 When the pair decided to make " This Was a Real Nice Clambake " into an ensemble number , Hammerstein realized he had no idea what a clambake was like , and researched the matter . Based on his initial findings , he wrote the line , " First came codfish chowder " . However , further research convinced him the proper term was " codhead chowder " , a term unfamiliar to many playgoers . He decided to keep it as " codfish " . When the song proceeded to discuss the lobsters consumed at the feast , Hammerstein wrote the line " We slit ' em down the back / And peppered ' em good " . He was grieved to hear from a friend that lobsters are always slit down the front . The lyricist sent a researcher to a seafood restaurant and heard back that lobsters are always slit down the back . Hammerstein concluded that there is disagreement about which side of a lobster is the back . One error not caught involved the song " June Is Bustin ' Out All Over " , in which sheep are depicted as seeking to mate in late spring — they actually do so in the winter . Whenever this was brought to Hammerstein 's attention , he told his informant that 1873 was a special year , in which sheep mated in the spring . 
