The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #78094 Message #1417114
Posted By: Joe Offer
22-Feb-05 - 02:01 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Old McDonald / Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Subject: ADD Version: Sweet Fields of Violo
Well, I dunno. Q and I have had a good time finding versions of "Old MacDonald," and I've enjoyed singing it many times more than I've sung a number of songs. The other thread was mostly UK versions - and until this thread, nobody had posted the "standard" version I learned as a kid.. Here's a version from Louise Pound's American Ballads and Songs (1922, 1950).
120 SWEET FIELDS OF VIOLO
How happy I was on my father's farm, Sweet fields of Violo, Tending to my father's horses That I fed in the barns of Violo. And a gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here a gee and there a gee, and O pretty maids, won't you come and go with me To the sweet fields of Violo!
How happy I was on my father's farm, Sweet fields of Violo, Tending to my father's cows That I milked in the yards of Violo. And a suke, suke here, and a suke, suke there, Here a suke and there a suke, and A gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here a gee and there a gee, and O pretty maids, won't you come and go with me To the sweet fields of Violo!
How happy I was on my father's farm, Sweet fields of Violo, Tending to my father's pigs That I fattened in the pens of Violo. And a boo hoo here and a boo hoo there, Here a boo and there a boo, and A suke suke here and a suke suke there, Here a suke and there a suke, and A gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here a gee and there a gee, and O pretty maids, won't you come and go with me To the sweet fields of Violo!
How happy I was on my father's farm, Sweet fields of Violo, Tending to my father's sheep That ran in the vales of Violo. And a bleat bleat here, and a bleat bleat there, Here a bleat and there a bleat, and A boo hoo here and a boo hoo there, Here a boo and there a boo, and A suke suke here and a suke suke there, Here a suke and there a suke, and A gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here a gee and there a gee, and O pretty maids, won't you come and To the sweet fields of Violo!
How happy I was on my father's farm, Sweet fields of Violo, Tending to my father's geese That swam in the ponds of Violo. With a shoo shoo here and a shoo shoo there, Here a shoo and there a shoo, and A bleat bleat here and a bleat bleat there, Here a bleat and there a bleat, and A boo hoo here and a boo hoo there, Here a boo and there a boo, and A suke suke here and a suke suke there, Here a suke and there a suke, and A gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here a gee and there a gee, and O pretty maids, won't you come and go with me To the sweet fields of Violo!
How happy I was on my father's farm, Sweet fields of Violo. Tending to my father's chickens That laid in the nests of Violo. A cackle cackle here and a cackle cackle there, Here a cackle, there a cackle, and A shoo shoo here and a shoo shoo there, Here a shoo and there a shoo, and A bleat bleat here and a bleat bleat there, Here a bleat and there a bleat, and A boo hoo here and a boo hoo there, Here a boo and there a boo, and A suke suke here and a suke suke there, Here a suke and there a suke, and A gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here a gee and there a gee, and O pretty maids, won't you come and go with me To the sweet fields of Violo!
Pound's notes:
Obtained by Mabel Conrad Sullivan from Fern Sikes of Crete, Nebraska, in 1915. The singer should "end the piece with a good crow." This song has some relation to the college or glee club song, "My Father Has Some Very Fine Ducks."