NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & SportsNashville Brothers Write Song About Cicadas

Nashville Brothers Write Song About Cicadas

by Heather Graf

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The swarm of cicadas taking over our yards has now inspired a song.  Nashville residents Danny and John Murphy actually wrote the lyrics almost 20 years ago.

Back then, the brothers used the bugs as fishing bait.

"I don't think we had the money to buy minnows or worms, so we thought let's try that for fishing bait," recalls Danny Murphy. "And we caught about 20 fish or something, and we had a ball."

When the cicadas went away, though, the Murphy's stopped their serenade.  They'd almost forgotten the catchy lyrics, until the bugs returned this week.

"We were waiting for that golden opportunity to bring it back," said Danny. "And you know, now they have YouTube, so my wife actually said why don't y'all put it out there, so we thought we'd give it a shot."

Now, the song is making a comeback, at least in their backyard.

"Right now we're having fun, just the best time," said John Murphy. "My guess is there's about 130,000 cicadas surrounding us."

Danny's kids have also gotten a kick out of it, and are quickly making friends with the cicadas in their yard.

"They're like a second family to me," said seven-year-old Owen Murphy.

Experts say the cicadas only emerge from the ground once every 13 years for mating.  So does that mean the brothers will wait another 13 years to sing their song?

"Well, we're not getting any younger!" said Danny.

To hear "Cicada Bug Song" in its entirety, you can watch it on YouTube.

Email: hgraf@newschannel5.com