Hugga Mugga Chugga Lugga Humbugga Boom Chit
The bizarre title of this song (and thereby the album it's on) is intended to foster an impression of meaningless confusion, for that's what the phrase means when used in the song. "Hugga Mugga..." is what is delivered to (or by) the characters we encounter - a man who's spent his life toiling for next to nothing, a soldier killed in a pointless war, a career politician, a supermarket sales pitch and so on. It is the meaninglessness and emptiness of the words which is the message. Where does the phrase come from? One suspects Leon is obscuring a profanity - the title sounds like it should end "humbug or bull shit", which is apt given the phrase's use.
"The title track from the 1971 LP first issued on Leader Records (sic) and worth preserving, I think, for its mystical message which takes us into the heart of things." - LR (sleevenotes to Guess What They're Selling at the Happiness Counter, 1992)
Recordings
Version 1 (1971)
Version 2 (1992) With Martin Carthy
Version 2 (1992) With Martin Carthy