Sometimes, Gargoyle inspires me to greatness. His Kartoffel thread inspired me to think of potato songs, and one of the first songs I thought of was "Sweet Potatioes," which I learned from a Bill Staines Children's CD called The Happy Wanderer. I thought we had a thread on this song, but all I could find was one message from Judy in another thread:
Thread #3229 Message #15954 Posted By: judy 07-Nov-97 - 01:49 PM Thread Name: Songs to celebrate a new baby Subject: Lyr Add: SWEET POTATOES^^
A long time ago I found a record in the library called "You can sing it yourself Vol.2" with Robin Christenson (Folkways FC 7625) that had a terrific song called "Sweet Potatoes". I then found it again in a book called "Twice 55 Community Songs" listed as a Creole lullaby. The chorus can be sung separately or as a round with the verse:
Verse I Soon as mammy's cooked sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes Soon as mammy's cooked sweet potatoes, we eat 'em right straight up.
Sorry I can't put the tune in here. Roo, roo doesn't do it without the music. You can see how this is an add-your-own-lyrics-until-the-baby-or-you-are-asleep song.
congradulations judy
Here are the lyrics Bill Staines uses. I see there's a copyright on them, but I'm betting this song is traditional.
SWEET POTATO
chant: Roo roo roo roo, roo roo, sing ho de dinkum Roo roo roo roo, roo roo, roo roo
Soon as we all cook, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes Soon as we all cook, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes
We eat them right straight up, sweet potatoes....
Soon as supper's et, mamma hollers, mamma hollers...
Get along to bed, mamma hollers...
Soon's we touch our heads, to the pillow, to the pillow...
We go to sleep right smart, on the pillow, on the pillow....