time (Library Theme Song)

parody of Closing Time written by Dan Wilson and performed by Semisonic

Shelving time
Open up the doors and all the non-fiction’s disturbed
Shelving time
Put them in the right spot but they’re messed up by all the borrowers
Shelving time
Learn that Dewey decimal so sorting is easy, a breeze
Shelving time
I know all the codes shown on the outer sleeve


I know nil nil one is UFOs
I know six three five young plants are grown
I know nine one four’s a tour of Rome
Tour of Ro-o-ome

Shelving time
Time for books to go back to the places they all came from
Shelving time
This job won’t be over till the borrowers all cease to come
So grab those old dust-jackets, look and double-check it
And put it between book-ends
Shelving time
Every day begin again cause disorder begins again
Yeah

I know three nine eight has elves and gnomes
I know eight two one is English poems
I know nine three seven’s Ancient Rome
Ancient Ro-o-ome

Shelving time
Time for books to go back to the places they all came from

I know six one six is aching bones
I know se’en six oh’s art by Ken Done
I know two nine two has gods of Rome
Gods of Ro-o-ome

I know five five three has rocks and stones
I know five nine seven’s snakes for loan
I know four five eight has phrase from Rome
Phrase from Ro-o-ome

Shelving time
Every day begin again cause disorder begins again

parody lyrics © 2003 Glenn Davies

I used to work in a library – can you tell?

Back then, 2-3pm was always the time when staff not checking out or returning books would go down to the shelves and put books back in their right places. Occasionally I (and one or two others) would sing "Shelving time..." to the tune of "Closing Time" but that was as far as our lyrics ever got.

Then on 29 July 2003, in Japan, I wrote this parody. On the 30th I went online, and double-checked my Dewey numbers. Just for the record, the real Dewey numbers are: UFOs and aliens – 001.942, Roman gods – 292, Mythological creatures – 398, Italian phrasebooks – 458, Gemstones – 553, Reptiles - 597, Arthritis - 616.7, Horticulture – 635, Australian painters – 706.9, English poetry – 821, Italian travel – 914.5, Ancient Rome – 937.