Volume 7 , Issue 10

Remembering Those Great Old Burma Shave Road Signs

"For those who never saw the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and 1940's. Before the interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields. They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1-line of a 4-line couplet... and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream. Here are more of the actual signs:

TRAINS DON'T WANDER - ALL OVER THE MAP - CAUSE NOBODY SITS - IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP - Burma Shave

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH - BY MISTAKE - SHE THOUGHT IT WAS - HER HUSBAND JAKE - Burma Shave

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD - TO GAIN A MINUTE - YOU NEED YOUR HEAD - YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT - Burma Shave

DROVE TOO LONG - DRIVER SNOOZING - WHAT HAPPENED - NEXT IS NOT AMUSING - Burma Shave

BROTHER SPEEDER - LET'S REHEARSE - ALL TOGETHER - GOOD MORNING, NURSE - Burma Shave

CAUTIOUS RIDER - TO HER RECKLESS DEAR - LET'S HAVE LESS BULL - AND MORE STEER - Burma Shave

SPEED WAS HIGH - WEATHER WAS NOT - TIRES WERE THIN - X MARKS THE SPOT - Burma Shave

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE - OF PAUL FOR BEER - LED TO A WARMER - HEMISPHERE - Burma Shave

AROUND THE CURVE - LICKETY-SPLIT - BEAUTIFUL CAR - WASN'T IT? - Burma Shave

NO MATTER THE PRICE - NO MATTER HOW NEW - THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE - IN THE CAR IS YOU - Burma Shave

A GUY WHO DRIVES - A CAR WIDE OPEN - IS NOT THINKIN' - HE'S JUST HOPIN' - Burma Shave

AT INTERSECTIONS - LOOK EACH WAY - A HARP SOUNDS NICE - BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY - Burma Shave

BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL - EYES ON THE ROAD - THAT'S THE SKILLFUL - DRIVER'S CODE - Burma Shave

THE ONE WHO DRIVES - WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING - DEPENDS ON YOU - TO DO HIS THINKING - Burma Shave

CAR IN DITCH - DRIVER IN TREE - THE MOON WAS FULL - AND SO WAS HE. - Burma Shave

And my all time favorite: PASSING SCHOOL ZONE - TAKE IT SLOW - LET OUR LITTLE - SHAVERS GROW - Burma Shave

Do these bring back memories? If not, you are such a child. If they do, you're older then dirt, like me." -- Joel   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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