Teacher Cuts "Gay" from Class Folk Song

A primary school teacher in Melbourne hit a sour note when he changed the lyrics in an Australian folk song about a bird from "gay" to "fun" in order to suppress classroom laughter.

Reuters reports that Garry Martin of Le Page Primary School changed the lyrics from "gay your life must be" to "fun your life must be" in the 1934 song, "Kookaburra Sits in an Old Gum Tree," about an native Australian kingfisher.

"Martin denied removing the word 'gay' from the song was done with any malice, saying he just wanted to maintain order at school where children sometimes used the word as playground insult while not really understanding its meaning," reported Reuters.

Martin argued the change was a matter of classroom management, but acknowledged it might be preferable to stick with the original lyrics.