Classic Sesame Street - The Sign Says "Don't Walk"

[Garrettk41]

I know an old Scottish tune with a fairly similar premise. It's called "Waters of Tyne", and it's sung from the point of view of someone who can't get to her lover who is across the water, and she is desperately waiting for the boatman to show up and get her there.

[Garrettk41]

Regarding the bride's mom, she doesn't seem to thrilled about the situation, but it may not have anything to do with how she feels about the groom. Judging by the term "queen of the prom", it sounds to me like they're still pretty young, so perhaps the mother just thinks they're moving a bit too fast.

[grimTales1]

This is brilliant - I hadnt heard the first portion of this song for many years but I have most of the sketch recorded from TV (missing the start unfortunately). Quite touching isn't it?

[pokemon5621]

like

[mubd1234]

Moral:Check if the crosswalk signals in front of the church are broken before you decide on the wedding venue.

[grimTales1]

@mubd1234 This is brilliant - and really touching isn't it? I havent heard the start of this song for many years (I think I have a portion of this song recorded on VHS).

[JGCooney]

I noticed they used Chris' original muppet for the Mom except Chris' hair is blonde in Count it Higher, and Exit.

[ftp44]

Is that Meatloaf singing?

[zangazoo2007]

I think it's Joe Raposo

[capichow]

is there a song that this was from Chris Cerf on here is this a song for real not sesame street man this is mint tho

[jwace]

Chris Cerf is singing right? Who is are the puppeteers? Henson/Henson Gang? Usual Sesame Street people?

[OmarRamon]

this song made me cry as a little kid. lol

[NotOrdinaryInGames]

Gonna love this!

[thesteffie]

So they never got married??? Couldn't the guy press the button on the crosswalk signal thingy??

[Lungyao1]

I just thought to look up this old childhood memory. I remember how sad I felt watching this at nine years old.

Thank you soooooo much for posting this! It is 01:05 in the morning, this is why I love youtube!

[Aproxy2]

This one is a classic. They don't make Sesame Street like they use to.

[DayNuhLee]

when i was a kid

i cried at this....

[wilek209]

WHEN is Sesame Street going to do a segment teaching about those newer walk signals that use the symbols instead of words?

[BuddyBoy600]

I think will be for if Disney loses the rights to Marsupilami.

[654zns]

Chris Cerf has one of the best singing voices I've ever heard. I'm surp[rised that he dosn't puppeteer for the Muppets. Oh well.

[Pikachuiscool]

I agree. You'd think Jim would've had him do at least one other Muppet character besided the ones on S.S. Hmmm...

[1RichardHunt]

Yeah well actually, I think he did some ocasional puppetry with Little Chrissy.

In the musical number "Exit" from 1974, Little Chrissy was completely in sync with his voice, and it sounded like Chris Cerf was really there telling from the echo on the stage. And also, in that scene the other main performers were clearly busy working their other main characters.

[MoochyMooch]

Also, I love the guy's singing voice. It gives me chills. Chris Cerf is amazing.

[MoochyMooch]

The mother of the bride looked like she wasn't crazy about her daughter marrying the guy. Did you see her try to get her daughter to leave? She was like, "Oh well, this is sad. Okay honey, let's go. He's not coming and I'm glad, too. You could do so much better."

[annieb118]

Isn't it also possible the mother is telling her daughter, "You know, all you have to do is wait until the sign turns to 'Walk' and then you can cross the street to see him..."?

[welchm8]

Pretty heartbroken country ballad for Sesame Street! Now suppose the sign changed after all this: "Oh. Uh, never mind honey, I'm gonna cross now."

[JGCooney]

You can still cross on Don't Walk if the light is green. However in NYC Don't walk means RUN!

[JGCooney]

Are these the Tarnish brothers with a lady policewoman sing backup with them?

Who are the additional singers?

They might be the alphabeats.

[Ks1Wif3y]

I miss the old sesame strret SOOOOOO much - & I'm 24 & married... & i feel a REAL sense of disappointment when I think that my children wont be able to see these things. I mean, I think my humour & sarcasm was developed by this stuff man!... I wish I'd known it would deteriorate to the pap that they air now... I would've taped EVERY episode I ever watched... :(

[rleenie]

This is so funny. DON'T WALK..

A lesson for some who aren't ready

to get married.

[mzdance1234]

screw the stupid sign just go

[ewtoobur]

thats the elton john of sesame street

[pippigladstone]

this is so clever! why is sesame street so ridiculously mind-numbing now?

[Garrettk41]

Don't ask, don't tell.

[tahidan4]

I know!! My mom taped this and other songs(ie. BORN TO ADD) on vhs for us (bk in the 80s). i have to transfer it on dvd ASAP. tape getting glitchy. good times! good times! :-)

[ORUPRANKSTAZ]

Because everyone that actually made the show great has either retired or died... or they just don't care anymore..

But you have to understand that it adapts to each decade.. and right now.. we're in the decade of mind-numbing stupidity/instant gratification/total mediazation.

[krystalericalewis]

stoplights and love can be cruel...classic line

[salamisumo2]

screw the sign! jk but i really remember this i wuz like 4

[oyajiXXlover]

Poor bride and groom.. :(

Funny still...

[ghettoutlaw]

rofl

[dayna3700886]

lol......it reminds me of my childhood

[coreymoseley]

the policewoman there didnt even help hahaha..she just sang backup

[nraym01]

lmao

[Garrettk41]

How much could she really do, though? She may not have been a traffic cop.

[freshPrincess626]

oh my gosh, this is so funny. i love the bride crying all over her mom, and her mom's looking like, get off me! XD

[gabee2u]

the sign says dnt walk so many cars there take one and drive down the isle

[queez11ciara]

kool

[UNDERTAKER730]

funny i want this palyed at my wedding

[Garrettk41]

Well, there does seem to be a ray of hope at the end. The sign still says "don't walk", but there are no more cars coming. So the sign could change any second. Let's just hope everyone stays where they are.

[dhay03]

seasame street was so damn funny. i do remember this what a trip to run into it

[seraphimthelight]

OMG! This vid is classic... I had to dig deep down in my memory for this one! And it is so sad its almost traumatising! Almost like the vid with the emotionless voice saying "E" or "P" in space... Chris is one of the most talented singers ever, singing the hell out of the lipsyncers of today... "Here.. stands.. your heart-broken groom..." Brilliant...

[teenangel93]

This reminds me of "The Urban Cowboy"

[hurikayne]

Wow, this is actually a really good song. It's surreal in a way. It's as if Rick Derringer was doing a song off of Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" album. Sesame Street was fantastic until Jim Henson died. After 1990, the quality of the show drastically changed.

[Staev]

Definitely. I only saw this, like, once when I was a kid, but I always, always remembered it until now that I've found it on YouTube. If I was in a band, I'd insist that we cover it. :D

[jimmypate]

Yeah, whatever. He's just looking for a reason,ANY reason not to marry her!!!

[Garrettk41]

There's an old saying that it's bad luck for a bride and groom to see each other on the day of their wedding before the ceremony. This could be proof that it's true. Maybe if the bride hadn't been watching for her fiancee from across the way...

[poshbah]

i think the mom was glad they did not meke it to the altar..... u gotta luv sesame st from 69 to 92

[FeatherFallShow]

This is the saddest thing I've ever seen on Sesame Street. D: But it's still great! :D

[83glory]

I agree this is a sad song to be a sesame street song.

[Garrettk41]

What is the bride's mother doing at the beginning? After shrugging, she begins bobbing up and down around her, moving her hand over the dress. Is she brushing her off for the wedding.

[tpirman1982]

Probably tryin' to make sure her wedding gown is not one bit wrinkled or something.

[PinballStewie]

Can't believe I thought this was a parody of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" as a kid. Sounds more like a generic country music parody when I hear it now.

[hollisterlova18]

Cute! :]

[hollisterlova18]

This is so0o cute! I wish they had this stuff when I was a kid! :]

[videoguy100]

I really enjoy this song. My favorite part was when I see the blue guy that looks like Simon Soundman inside the limo. He was one of my favorite characters from Sesame Street.

[videoguy100]

I found out that the blue guy is actually Simon Soundman.

[fluffieb]

Crazy how long you can remember a song you havent heard in 19 years! Well, just the "chorus". I still remembered that.

[MoochyMooch]

I was looking for this for years!

[Nightmastercool97]

I wonder if the scene in The Wedding Singer where the Adam Sandler character is left standing at the alter got the idea from this skit.

[UNDERTAKER730]

But there in red letters the STOP LIGHT OF FATE geez sound like a funeral director opps thats me GREAT VID SOO LONG AGO

[UNDERTAKER730]

i cant fucking believe this "dont walk" i have not seen this in at least 28 years dayam this is bringing back sooooooooo many memories this is so much a trip i mean this is taking me back to the eaaarrly 80s

[ElectricShark]

One of my favorite skits too! I was so happy to see it on here!

[RockTheIvy]

This guy can really blow!

Kids today don't even know what they're missing. Dora's got nothing on this!

[Babe5677]

I remember this song. This song used to make me cry when I was a little girl.. I was in the same room as my Nanna and Grandad. As soon as I got into this song I cried my eyes out my Nanna and Grandad had to pick me up and give me cuddles. It still makes me cry now sometimes it reminds me of my Grandad because I love him very much.

[FlowerGirl9016]

Not one of the best songs...I find it tedious and unmemorable. Sorry, I just don't like it.

[cupcakejam]

Dude should have held the wedding in Boston- there is none of this "the crosswalk sign hasn't lit up yet" business, unless you're from the burbs, or the traffic is bad. In Boston, you don't even cross at the crosswalk in the first place. Jaywalking is how we get things done.

[ecwforever]

Yes, everything is done wrong in that worthless place.

[Garrettk41]

This, of course, isn't real life. In real life there wouldn't be all those tears. The groom would be very pissed off at all the traffic. And eventually he'd decide to risk it and try to sprint across the street. But they wouldn't show that, not even on Old School Sesame Street.

[ModernScarlett]

He doesn't look like he was the star quarterback!

[Garrettk41]

Never judge by appearances. At first glimpse, I don't think anyone would say Chris Cerf looks very much like a songwriter, much less a singer. But he's aces at both.

[InvaderJim42]

Star quarterback and queen of the prom? Sounds like one of those typical marriages that turn sour anyways. Perhaps it's for the best that the Don't Walk sign disrupts their wedding.

[thundercat83]

This is sooooo freakin hilarious rofl!!!!!!!!!!

[Sparkina]

Adorable. Even though they're puppet figures, ya can't help but feel sorry for the "doomed" wedding sweethearts. BTW, I think this skit was made BEFORE they had push buttons on crosswalks and all one could do was wait

[videoguy100]

You are right about the push buttons.

[Garrettk41]

Well, you do have a point, but really those buttons can do only so much. Even if he had pushed it, the sign wouldn't have changed until all the cars passed. He'd still have to wait a bit.

[wiley207]

Actually the signal would not change until one of the vehicular lights would go red, then all of them would switch to "WALK" or the little man symbol. That's how they work here in Brockton, MA

[lizzykat2]

Gosh just push the button

[tgb51]

I have looked everywhere for this clip for at least 10 years. Thank you ! Thank you! Thank you! (We've only had DSL for less than a month, or I would have found it here sooner.)

[rokhoppr4]

OMG, I've been looking for this song for like 20 years.

[Staev]

Me too; great song.

[ghostchantxx]

Does anybody have the don't walk segment with a blind lady and her dog.

[randomandproudqueen]

dude the groom is such an assclown why doesn't he just press the BUTTON and wait

he doesn't need to call off the frickin wedding over it sheesh

[gameshowluvr86]

LMAO, assclown...

[randomandproudqueen]

yeah its a great word isn't it

[moatguy]

Boy, this bloke was better at following the rules then some people I saw in the Brisbane city today. I pressed the button on the sign post and two people were so impatiant they crossed the street before the standing red man turned into the walking green man. "The nerve of some people!" I said to myself! :(

[ElectricShark]

The mother of the bride doesn't seem to like the groom.

[gameshowluvr86]

That's the same "Don't Walk" sign used in the Oinker Sisters' "A New Way To Walk"!

[avonee1976]

There is a similar clip out there that I've been dying to see for years. Olivia, Maria, and Susan are decked out in sequined outfits and rather outlandish wigs and they are singing a song called, "Don't Walk, That's what the Sign Said...", with Olivia as the lead singer. If anyone has it, please share. Thanks!

[ElectricShark]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!

I loved watching this skit as a little kid. Very cute and romantic.

[lovemeg5186]

chris is amazing :)

[Jamiepeavler]

After several years of seeing this skit, it still makes me cry.

[Jamiepeavler]

When I first heard this song, I felt a hole in my heart for the bride and groom. I almost felt like crying.

[gameshowluvr86]

Me too! Hold me.(CRYING)

[avonee1976]

If my husband had pulled a stunt like that on our wedding day I would've yelled across the street, "Idiot! Wait for the light to change and then bring your ass over here and let's get married!"

[ElectricShark]

Here here!

[Garrettk41]

This song is more emotional than I remembered. Plus, I now realize I had a few things mixed up when I was young. I wasn't aware that the singing man was the groom. And I thought the bride and her mom were in front of their house and that they were the ones needing to cross.But come on, man. Your marriage isn't doomed.

The traffic has to stop sooner or later. You two will still get married.

[wiley207]

Oh, and real crosswalk signs only have "DONT WALK" flashing after the "WALK" phase as a warning that the light is about to change. Some newer walk signs have a timer that counts down the seconds until "DONT WALK"/the Hand stops flashing.

[Wiggymaster]

LMAO this is like every country song ever written

[Nightmastercool97]

The truck driving by at approximently 0:40 Sunnys was the same at the classic Sesame Street sketch Wide Open Spaces

[scottcook12345678]

thanks been looking for it forever

the best

[itstheit]

YEAH!!!!!

[heyitried]

Does anyone remember Hammy Wynette's "stand by your can"?

[KingSlifer]

Did anyone notice Simon The Soundman driving the limousine?

[wattamack4]

I did.

[videoguy100]

I did. When I first saw it (in the late 1980s), I knew it was him because of the blue muppet with the hat.  He is one of my favorite AMs on Sesame Street, and I feel sad that he doesn't appear on the show as of now.

[tpirman1982]

I noticed him in the limo. I think he should've stopped his limo so the groom could cross the street.

[Jamiepeavler]

I did.

[rjolliffe]

They are about to miss their wedding.

[glickmam]

I guess that the people who wrote this sketch were planning on making this end on a happier note, but then they thought, "Nah. The parents will be watching it with their children. They'll explain to them the concept of push-buttons on street lamps." Of course, nowadays, they say, "Oh, dear. Now that the parents no longer tune in, we have the be the babysitters."

[PaulDrapac]

Like the song 'One Way' there loved is doomed because of a 'Don't Walk' sign.

[avonee1976]

Do you have any other Sesame Street clips with "Don't Walk" in them? If so, I'd like to see them posted. These were always some of my favorites, I don't know why, they just were!

[avonee1976]

It's not like the sign would never change! They should've ended it on a happier note but then again, this teaches kids that life doesn't always have happy endings. I remember I first saw this when I was about ten and it almost made me cry, I felt so bad for that little bride.

[tpirman1982]

You're right, avonee1976. I felt sorry for that poor bride. The groom, too. I bet the bride's mother (the blue muppet) was sayin' to the bride: "I know, honey. It's all right. Please don't cry, dear. I'm sure he'll get a chance to cross the street. This traffic will eventually stop and he'll be able to cross the street, He just has to wait til the walk signal changes."

[wiley207]

That groom could've just pushed the crosswalk button! Then he wouldn't have to wait long. I always cross streets at crosswalks with push-buttons that activate the walk signals.

[tpirman1982]

Well, somebody should've came up and told the groom to do so. I do that when things get dicey in the streets when I'm about to cross the street on my bike.

[glickmam]

I agree, that's why I nominated Bob to do the honors.

[moatguy]

Kind of reminds me of the movie Elmo in Grouchland,when Ernie says to Bert "Who,d wanna see a movie with a sad ending Bert?" And Bert says "A Tanic(Titanic) had a sad ending."

[wattamack4]

Wouldn't those people notice there was a wedding going on then would've stoped and the sign would say "Walk"?

[glickmam]

And at the end, I would have had Bob sing this stanza:

Well folks, that marriage isn't doomed

There goes our love stricken groom

He's going to the church right there on the block

'Cause the sign, doesn't say "Don't Walk", "Don't Walk"

Yes, the sign, doesn't say "Don't Walk"

[moatguy]

I agree that would be a happy ending. Then we would not be crying our eyes out. :(

[Jamiepeavler]

That would've been a happier ending. Then everybody would've lived happily ever after.

[ElectricShark]

I agree! I would have loved that!

[glickmam]

If I was doing this sketch, I would have ended it like this, I would have had the music play a little longer and I would have had Bob show the poor groom about pushing the button to make the light turn green.

[glickmam]

If I was making this sketch this is how I would have ended it:

Bob: Hey buddy, I overheard you singing just now about how you can't cross the street. Well, I have just the solution.

Muppet Groom: Oh, yeah? What are you going to do?

Bob: Well, if you want to cross the street, you just push the button right here on the streetpost, wait a few minutes, and look, the light's green. You can now cross the street.

[tpirman1982]

I think halfway through the song, the minister should've came out and suggested that the groom presses the button on the traffic signal post and wait til the sign changes to WALK. Then there'd be a happy ending in this skit.

[ElectricShark]

Heh heh. I agree.

[tpirman1982]

If I ever marry my fiancee I hope I don't end up in the same predicament as the groom Anything Muppet ended up. If I ever do, all I gotta do is wait til the traffic stops eventually and then cross the street when it's safe to do so. Or push the button and wait for the walk signal. Or wait til car drivers stop to let me cross the street.

[LincolnHeightsrocks]

Chris Cerf is the only guy I know who can scream at the top of his lungs and still have a good singing voice. He is very talented. I wish I could sing like that.

[wattamack4]

Jerry Nelson can also scream at the top of his lungs and still have a good singing voice.

[tpirman1982]

Cerf must've sang at a lot of school concerts during high school.

[simon726]

I literally cried when I first see this almost a long time ago.......

[tpirman1982]

Yeah, this can be as much of a tearjerker as "One Way" (another heart-breaking Cerf song skit) was.

[khatgyrl]

I haven't seen this one but it is a keeper! :-) Thanks for posting it. :-)

[tpirman1982]

You've gotta have sympathy for that poor bride since the groom can't get across the street. Walk signals have that button that you push to call for the Don't Walk signal to change. Also, the Don't Walk signal is missing an apostrophe.

[wiley207]

Almost EVERY Don't Walk signal does not have the apostrophe! We used to have them everywhere in my city; now they upgraded to the "wordless" walk signals with the symbols.

[DearbornPlaza]

I don't the worded ones at all! They are retarded symbols of yesteryear. Especally the ones NYC, Chicago, and all of CA used to have suck. I'm glad no one cares anymore about two damn words. I'm glad there were no electronics involved and there the ending was LMAO!

[moatguy]

In Australia we have something alike. On our WALK and DON,T WALK signals we have a red man standing for DON,T WALK and a green man walking for Walk.

[wiley207]

That's right. The older Australian crosswalk signals resembled the American ones, but with green and red words instead of white and orange.

[tpirman1982]

I haven't seen this one in years!

I think the groom should have stood on the sidewalk at the end, hoping for some cars to stop and let him pass.

Whenever I'm on my bike, about to cross the street, I always watch the cars to wait for someone to tell me to pass.

[wiley207]

They should do an updaated version using the walk signals without words!

[tpirman1982]

Yeah, many walk signals have been updated lately

[LincolnHeightsrocks]

Ahhhhhh another awsome video that brings back sweet memories of Sesame Street from the early 90's. The last "good" years in my opinion.