Scatter the Paper and Thimbles

Last week’s Friday 10 ended with only two lyrics identified, giving us a tie between HL and Fred! Edit: And now you can see all the answers in this YouTube playlist 📺!

Among the unidentified lyrics was one of my personal favorite deep cuts, Nai Bonet with her 1966 near-miss “Jelly Belly.” Bonet was a Vietnamese-born belly-dancer who started out as a true believer and just wanted to bring the gospel of shimmy to the United States, and the novelty track (and accompanying Scopitone) was intended to break belly-dance into the American mainstream by turning it into a dance craze like the Watusi or the Twist.

Bonet withdrew from dance in the 1970s after a string of film appearances led her to believe her acting career was ready to take off. She produced two star vehicles for herself, including Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula, before retiring from acting completely.

Now, let’s get into this week’s 10! Below are the lyrics, get in the comments and identify the title and the artist! Remember to leave them search engines alone, and I’ll give you credit if you name an artist who recorded a different version of the song — but only if I can find them.

1. The shadows, yeah, they keep me pretty like a movie star (2025)
2. Doo-Ron-Ron and the Duke of Earl, they were friends of mine (1974)
3. You and I walk a fragile line — I have known it all this time (2010)
4. Your looks and your feelings are just the remains of your past (1980)
5. I wouldn’t eat you ’cause you’re too tough (1958)
   Sheb Wooley, “Purple People Eater” 📺
   Identified by Frodis Caper
6. By great pyramids and sphinxes, we met drifters and strangers (1996)
7. Make me a guitar outta skin and human skull (2008)
8. 40,000 men and women every day (redefine happiness) (1976)
   Blue Oyster Cult, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” 📺
   Identified by Fred
9. See a perfect forest through so many splintered trees (2000)
   Poe, “Haunted” 📺
   Identified by Fred
10. And crawling on the planet’s face, some insects called the human race (1974)

Featured photo by Walter Medina Foto