Tim Minchin's "Three Minute Song" - Ruth Jones' Easter Treat - BBC Two

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Tim Minchin's performs his "Three Minute Song" specially composed for Ruth Jones' Easter Treat.
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[@mojosbigsticks]

Okay, so he's really, really good at his job.

[@DaBiggFly]

+Mojos Bigstick Understatement of the year, over here.

[@SallinKari]

And he has a understanding of the passage of time.

[@SomeAHole]

+SallinKari 100 Beats per minute, 300 beat song...

[@mortenfast578]

Though the tempo changes through the song. The first part is slower than it is after the chorus. It goes faster. So not really 300 beats. Probably more like 320 or something at 105 bpm

[@stephenwhiddett]

320 at 105bpm would take over 3 mins

[@fomharoliana1207]

Alll my life has just been just leading up to the epic glorious transcendent moment I randomly discovered Tim Minchin while mindlessly surfing KZbin.

[@michaelcookielover6091]

Ikr, I found him after loving him on Californication.

[@nuno.picado]

Well, I found him a few days ago, but I know what you mean!

[@martijnjanssens5502]

I just found him after a Facebook post where he gives an address to the University of Western Australia (Live to Learn). What great, wise, China words!

[@dwaindibbley1965]

I heard him on The Now Show I think it was never looked back. Looks like I missed his tour of the UK though.. Sad so sad

[@widgetno1]

Wow you have some treats in store

[@GillianErzebet]

I have listened to this so many times, and I FINALLY just caught him saying "...three, four...skin". He's a clever one, that Tim.

[@Saxophonin]

I had to listen to it twice more after reading this before I heard.

[@RWBHere]

Did you also miss all of the other scatological references?

[@thierpetersen7907]

Lmao i heard this song a few times but never caught that

[@jont695]

I've seen this multiple times and I noticed that the sentence "and a hoe-down in it" can be meant two different ways.

[@derxen]

Hmm ... I really feel like a pervert hearing this instantaneously without reading the comments ... xD

[@CordellGMusic]

That Tim can change the solo and the lyrics to suit his venue and still hit 3 minutes is PHENOMENAL.

[@jeffreyser]

Only just noticed that Tim slipped a 'C-Bomb' in there too... that's skill

[@coreywelsher2575]

Where?

[@samuelward9658]

@@coreywelsher2575 just after 2:46

[@lukekwasnica1850]

@@samuelward9658 wrong, its after the for China bit

[@lukekwasnica1850]

2:11

[@allisonbergh4429]

For China is a count...ry

[@HadalStreetlights]

so like, what makes me laugh even harder at this song is the idea that the person who had to tell Tim Minchin "keep it clean and under 3 minutes" basically gets roasted during this song as Tim makes genital pun after genital pun and even calls this person's sexual prowess into question. absolutely incredible performance and top tier piss-taking.

[@VanessaMagick]

Pretty much, yeah. This is what happens when you tell Tim Minchin to stay short and clean - he goes "well why did you even book me then" and writes this

[@geraldyulianto1825]

Lol that " for china " 🤣🤣🤣 thats one of the good one 🤣🤣

[@YouHolli]

Regardless how often I watch this, 2, 3, foreskin gets me. Every fucking time.

[@davidralphsky]

YouHolli Oh my GOD I never caught that. I wondered why everyone laughed at that.

[@YouHolli]

David Ralphsky Thou shall not use the name of LORD in vain.

[@davidralphsky]

YouHolli Oh Jesus Christ I'm sorr-- dammit!

[@SushiCatto]

+YouHolli Profanity is also a sin. Just fyi. "Every fucking time"

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

+YouHolli I'm glad this joke made the cut

[@alloronan]

I just used this song as a timer for my soft boiled egg, it's so accurate :D

[@aidangant9063]

alloronan legend

[@ApexofWar_]

Best 3 minute timer in eggsistance.

[@inviktus1983]

every 60 seconds in africa, a minute passes

[@Saxophonin]

Wait what! When I soft boil my eggs I do 6 minutes.

[@sebastiansparky1444]

@@Saxophonin proceeds to double up the song

[@emily3458]

The little laugh he does after 'two, three, foreskin' is the sweetest thing ever

[@Ryrynz2000]

That's some real talent.

[@lilgrasshoppah]

There are layers and layers of this... The brilliance of which cannot be named.

[@junyr73]

Indeed!

[@MachiavellianWisdom]

So so true!

[@anoctolol]

Stanley was suddenly brought here, as if it were an easter egg.

[@09_CRAZY]

finally i found someone who is here because of the stanley parable

[@WearerOfCapes]

Don't know how I never noticed before, but not only is Tim extremely talented, he has really beautiful eyes...

[@TheScylla666]

Not to be mean, but he's wearing coloured contacts ...

[@bemdav]

I was listening to Tim Minchin and found people here talking about The Stanley Parable, so I tried the game out and it's one of the best games I've ever played...

[@dottedpyjamas]

LOVE his little laugh at 2:21 💛This guy is the definition of talent!

[@greob]

Tim Minchin is irreplaceable. Such a great mind and performer.

[@milton5609]

Bro u been no video in 11 years on your channel, u good?

[@Aurongroove]

"...and a grasp on the passage of time" made me lol.

[@davidmeir80]

"For China, for China, for China is a country that will bring us to our knees..." Love it!

[@Mephistolomaniac]

don't forget the pause ;) "count-ry"

[@loomey2011]

Mephistolomaniac 2.....3.......fourskin

[@Mephistolomaniac]

paul loome wow, i guess i missed that one :D

[@LadyMorgwath]

sad thing, i didn't heard 'for china' ;p

[@loomey2011]

LadyMorgwath, brilliant ;)

[@emmacavanagh3145]

First time I ever saw Tim Minchin was on this, I remember it so well. Laughed so hard at the ‘for China’ part

[@just-meal-tayeb4526]

For China always bring us to our knees 😂

[@PieOrCake1974]

He really emphasised the first syllable of "country" when he sang "For China is a country that will bring us to our knees"...

[@spinycrayfish]

"I've got ... a grasp on the passage of time" Quite the understatement.

[@josephsmith961]

I love that this guy can sing about anything and make it entertaining as hell. The guy is a genius.

[@tylerbooth7854]

is... is he... is he wearing shoes?!

[@CamK247]

Tyler Booth Yes.... Tim is wearing shoes...... Tim.... is wearing shoes.

[@murrfeeling]

+Tyler Booth One of his songs even required a boot!

[@annething5046]

I don't thinks he ever wears shoes

[@confusedSoulof2010]

@@annething5046 he wears them on talk shows that make him wear shoes, I think...

[@barryschwarz]

The flocking BBC. How they crimped him for that bit.

[@thebearded4427]

This was great! The burn for the one making the call to Tim was earned. Imagine trying to book him and go "Your entire act and everything that makes you popular isnt what we're looking for. Can you just not do any of that?". I mean huh?

[@droidattackonthewookiesocc8981]

i love how one key meaning of the song is that he cant have any adult humour in it but they still put 'adult humour' at the start

[@BrainComm487]

I love this song. No matter how many times I her it, it still makes me smile. The man is a pure genius. Does anyone else want to see this guy in a double-act with Bill Bailey?

[@skatepunkvideos]

Genius. Take the piss out and entertain in one shot.

[@sirlimpetlad4919]

"1. 2. 3. foreskin." at this point i pissed myself... XD

[@nin816]

Thanks. I was not sure, wether I heared, what I heared there. :)

[@joeya5147]

haha my god never heard it before but now i have haha so funny

[@eleganzaitself6115]

I have now managed to miss this despite multiple re-listenings. Where is it?

[@AbzWayne]

@@eleganzaitself6115 kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2nQdmqMrpaLqMU

[@nomisnoxin]

This man is majorly underrated , his achievements are so vast there are too many Tim minchin

[@timgooding9464]

This is good. I think a lot of people missed it.

[@Walicia]

Genuinely caught me off guard and I'm dead 🤣

[@theolcf]

THAT WAS AWESOME.

[@TheStuport]

+Theo Burkhardt This guy is hilarious....Need more like him across The Pond here in The States....Cheers All

[@theonlyjazzer6860]

@@TheStuport you have bo Burnham (or however you spell his name )

[@gohan316427]

Now this is pod racing

[@dford145]

No it’s not!

[@LucyLoud_Fan]

“Stanley wondered what the KZbin URL link was in the top right corner of the mind control facility screen. So he decided to copy and paste it down onto his nearest computer and proceed to watch this video”

[@mrswafflechops]

"For China, forchina, vachina, vagina, vagina is a country XD Only you Tim

[@NishaClarke]

+katie Andzz Pianist haha

[@Cookieofdoom]

Love the critic of television. I need more of this guy.

[@funk44]

you're in for a bad time if you're religious

[@BiFurDoggy]

@@funk44 Or a great time if you're religious but still cynical of the church.

[@GDNachoo]

Stanley noticed a KZbin video link on the top-right corner of the display after activating the mind reading controls, so he decided to take a look at the video

[@thiscontu4740]

ah yes, that's the comment that I was looking for

[@IrisNebula7023]

So, Stanley spent his last three minutes watching a song video, completely indifferent to his nearing end, never learning a thing about the controls he so curiously activated...

[@dw4659]

I don't feel this man gets enough appreciation!!!! Bloody brilliant

[@TheTinySaint]

Can someone tell me if the last seven seconds of this video were any good?

[@nateworthy530]

solid 5 out of 7

[@markjohnson1901]

What's really funny is that I couldn't tell you what the text at the end was for because I stopped paying attention once the song ended.

[@enjoiNirvana]

It's just a picture of Ruth Jones, looks like going to commercial

[@enjoiNirvana]

Wow nvm I get it, you turned off past 3:00 😂😂😂

[@iliilili310]

@@nateworthy530 Five out of seven? I must say, this is a grading scale like no other I've seen before.

[@georgesmith4225]

Listening for the 34th time and still always anxious he won’t finish in time at the end

[@willdunlop4929]

Every time I listen to this song I hear something new! Tim, you're a genius!

[@sherryburrows882]

I love this guy! No matter how many times I listen to his songs I laugh hysterically every time.

[@1500alvin]

tim Minchin is a role model to everyone who loves music AMAZING

[@thepuppyjustshatitse]

All the jokes are hidden amazingly well I made my dad listen to it he had to listen 5 times befor he understood all the jokes lol

[@pdiesman]

I just met this guy tonight via this video. He can sing, play, and write like a master (I heard Victor Borga). The BBC is very fortunate to have a song written especially for them. I'm not sure about the science, but apparently Victor and Elton had a love child.

[@JerboyLupisan]

I needed a three-minute song to alarm me that the coffee I had on my French drip was done. This is perfect.

[@user-sq7vq2vs6z]

The Stanley Parable were very smart for choosing the Right Song! LOL😂

[@fjcracing1318]

THIS was in the Stanley parable??? I know I’m dead late but I’m a massive fan of Tim and that game, but never seen the two together?

[@zalo_1]

@@fjcracing1318In the countdown ending, there's a string of characters in the top right of the big screen in the control panel room that when put into a KZbin url sends you here, at least that's how I got here

[@trbolt0713]

​@@fjcracing1318 Just googled it: apparently a code appears on the countdown timer in the facility power room that, when put on the end of a youtube url, leads to this video. I don't know why, I guess its because they both have timers or maybe the countdown is three minutes (I havent played the game in a while so I have forgotten how long it is).

[@iamgly]

@@fjcracing1318 Yes it is, in fact, I just arrived from The Stanley Parable right now. Here is how you found out : In the Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, at the end, when you should turn off the Mind Control Facility, you instead activate it. The narrator tells you how wrong you did because you enabled the detonation network, the big screen turns to red, the narrator says it will detonate in two minutes, and a counter is displayed on the big screen. Now if you pay attention in the top-right corner of the big screen, there is a code similar to a KZbin ID video, which leads to this video 😉

[@soulsmith1712]

such a clever song, very well written. love it

[@benshiffman7765]

I love that face after he says “it’ll be fine fine fine” gets a laugh even when I listen to this song and don’t watch it

[@LouisaKellyHarper]

I have depression and bpd and I watch Tim Minchin all the time as he generally makes me smile....I love him ❤

[@fireflynovember]

Now that is talent.

[@steve-2208]

I've watched Tim Minchin for a long time. His songs are spread over many topics and are absolutely hilarious every time ... It amazes me that someone who can write this, can also use his exceptional creativeness to come up with Matilda the Musical (and yes, I've seen it live) ... Please keep em coming Tim ...

[@AaronMartinWright]

i love tims little tune he puts in all his songs ♥

[@deannahayes9426]

OMG He has a piece of piano solo in only three minutes and it sounds SO DAMN GOOD

[@PearangeProductions]

"Stanley? Listen, I know that this Tim Minchin guy is _godlike,_ no argument there, but you're on the clock, remember?" "..." "Fine. I'll extend the clock so the explosion happens after the video ends. I do want to see the video, myself, after all..."

[@ddemonicflame]

"Remember boy that music is like lovemaking, it's simply self-indulgent to take it past three minutes" That is my favourite line. Yes, I know I just quoted from the video, and that annoys everybody, because if you have watched the video you know the quote, and if you haven't, it's a spoiler. Not even sorry.

[@slavko5666]

The countdown screen got me here (and a guide with hints lol).

[@mrscheekybynature]

Absolutely frickin awesome as usual Mr Minchin. So so clever in so many ways. Love your mind xxxx

[@3paynes]

Once again, brilliant.

[@Dovakinalex]

DID You Get The Broom Closet Ending THAT ENDING WAS MY FAVORITE

[@goonerlander]

Brilliant. Which is what I was expecting, of course.

[@Nuckpang]

Utterly beautiful version! Thank you for this Saskia, it's soothing for the soul 🥰

[@butzmn7190]

I have no words. This is brilliant.

[@zachbrody8040]

this guy is hilarious

[@mrkaimarsh]

I've listened to this so many times and I never get bored. BEST SONG EVER!

[@marlboro276]

I can't get enough of this !

[@Amyphist]

Simply brilliant.

[@nateworthy530]

I want him an Bo Burnham to do a duet!

[@thewheeliain]

I instantly thought this as well

[@riparianlife97701]

+RebirthOfLeGenD Dota Listen to "New Math" and say that.

[@linky0064]

+Nateworthy530 X YEEEEEESSSS this

[@kayw8224]

That would be super interesting. I’d like to see what they’d come up with as well. I’ve seen them both praise each other in separate interviews. I can’t imagine their synergy would be anything short of amazeballs.

[@tylercowels2307]

Sounds just like Bo Burnham!! Idk who copied who but damn!

[@Almamater8888]

Talented, talented man.

[@daanborrias]

Fantastic.

[@LaurenApril95]

Omg i have watched this like 2000 times i love it

[@alexg9996]

Here again from The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe. But why? Have I not known the hint points me at the same place it did 8 years ago? Well, I guessed it. But, yet, I'm still here again

[@lambdrey]

Is this the Stanley Parable easter egg?

[@greygoose8803]

no this is patrick

[@banenefleur]

是的 (yes)

[@KeirGameTrailer]

Amazing. I'm thrilled for you.

[@LucyS2198]

Love, love, love Tim Minchin 😍💖

[@mixttime]

As someone that came here from Stanley Parable fandom, when I first heard about this I thought it was just coincidence. I mean there are how many KZbin video IDs? You spit out some random characters and the odds aren't terrible on it working here. But having it be an Easter Egg linking to an Easter special, and a timed song from a countdown. I'm sold. Also how have I not heard of this man before now? This is hilarious.

[@mixttime]

TreeroyJ In the countdown ending there is a monitor with a string of characters in the corner. Those characters are the ID for this video (seen in the URL).

[@mixttime]

sarcastic bowl of cornflakes Thanks, as an IT guy I really should have caught on to that.

[@Yotanido]

Being unable to guess video IDs is actually a feature. Otherwise, unlisted videos could be found quite easily

[@calsaw23]

i found this in the stanley parable. anyone else??

[@mildlydumbperson8465]

Yep, me too.

[@MxMagpie]

Wow this is a genuine work of genius ahahah, it's so long since I heard something new from Tim and this is just perfect.

[@alexmacleod8448]

Absolutely brilliant! TM is a genius.

[@bdufka]

My life will never ever be the same, because of what he is doing, and already has done. Brilliant, genius, intelligent and funny lyrics plus sexy, rock-like, awesome look, and to that add few more extras.... - TIM MINCHIN!

[@Iamaplatypus42]

Tim minchin brought me to stanley parable.

[@justmagicmostly]

absolutely brilliant.

[@jamielondon6436]

Bloody brilliant!

[@emwrightable]

Just when I thought this guy couldn't make me laugh any more than he already has, he cracks out another immensely wittily hilarious song. Go Tim, you're awesome.

[@hippa121]

"Hey Tim, your gonna sing a song on Ruth Jones!" "Well then, let's keep to the rules... Except we totally wont."

[@debbz1969]

Absolute GENIUS......... nuff said!!!!!!

[@MachiavellianWisdom]

Wow.....how have I never heard of the gloriously funny and talented man?!?!

[@viabea7472]

Stanley... What are you doing here?

[@totalanimalactionofive9980]

I'm so glad someone else discovered this. Narrator has good taste.

[@pointyebt9545]

The first time I saw this was on the Royal Variety Show, and the 'wisdom here at ITV' was about the time, and he rather obviously didn't mention BBC Wales. He apparently has several different versions of this that switch around some of the lyrics to keep it rhyming. :D The RVS one had mentions of the Queen as well. :)

[@GreetingsFromFlorida]

This never gets old.

[@majonezrysiowy]

I love this

[@jjp7799]

New fan as of now.

[@TheDefiningOfAwesome]

The average BPM for this song was around 110, nicely done Mr. Minchin!

[@Soapy-chan_old]

How did I never hear about him until a few days ago? He is a GENIUS

[@yeti21586]

That is soooooooo good!!!!

[@MatthewMelvin]

Tim counts up while Stanley counts down. Nice.

[@MatthewMelvin]

Except the part where he dis'd Victor Borge though. You're on the shoulders of giants Tim. :)

[@aero-geek803]

He broke all the rules and still made a very appropriate song

[@Njnewberry]

This will always be my favourite version of the song :3

[@TheYoutalktome]

So amazing! Love him :D

[@heduinravell4785]

"A song for the delicate skin of middle class Britain"

[@EdwardMidgleyFilms]

This is perfect. Like seriously think about it. Think about the raw talent and skill.

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

Okay, you tube, you done good here. I came here via”I’ll Take Lonely Tonight”, and I am very grateful I went down that particular rabbit hole. Thank whatever for quarantine, cos I think it’s going to be a late night. But....if I binge tonight, what will I do tomorrow? Decisions, decisions.

[@kevj4584]

I love love love Tim's old stuff, but I find his new work either a bit corny or musically bland. Maybe that's just me though. I could listen to his old stuff on a loop! haha

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

@@kevj4584 I agree, now that I’m a firm (and yet pudgy) Tim Minchin fan. Since that night night, I’ve binged on Tim, so to speak, many times. I need cheering up, think I will listen to one song, and hours later I’m singing along. However, his newer stuff, whilst a bit more commercial, are still clever, and, always, always there is *that* voice!

[@justinmckenzie7328]

Nine years later and I'm just now seeing this masterpiece for the first time.