Inspired by the classic, "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" written about 1940 by Howard L. Chace, and published in Anguish Languish (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1956)
It works best if you listen, as you read, to TreeBellicoseGraph.wav.
(This will open a new window; click on the original window so you can see the text while listening.)
"Tree Bellicose Graph" is a kind of extended phonological pun. Among it's purposes is to show that a text doesn't have to make sense to make sense. It also shows, I think, that the more familiar and predictable a text is, the easier it is to echo in other words. Ross Eckler, in Word Ways (1997), provides an interesting discussion of this kind of text. Although he claims that "Ideally one would like to substitute homonyms for each word," my own attempt specifically tries to avoid homographs and homonyms, which seem like cheating to me. Clearly, it would be possible to make the texts below more accurately echo the phonetics of the original, but sometimes the funny word seems more important. Hence "bellicose" rather than "belly coats" and "Eats homily mead" rather than "Ids hone lea meat." Note also that knowing the dialect of the author of such a text is crucial to its interpretation (North Midlands, US, in my case); the following text doesn't work at all in British English (RP).
Juan supine team tree bellicose livid tug adder inner past her honor heel slide. Day word deep tree Bellicose Graph. Dare wuzzy Girt Bag Bellicose Graph, dare wuzzy Muddles Eyes Bellicose Graph, enter wuzzy Ladle Beady Bellicose Graph. Bees hide dare past her render Russian reaver. Juan moaning, dado seeded acrostic past her tweet digress honor udder sight. Bat furs day head topaz oeuvre breech Honda witch dare livid day bag hoary bull trowel.
Furs Ladle Beady Bellicose Graph strep ton toady breech. Tripe trope Wendy's oofs Honda wouldn't plinks off deep breech.
"Ooze at ripping oeuvre may breech," row word day hoary bull trowel.
"Eats homily mead, Ladle Bellicose Graph, gong lacrosse dish reaver tome ache may shelf vat," sedge Ladle Bellicose Graph undies tawny suede vice.
"Whale, alm common toe garble Europe," sedge deep trowel.
"How now, police, alm varies mall," sedge Ladle Bellicose Graph. "Weighed forty necks bellicose. Ease smooch bagger."
"Berry Whale, office hew thin," sedge deep trowel.
Justice ladle whale ate her, Muddles Eyes Bellicose Graph strep ton toady breech. Tripe trope, tripe trope Wendy's oofs Honda wouldn't plinks off deep Breech.
"Ooze at rampant oeuvre may breech," row word day hoary bull trowel inner bag ruffed vice.
"Eats homily mead, Muddles Eyes Bellicose Graph, gong lacrosse dish reaver tome ache may shelf vat," sedge Muddles Eyes Bellicose Graph, ooze vices nuts mall.
"Whale, alm common toe garble Europe," sedge deep trowel.
"How now, police, alm nuts berry bag," sedge Muddles Eyes Bellicose Graph. "Weighed forty necks bellicose. Ease deep bagger swan awe fall."
"Berry Whale, office hew thin," sedge deep trowel.
Joust an adder ladle whale ate her, Girt Bag Bellicose Graph strep ton toady breech. TRIPE TROPE, TRIPE TROPE, TRIPE TROPE, TRIPE TROPE Wendy's oofs Honda wouldn't plinks off deep breech, ended groined honorees weighed.
"Ooze at stump end oeuvre may breech," row word day hoary bull trowel, end is vice shuck deep breech.
"Eat his sigh, Bag Bellicose Graph, gong lacrosse dish reaver tome ache may shelf vat," sedge Bag Bellicose Graph, inner roof row wing vice office hone.
"Whale, alm common toe garble Europe," sedge deep trowel, ended wants prank Honda deep breech, hall fears end dungaree.
Bat Bag Bellicose Graph worst wrong end turf. Pudding downies Eddie rust for warden budded at bag owl trowel Hindu dumb muddle udder reaver. End deep bag hoary bull trowel dizzy peered foe river.
Thin Girt Bag Bellicose Graph joy end Muddles Eyes Bellicose Graph end Ladle Beady Bellicose Graph Hindu past her honor foresight offer reaver. End alder Bellicose Graphs livid dapple lea heifer rafter.