[3] It is one of very few entirely spoken-word recordings (with no singing or musical accompaniment) to make the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The title character is an exceedingly prissy nun substitute teacher (played by Cheech Marin) teaching in a parochial school ("Our Lady of 115th Street") classroom of exceedingly irreverent, noisy teenage boys (all played by Cheech and Tommy Chong through overdubbing).

at the top of her lungs, in startling contrast to her usually placid manner, dead silence ensues.

Sister Mary Elephant tells the class that they will read their previously assigned essays on "How I Spent My Summer Vacation".

She chooses one boy (Chong), who stands up and reads in a monotone voice how on the first day he woke up, went downtown to look for a job, then hung out in front of the drugstore.

Sister Mary tries to get the student to stop reading, but he ignores her and continues, finally noting that on the third day he got a job keeping people from hanging out in front of the drugstore.

The character of Sister Mary Elephant reappeared in a later Cheech and Chong skit, "Sergeant Stadanko", on their Los Cochinos album.

On the compilation album Cheech & Chong's Greatest Hit, "Sister Mary Elephant" and "Sergeant Stadanko" appear back-to-back.