The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #67791   Message #3437761
Posted By: GUEST,Ken Sutton, Machipongo
17-Nov-12 - 08:36 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req/Add: Horse called Napoleon
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Horse called Napoleon
Yes, Helter Skelter is a poem by Swift. But it is also the term used in the UK to describe a children's playground slide. Most likely its general meaning of chaotic haste applies.

Here is my memory:

The Horse Named Napoleon
(To the tune of Feller from Fortune)

I owned a horse named Napoleon
Named on account of his boney parts
He was so fine you could see right through him
His hair was as fin as silk

He was so fine you could see right through him
His hair was as fine as silk
Hitched him up to the old milk wagon
Taught him to whoa when I hollered, "Milk"

One fine day I was out to ride him
Along came a feller so nice and neat
He said, "Hey you gol durn Ruben
Let's have a race right down this street."

Off we were a helter skelter
We were goin' at an awful pace
Sure as a sinner I was comin' out the winner
When some fool yelled "Milk!" and I lost that race


My father taught me the song when I was eight or nine. He learned it from his grandfather. Dad sang it with great enthusiasm and drama. The first two verses he delivered at a slow pace with great solemnity. In the third verse he gave, "Hey you gol durn Ruben" careful and word by word emphasis. The next line he gave with a great rush that continued all the way to the word "Milk". He shouted milk in a loud excited voice and paused. The last line, "And I lost that race", Dad delivered spoken in a tone of resignation and a shrug of the shoulder.