Signs of the Past

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, our family used to take cross-country car trips. Dad and Mom would switch off driving, and my two sisters and I had to figure out ways to entertain ourselves.

Some of the roadside advertising was fairly interesting, but one that always caught our attention were the progressive ads for Burma-Shave. Four red signs with white letters, eventually forming a pun/poem, followed by the stylized logo:

Some Examples:

DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW

OUT SO FAR

IT MAY GO HOME

IN ANOTHER CAR

BURMA SHAVE  

TRAINS DON'T WANDER

ALL OVER THE MAP

'CAUSE NOBODY SITS

IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP

BURMA SHAVE  

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH

BY MISTAKE

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS

HER HUSBAND JAKE

BURMA SHAVE  

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD

TO GAIN A MINUTE

YOU NEED YOUR HEAD

YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT

BURMA SHAVE  

DROVE TOO LONG

DRIVER SNOOZING

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

IS NOT AMUSING

BURMA SHAVE  

BROTHER SPEEDER

LET'S REHEARSE

ALL TOGETHER

GOOD MORNING, NURSE

BURMA SHAVE  

CAUTIOUS RIDER

TO HER RECKLESS DEAR

LET'S HAVE LESS BULL

AND A LITTLE MORE STEER

BURMA SHAVE  

SPEED WAS HIGH

WEATHER WAS NOT

TIRES WERE THIN

X MARKS THE SPOT

BURMA SHAVE  

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE

OF PAUL FOR BEER

LED TO A WARMER

HEMISPHERE

BURMA SHAVE  

AROUND THE CURVE

LICKETY-SPLIT

BEAUTIFUL CAR

WASN'T IT?

BURMA SHAVE  

NO MATTER THE PRICE

NO MATTER HOW NEW

THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE

IN THE CAR IS YOU

BURMA SHAVE  

A GUY WHO DRIVES

A CAR WIDE OPEN

IS NOT THINKIN'

HE'S JUST HOPIN'

BURMA SHAVE  

AT INTERSECTIONS

LOOK EACH WAY

A HARP SOUNDS NICE

BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY

BURMA SHAVE  

BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL

EYES ON THE ROAD

THAT'S THE SKILLFUL

DRIVER'S CODE

BURMA SHAVE  

THE ONE WHO DRIVES

WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING

DEPENDS ON YOU

TO DO HIS THINKING

BURMA SHAVE  

CAR IN DITCH

DRIVER IN TREE

THE MOON WAS FULL

AND SO WAS HE

PASSING SCHOOL ZONE

TAKE IT SLOW

LET OUR LITTLE

SHAVERS GROW

BURMA SHAVE  

BURMA SHAVE  

(Thanks, Melody!)