Why is it not over until the Fat Lady Sings?

I believe it’s a joking reference to opera, where many stars (more in former than present times) had exceedingly, uh, robust figures. Before any opera is over, the soprano will get her turn in the spotlight.

well, fat people sing, then, according to science, they die.

so it’s over when the fat lady sings.

it’s science, can’t deny it.

Via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_ain't_over_'til_the_fat_lady_sings

This phrase in turn refers to the impression by many of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (aka the Ring cycle) as a lengthy opera finally concluding in an aria sung by a heavy-set woman dressed like a valkyrie. The Ring cycle is a set of four separate operas (lasting about 15 hours), in which the final scene includes Brünnhilde singing, and then riding onto Siegfried’s funeral pyre. The set collapses and the entire cycle ends up in the Rhine river, where it started. The “fat lady” is often illustrated with a horned helmet, a spear, possibly a shield, and possibly blond braids.

The above opera was also lampooned beautifully by Mel Blanc and the whole Looney Tunes crew at Warner Brothers.

Kill the wabbit indeed.

I have a friend who plays the whole 16-hour Ring Cycle through on video every year. He makes it a community event and invites a crowd. He caps the whole thing off with the Warner Brothers cartoon (What’s Opera, Doc?). A great tradition.

Now I’ve got, “Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit…” stuck in my head!!!

@buster
New Kids on the Block? was that the only reference you could find for this question?
that kind of goes against your punk skater persona

—I’m a trained Opera Singer and I’m not slight to say the least and it’s generally not over until the fat lady sings because well…

how many opera singers does it take to change a light bulb?
one – she holds the light bulb and the world revolves around her…

b bum

Oooh, @lynneblundell, now I have four favorite light bulb jokes! I didn’t even know I’d missed one.

@Jeruba You know how many boring people it takes to change a lightbulb, right?
Answer: One.