Mr Krabs Can You Play That Song Again Lift Yourself

"Do you know what this is? It's the world'due south smallest violin playing merely for the waitresses."

Squidward: When they get here this evening, they're going to see I'1000 but a big phony and a loser!
Mr. Krabs: Aww, boo-hoo! Permit me play a distressing song for yous on the world's smallest violin. [moves his fingers and music plays]
Squidward: This is serious!
Mr. Krabs: I know, this actually is the world's smallest violin! See? [the scene switches to a frame depicting his pincers holding a very tiny violin]

When a character is presumed to exist exaggerating the sorrow of their predicament in club to proceeds sympathy, another character may respond by rubbing their finger and thumb back and forth every bit if they were playing the world'due south smallest violin, possibly making simulated violin noises with their mouth. A predominantly Western gesture, the World's Smallest Violin is used to bespeak a person who is exaggerating. There are other, much more than rude hand gestures bachelor to tell someone they're being an ass, but the violin is more sophisticated. It plays on the thought that wangsty characters look the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra to pop upwards out of nowhere to provide some background for their soliloquies.

"BAAAWWWWWW", "somebody call the WAAAAAAAAAmbulance", "this is so lamentable, Alexa play 'Despacito'", and "let me press F on the world'south smallest keyboard" are the net equivalents.

Meet also Misery Poker.

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Examples:

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    Advertisement

• 1 State Farm ad has ii men — Lebron James and Aldis Hodge — who were in a car blow; when Hodge blames Lebron, he (Lebron) uses the State Farm jingle to summon the World's Smallest Violin.

    Fan Works

• Soul Eater: Troubled Souls: At that place'south manifestly a freaking phone app for that in-universe! Nayumi and Tsuji play it in response to Caius and Claudia's Melodrama.

  Nayumi: Aww. Tsuji, let's play them a tune from the earth's smallest violins.
  Tsuji: Word. [he and Nayumi take out their iPhones every bit if doing something completely dissimilar])
  Kid: [not impressed] Could you two be a bit more considerate?
  Tsuji: We are.
  Nayumi: We're using the World's Smallest Violin app on our iPhones. See? [she and Tsuji show the apps to Kid that prove the world's smallest violin]

• The Hugger-mugger Life of Dolls has a slightly more than literal example: when Tonner Edward is complaining about the Ellowynes flirting with him, Cleo snarks, "Oh, WOW, not one but two pretty girls want to exist your friend. I'll see if The Littlest Edward has a violin to play only for you." (The Littlest Edward being a six-inch-alpine action figure, the tininess of the violin is implied.)

    Films — Animation

• Done as a Visual Gag in The Peachy Mouse Detective. When an apparent clue turns out to exist a Red Herring, Basil goes into a sulk and plays his violin (every bit he's a mouse, it'southward quite small-scale) ignoring Olivia as she tells the sad story of how her father was kidnapped and she wants Basil to find him (Basil somewhen pays attention, but later accidentally sits on his violin and breaks it). Of course, Basil is an Expy of Sherlock Holmes, who famously played the violin (surprisingly well too).

    Films — Live-Action

• In Reservoir Dogs, Mr. Pink does this to show his lack of sympathy for underpaid waitresses during a debate about tipping.
• Used by J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man two, after Peter tries to appeal to his sympathy.

  Peter: Mr. Jameson, please, isn't there whatsoever of these shots you can use? I really demand the money.
  Jameson: Awww. Miss Brant? Get me a violin.

• In Steppenwolf, (1974), Hermine plays the world's smallest violin for Harry, the protagonist. Information technology well-nigh certainly does non appear in the book on which the film is based.

  Harry: I really am hopeless.
  Hermine: Perhaps you ought to go abode and hang yourself after all. Oh, pitiful!
  Harry: [coughs]
  Hermine: Doesn't anyone look after you lot? a married woman? sweetheart?
  Harry: I'm divorced. A sweetheart, yeah, just she doesn't compare to... we don't get... we don't get along very well, anyway.
  Hermine: Well you lot are difficult. Nobody can stand up y'all.
  Harry: Well, just don't scold me. I, I know I'm impossible, I'm hopeless. I'm helpless!
  Hermine: Da dummm, da dummmh...
  Harry: What'due south this?
  Hermine: It'south the world's saddest song playing on the globe'due south smallest violin. Yous've got a nervus saying you've tested life to the lesser, and institute nothing in information technology. Yous haven't even tried the easy, fun part yet.

• Bruce Willis repeatedly uses the "WAAAAAAH-mbulance" version to sneer at his younger self in Disney's The Kid (2000).
• In Joe Dirt, Robby mocks the title character with this example:

  Robby: Y'all desire a Wah-burger and some French Cries? How bout a Whine-eken?

    Literature

• Invoked in Wizard and Drinking glass, the quaternary book in Stephen King'southward The Dark Tower series, when Eddie Dean, against Blaine with bad jokes, is ordered to stop his nonsense. When he rubs his fingers together, Blaine demands, "What does that signify, foolish animate being?" Eddie's reply: "The world'south smallest violin playing 'My Heart Pumps Purple Piss' for you."
• Whateley Universe: From Kayda ten: There'south No Place Like Poe (Office 3) :

  I've got three sims scheduled next week!"
  Chou did the mini-violin thing with a mocking grin. "My centre bleeds! Nosotros had to suffer under Gunny with sims terminal winter term - practically one a solar day, and then you lot're not going to get any sympathy!

    Alive-Action TV

• M*A*S*H: When Charles complains that an overflow of postal service-op patients has kicked him out of his tent:

  Margaret: Charles, do you know what this is? It's the earth's smallest violin, and information technology'due south playing simply for you.

• Repeated on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, when Principal Kraft, under a spell, mouths off to Libby:

  Kraft: Aww, here'due south the earth'southward smallest violin playing the world's saddest song just for y'all!

• This exchange in the Warehouse 13 episode "Merge With Caution" after the Warehouse agents simply jumped out through a window and Pete is lament nearly his knees:

  [Myka makes tiny violin motions]
  Pete: What'southward that?
  Myka: The world's tiniest imperial violin. (she's wearing majestic protective gloves)

• In School Of One-act, a brash character attention a grouping therapy session actually produces a miniature violin to play for someone relating their story.
• On a Saturday Night Live skit, Saddam Hussein (Horatio Sanz) calls Osama bin Laden (Jimmy Fallon) to complain almost bin Laden running him down in ane of his tapes. Osama rubs his finger and pollex together and says, "You know what I'm doing? I'1000 playing the world's smallest violin."
• The Girls beginning-season finale gives us Adam making this gesture while giving Hannah a (probably much-needed) snap out of your self-centered bullshit speech. Presently thereafter, he gets hit by a van.
• Jon Stewart used the "WAAAAAH-mbulance" on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart once.

• On American Vandal, basketball star DeMarcus likes to taunt other teams past pretending to play the violin for them.
• Raylan'south version of this in Justified Flavour 2, Episode 5: "Do you know what that is? That's the globe's smallest man playing "My Heart Bleeds For You" on a tiny violin."
• In the 2d episode of Elementary, Dr. Watson has been trying to get Holmes dorsum into the violin as a way to aid him cope with his habit. During one scene, the 2 are listening to an aficionado tell her story, which Holmes has deemed "useless nattering" and he mouths off to Watson in the following fashion:

  Holmes: I'm playing the violin again. The world's smallest. Happy now?

• In "Not Pictured", the season 2 finale of Veronica Mars, Vinnie Van Lowe, in jail for trying to rob the mayor'south house, offers Keith a sixty/twoscore split on reward money. When Keith responds that it should exist 50/l, Vinnie whines that he'southward the 1 in jail, and Keith does this to him:

  Vinnie: I risk my life to bring a fugitive to justice and you're giving me world's tiniest violin.
  Keith: Approximate I'm only heartless.

• Oft lampshaded in The Goodies with someone playing violin music (not always on a violin) when a new client gives their sob story.
• On a season 4 episode of Modernistic Family unit, Lily, while going through a snarky stage asks Cam and Mitch if they need a WAH-mbulance, it was later revealed that Lily had picked up the sarcastic remark from Claire.
• Bosch: In season 3, tasked with identifying the car that was used by Sharkey'south killer, Barrel says he'll look over hours of surveillance camera footage because he'due south "got zip but time"—he'south getting divorced. Crate ribs him past making the "tiny violin" gesture and saying "And a 1000 tiny violins begin to play."

    Music

• Invoked in Pantera's "Walk":

  ''Run your oral fissure when I'm not around, it'due south easy to reach
  You weep to weak friends that empathize
  Tin can y'all hear the violins playing your song?
  Those same friends tell me your every give-and-take

• Also invoked by brentalfloss in "Cave Story WITH LYRICS":

  Everybody'southward livin' in the cavern
  Can't escape the isle, world'due south smallest violin
  Skee-de-dee

    Newspapers

• Used by a columnist in the New York Times (xi/nine/2003) most the travails of bluebloods having problem finding jobs.

  In a tight job market, should we be surprised that some Ivy League grads have bug? Welcome to the 21st century, and excuse me while I practice the world's smallest violin.

• Was the full general reaction to this article about a family unit that'southward just squeaking by on an annual $300,000 income. How the Washington Post thought for a 2d they'd garner any sympathy whatever is beyond us.

    Video Games

• World of Warcraft has an Emote Command, /violin, which displays "You brainstorm to play the world'south smallest violin." If you have something targeted, information technology displays "You brainstorm to play the globe's smallest violin for [target]."
• An actual weapon in Kingdom of Loathing (and a fairly skillful ane at that), although the item description references the related symbolism.
• Referenced in AdventureQuest Worlds in the clarification of the Os Violin.
• In The World Ends with You, Joshua plays the World'southward Smallest Violin for Neku afterwards Neku shares the story of how Shiki Misaki is now his entry fee.
• In Borderlands 2, after you are forced to kill a mutated companion of a graphic symbol from the showtime game, Handsome Jack taunts you, but promptly loses his violin he was supposed to play. He doesn't find it until you make it back to Sanctuary, wherein he gets mocked off-screen for being mode also late to play it (and playing information technology poorly).
• In The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, After Estelle admits she's a bit jealous of Khoe and Jill sharing room together, Jill replies by playing a modest violin after reminding her that she and Joshua lived under the same roof for almost of their life.
• Xenoblade Chronicles X occasionally has fun with its Dialogue Trees and players have the choice to make their Player Character human activity snarky. 1 such instance is responding to some other character lament that you are crushing his business reputation by how well you are doing by, "Rubbing your fingers together like you're playing the globe'south smallest violin"

    Web Comics

    Web Original

• "This is so sad, Alexa play 'Despacito'" or "This is so pitiful, tin we please reach (insert number hither) likes?" ^notation Though, in the case of the latter ane, the concluding part is normally replaced with something comically horrific.
• How can you be sure it's the world's smallest violin? When a tardigrade can play information technology. ◊
• Spoofed in the Toon Sandwich video, Super-Villain-Bowl!, which has it'south main villain Oscar growing himself to kaiju size. 1 of the heroes, Dr. Manhattan, in similar giant-size, confronts Oscar heads-on, and Oscar makes this gesture while Dr. Manhattan tries to talk him down.

  Oscar: You hear that? I'1000 playing the world'southward smallest violin. [plays a literal violin on two fingers while making the gesture]

  Dr. Manhattan: Given our current enormity, that'south actually a regular-sized violin.

  Oscar: Whatever. [drops the violin]

    Spider web Videos

• Atop the 4th Wall: Linkara in one case got out a violin when Ultimate Wolverine was nigh to get into a long flashback involving how he had sex with Wanda'due south female parent.

  Linkara: Are we going to start a flashback involving Wolverine's past? Give me a second. [goes off-screen and came back with a violin] You may go along.

• The Nostalgia Chick:
  • Physician Tease once played a tiny violin to accompany the Chick angsting. Which, co-ordinate to the commentary, had been an bodily gift from Lindsay, prior to that.
  • The violin returns in the She's All That review for Freddie Prinze Jr. — though start The Makeover Fairy appears with a real violin as Lindsay can't find it.
• Todd in the Shadows plays with it reviewing Chris Brown'south "Deuces". He sets his piano on violin and plays a song to "testify his sympathy".

    Western Animation

• Due south Park: In the episode "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes", Cartman played a violin while a small business owner talked most how Wall-Mart'south depression prices had forced his concern to close down. When Kyle then smashed the violin, Cartman tells him that he tin can just go buy another one from Wall-Mart.
• An one-time Captain America cartoon has Cap asking the Red Skull if he wanted someone to play a violin while he told his sad Backstory.
• In a soundtrack gag on Avatar: The Final Airbender, a violin plays very, very softly during Toph'due south brief attempt to bond with an unsympathetic Zuko during the serial finale.
• A scene from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Squilliam Returns" has Mr. Krabs literally plays the World's Smallest Violin as a variant of this trope:

  Mr. Krabs: Aww, boo hoo! Allow me play a sorry song for yous on the Globe'due south Smallest Violin. [does so]
  Squidward: This is serious!
  Mr. Krabs: I know, this really is the World's Smallest Violin. Run into? [camera focuses on his claw to evidence Earth's Smallest Violin]

• The Simpsons:
  • Apu does this gesture in response to his married woman's complaining, but with a sitar rather than a violin.
  • Fat Tony, having won the prized violin of Krusty's daughter in a poker game, does this when Krusty begs him to give it dorsum. Then, realizing that he can do it for real, pulls out the violin and plays a sad melody, surprisingly well.
  • In the episode "Them Robot" Lenny besides plays the earth's smallest violin for Homer, but it turns out he was actually property a existent tiny violin. Moments later he loses the bow, and Homer steps on it as he leaves the bar.
  • A street mime mocks Lisa with a balloon whale, and after information technology explodes like the real ane did, with a balloon violin.
  • In "Rex Leer", Homer hallucinates Bart'southward new violin mocking him with this.
• In an early episode of Family Guy, Peter gets sent on a Vision Quest. When the trees start talking to him, he asks the old question:

  Peter: Hey, if any of you falls down and no one is around to hear you, practice you make a sound?
  Tree one: Of class, Scott barbarous down terminal week and he wouldn't cease talking since.
  Scott: Sure, stand up there and bowwow, only would any of you take the time to HELP ME?
  Tree 2: (rubbing branches together) Oh, oh, I'm playing the world's smallest violin, Scott.

• In episode 5 of The Animals of Farthing Wood. While it's not a tiny violin, Rabbit does choice up a stick and mock-play sorry violin music when Mr. Pheasant starts to go a bit theatrical near "when 1 faces death equally often every bit me" before leaving back to the subcontract to help Adder find her style to the others. True plenty, Mr. Pheasant but lost his married woman to the farmer'due south gun, but the general stance of his established character is that he'south all also concerned in himself.

    Real Life

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Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WorldsSmallestViolin

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