An Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Linguistic Paradox

Brian Hyland's song "Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" has been around for a long time; and although it was a hit by a minor pop star from the time bikinis were risqué, it has lasted well.  It was recently revived in a Yoplait commercial, the thesis being that yogurt is an excellent way to help in losing weight so you can look good in your bikini when it's the season.  This is something that smacks close to home for all bikini-wearers, to be sure, for their gustatory indulgences to help them deal with the winter.

However, the song raises some issues that might have been overlooked:

1.  What is "itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny," to use Brian Hyland's overkill term?

        a.  Is it the bikini itself?

       b.  Or is it the polka dots on the bikini?

2.  What, exactly, is "yellow" in the song?

       a.  Is it the bikini swimsuit?

       b.  Or is it the polka dots on the swimsuit?

When the song came out in 1960 or so, it was considered shockingly brief; hency "itsy-bitsy" was a bit of overkill in use of words.  Since then, the bikini has hatched several variations, from the "granny or Baptist" bikini suitable for country singers to wear without offending their fan bases, to the string bikini which provided fewer square inches in coverage. In effect, which of these two examples more faithfully depicts the implied reality of Brian Hyland's song?

Yellow bikini top, with polka dots

White bikini with yellow polka dots

Deconstruction interpretation argues that we cannot decipher the lyrics of the song without understanding the process by which the connotations and context behind a work are explored and analyzed in (often excrutiatingly fine) detail.  When applied to writing, deconstruction takes it apart so as to better help us understand its relevance to real life (Derrida). This often means pursuing a concept's inner contradictions and the differences between how it appears in the work itself and how it compares to other related concepts both in writing of fiction or song lyrics and in everyday life.  In other words, we cannot simply conclude whether it is the bikini that is itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, or its dots are; and likewise we cannot conclude whether it is the swimsuit  that is yellow, or its dots.

Maybe the swimsuit itself is an itsy-bitsy light yellow string bikini; and it has teeny-weeny darker yellow polka dots on it.  This would, logically, satisfy all possible interpretations.