I found two different tunes for Hey Diddle Diddle - the first one (3/4 time Key C) is what I am familiar with here in England, but the Great Songbook says the other one (6/8 in E) is traditional too.
MIDI file: HEYDID~1.MID
Timebase: 480
Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
Key: C
TimeSig: 3/4 18 8
Name: Hey, Diddle, Diddle
Text: S:Chester's Easiest Nursery Rhymes, by Carol Barratt 1991
Start
0000 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 127 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 60 090 0479 0 60 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 127 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 60 090 0479 0 60 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 64 127 0959 0 64 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 67 127 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 127 2399 0 62 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 127 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 127 0959 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 127 0959 0 65 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 127 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 71 090 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 72 090 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 72 127 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 60 127 2879 0 60 000
EndThis program is worth the effort of learning it.
To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here
ABC format:
X: 170
T:Hey, Diddle, Diddle
M:3/4
L:1/4
S:Chester's Easiest Nursery Rhymes, by Carol Barratt 1991
K:C
EFE|DCD|EFE|DCD|E2E|GFE|D3-|D2E|
FFE|F2E|F2G|ABc|cGF|EFD|C3-|C3 ||
MIDI file: HEYDID~2.MID
Timebase: 480
Tempo: 140 (428571 microsec/crotchet)
ABC format:
Key: E
TimeSig: 6/8 36 8
Name: Hey, Diddle, Diddle 2
Text: S:The Great Songbook, Ernest Benn Ltd 1978
Start
0000 1 68 127 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 69 120 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 71 090 0239 0 71 000 0001 1 66 127 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 66 090 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 66 090 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 66 090 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 64 120 0239 0 64 000 0001 1 66 090 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 68 127 0479 0 68 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 71 090 0239 0 71 000 0001 1 69 120 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 66 127 1199 0 66 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 69 127 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 69 090 0239 0 69 000 0001 1 71 120 0239 0 71 000 0001 1 73 090 0239 0 73 000 0001 1 71 127 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 64 090 0239 0 64 000 0001 1 66 120 0239 0 66 000 0001 1 68 090 0239 0 68 000 0001 1 59 127 0239 0 59 000 0001 1 59 090 0239 0 59 000 0001 1 59 090 0239 0 59 000 0001 1 59 090 0239 0 59 000 0001 1 61 120 0239 0 61 000 0001 1 63 090 0239 0 63 000 0001 1 64 127 0719 0 64 000
EndX: 169
T:Hey, Diddle, Diddle 2
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:The Great Songbook, Ernest Benn Ltd 1978
K:E
GGG GAB|FFF FEF|G2G BAG|F3-F2G|
AAA (AB)c|B2G EFG|B,B,B, B,CD|E3||
Here's my effort at adapting the first tune to fit Tolkien's words. Feel free to change, adapt or reject as you think fit.
MIDI file: MANINM~1.MID
Timebase: 480
Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
ABC format:
Key: C
TimeSig: 3/4 18 8
Name: The Man in the Moon
Text: C:Adapted from Hey, Diddle, Diddle (trad)
Start
0000 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 127 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 60 090 0479 0 60 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 127 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 60 090 0479 0 60 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 64 127 0959 0 64 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 67 127 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 62 127 2399 0 62 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 127 0959 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 127 0959 0 65 000 0001 1 64 090 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 127 0959 0 65 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 127 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 71 090 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 72 090 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 72 127 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 69 127 0479 0 69 000 0001 1 71 090 0479 0 71 000 0001 1 72 090 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 72 127 0479 0 72 000 0001 1 67 090 0479 0 67 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 64 127 0479 0 64 000 0001 1 65 090 0479 0 65 000 0001 1 62 090 0479 0 62 000 0001 1 60 127 2879 0 60 000
EndX: 171
T:The Man in the Moon
M:3/4
L:1/4
C:Adapted from Hey, Diddle, Diddle (trad)
S:Words by JRR Tolkien
K:C
EFE|(DC)D|EFE|(DC)
D|E2E|(GF)E|D3-|D2
E|F2E|F2E|F2G|A
Bc|cGF|(EF)D|(EF)G|(AB)
c|(cG)F|(EF)D|C3-|C3||
There is an (inn), a merry old (inn)
Beneath an (old) grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the (Moon) him(self) came (down)
One (night) to (drink) his fill.
Rather than lay out the ABC in strict bar measures, I have made each line of notation correspond to a line of lyrics. Words in brackets match the slurred notes in the ABC.
Wassail! V