Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains

Subject: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Amy
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 11:21 AM

I know there have been several threads about Nonsense refrains..reasons for etc. I was just wondering what are your favorite songs with nonsense refrains?

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Sorcha
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 11:26 AM

Gilgarry Mtn aka Darlin' Sporting Jenny

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Kim C
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 12:12 PM

My Son John and Willie Taylor.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 12:41 PM

Some can make whole songs out of it ("diddling"), for example Sean Cannon used to do a beauty called "The Ayatollah Reel"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 01:35 PM

Jenny Jenkins, for sure:

"Oh, will you wear red, oh, my dear, oh my dear
Oh, will you wear red, Jenny Jenkins?
I won't wear red, it's the color of my head,
I'll by myself a follderalla, seeka double Use a calla roll to bind me
And you can roll, Jenny Jenkins roll"

Just change to color...

Seems like there are a couple other nonsense words in there... it's been years since I've sung it..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Bobert
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:12 PM

Ahhhh, Pual Seibel, the *Master*:

From "Legend of the Captain's Daughter":... "Time is now, and will be long ago."

From "Jasper":... " Last time I saw Jasper, he was runnin' down the road with his bgoots put on backwards, just in case it snowed.."

Bobert

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Gareth
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:18 PM

Then there's this
Gareth

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Gareth
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:19 PM

Sorry perhaps I should have used the blickyfier

Then there's this

Gareth

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Nerd
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 05:19 PM

In his "knock Song," Christy Moore had a refrain that sounded like nonsense words, but was actually:

Did NATO donate, Did NATO donate, Did NATO donate, the dough?

That was cool!

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 10:44 PM

Fee Widdo Fiddies (Three Little Fishies)

Kemo Kimo

Courtin' In The Kitchen

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 03:20 PM

The "Jenny Jenkins" words I know (showing the first verse) are as follows, refrain in bold:

Oh, will you wear red, oh my dear, oh, my dear?
Will you wear red, Jenny Jenkins?
I won't wear red, it's the color of my head,
I'll buy me a tally feather, aye, sir.
I'll buy me a tally, walk-a-belly so to wear with m'robe
To go with m'robe, Jenny Jenkins
I'll buy me a tally feather, aye, sir
I'll buy me a tally feather
Double dose a dillydally
Suky, suky why man
As' a rosy, juicy why
Jenny Jenkins!

Will you wear green (etc.)

Dave Oesterreich
Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Willa
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 03:59 PM

Jerry and Uncle Dave - Janet Russell does a great version of this on her CD "Bright Shining Morning?" You really need to listen to her singing, in her Scottish accent, as It's very difficult to write the words as she sings them. The nearest I can get is
Jeannie Jenkins
Oh, Mother, would I wear ma broon goon the day, oh?
No, I wouldna wear your broon, Jeanie Jenkins, oh.
No, I wouldna wear your broon for tae gan into toon
Chorus
And I'll buy ye a roly poly sugar alley hokey pokey whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.
whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.

Successive colours/verses then
green goon - green, it's na fit tae be seen
reed goon - reed, it's the colour o' ma bleed
yellow goon - yellow, for the colour's too mellow
white goon - white, for the colour's too bright
Last verse is
Oh, Mother, would I wear ma blue goon the day, oh?
Aye, I'd wear your blue, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.
I'll wear ma blue, Mother, just to please you.
And I'll buy ye a rolypoly sugar alley hokey pokey whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.
whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 04:11 PM

I like the one about "The Farmer's Curst Wife" that has the refrain
"Nickity nackity noo noo noo and then"
"Hey williky wallicky, hey John Dougal! a rin fra rushity roo roo roo."

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Nerd
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 09:51 PM

Tommy Makem's "Dick Darby the Cobbler":

With me intwing of an ingthing of an iday
With me intwing of an ingthing of an iday
With me roo boo boo roo boo boo randy
And me lab stone keeps beating away

It also has the line

"me wife now, she's humpy, she's lumpy," which is not nonsense but still funny

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 10:57 PM

There's a cute version of "Froggy Went A'Courtin' " out there with a refrain of "king kong kitchie kitchie krime-o". It's fun to sing.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 11:00 PM

Uh-oh. I think I mixed up the nonsense lines of a couple of folk songs.

The "Farmer's Curst Wife," IIRC, goes:
"A farmer was plowin' his fields one day,
Rightful, rightful itty fie day,
When the divil come up and to him he did say,
Right-fa-la, itty fie day, rightful, rightful, itty fie day. ..."

Now, dammit, where did the "nickity nackity noo noo" lines come from? Was it "The Wee Cooper Of Fife?"

Genie

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 04:13 AM

"With his chickericka-chee-ching-chai-ching lorum, porum, norum,
Medipee-kai, kai-go, koo-go, kitty-kitty kai-go,
I spy chickericka chee ching chai!
   ["The China Man he had a Wife"]

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: kendall
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 06:14 AM

Betsy from Pike. Hoodle dang foul dee dido hoodle dang foul dee day.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Big John
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 07:45 AM

http://www.geocities.com/heartland_connection/music.html

Try this for "Mares eat oats"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Willa
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 08:26 AM

Genie.
Click this!

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 12:25 PM

Well, "Mairzy Doats" is kinda in a category itself. The whole song (several verses) is -- and is not -- nonsense syllables. The "nonsense syllables" are, of course, just regular words pronounced without proper enunciation. It's not a song that has a nonsense refrain like a lot of folk songs do.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 08:24 PM

The Carrion Crow sits in the oak
With a ring-dong dilly-dong ki-ro-lee
A-looking at a tailor a-cutting up a coat
With a ring-dong dilly-dong ki-ro-lee

Hey, follee, follee, follairo
Hey, follee, follairo lee
Up jumps John, a-ringing on his bell
With a ring-dong dilly-dong ki-ro-lee

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 05:12 AM

Can't think of the name of it (something about a dog?) but there's a 16th-century madrigal or glee that has the immortal refrain: "With a dildo, dildo, dildo..."

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 05:23 AM

The ones where I can imagine the naughty words they replace.

SHANT TELL YOU!!! you will have to go figure your own fantasies.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,Vintage Martin
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 11:46 AM

"...ro tiddly o, sh*t or bust, never let your ba**ocks dangle in the dust." (from "The Lobster")

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: BK Lick
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 06:12 PM

"The Wee Cooper Of Fife," yes, and also Pete's version:

I married me a wife in the month of June,
Risselty-rosselty now, now, now !
I carried her home in a silver spoon,
Risselty-rosselty, hey bom-bosselty,
Nicklety, knacklety, rustical quality,
Willaby-wallaby now, now, now !

... in the DT at risselty-rosselty

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Amos
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 06:20 PM

I've always been fond of the gibberish injected by the Holy Modal Rounders. E.g, :

"No, no, son!! It's Mow muppa umpa umpa Oom Pow pow!". Something like that.

In my parent's home, one favorite was the fine ole "King of the Cannibal Islands":

Holey Pokey, Winky Wung
Kalamaroo, kalamarung
Whangery-changery, chingery-chung
The King of the Cannibal Islands!

So how come I can remember all that and not my BBW's social security number? :<>)) Hmmmm?


:>)


A

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 12:48 AM

Thanks for the refresher course, Willa. I can still hear Burl Ives singing that on his "Wayfaring Stranger" album, from way back about 1959.

Genie

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 12:51 AM

For Mousethief:

"Who put the bop in the bob-she-bop-she-bop,
Who put the ram in the rama-dama-ding-dong...?"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,JB3
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 12:52 AM

My favorite is the Froggy Went A-Courtin' version that goes:

Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride
Rink-tum body mi-chi cam-bo
Sword and pistol by his side
Rink-tum body mi-chi cam-bo

Ki-ma-ne-ro down to Cairo, Ki-ma-ne-ro Cairo
Straddle laddle laddle bobba lada bobba link-tum
Rink-tum body mi-chi cam-bo

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Kaleea
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 01:27 AM

My buddies in our Ceoli band taught me the words to "Whiskey Before Breakfast" except that in the B section it goes:

diddle Idle dum dydle diddle eyedl eeddle dum,
diddle Idle dum dydle diddle eyedl ay,
"Lard" preserve us & protect us,
   we're drinkin whiskey, b'fore breakfast!

      & whadd'ya mean "nonsense?" It makes sense to me!

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,Linda Kestner
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 09:58 PM

Anyone recognize something about these lyrics?

Kemo Kimo Dear Old Woe
High ma low Roundst to Bobolink
Lip Lap Loop Lap Polly with a boot jack
Sing a song of Sally
Won't you come e-o

Children born in 1916 were bounced on their Iowa grandfather's foot as he sang them some version of these remembered lyrics. He was born in Missouri in 1854. Please let me hear from you if you have even a hint of this song! Thanks.

Linda Kestner
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 10:07 PM

oooh eee oooh aah aah , ting tang twolla wolla bing bang
    The Witchdoctor

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Li Maree
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 03:20 AM

John Williamsons' "Billabong"

Oh Billabong (poo poo poo poo poo)
Billabong (aah aah aah aah aah aah)
Plenty Bamboo (diddly diddly diddly diddly)
A little water,
Take a big deep breath (poo poo poo poo poo)
And away we go (aah aah aah aah aah aah)
In a big canoe (diddly diddly diddly diddly)
Up the river.

Always a favourite when he does it live, people love to sing
along. It's a really good song, he's a legend!

Li Maree (having such a fine time since discovering Mudcat)

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Haruo
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 03:36 AM

I'm rather fond of the Pesky Sarpent (too-loo-ree-loo, too-loo-ree-lay) and the adaptation of it I used in "In Bethlem Town".

Growing up we used to sing in the car, all the way across the United States, the all-nonsense medley:

Quee Quay money-money-money-money dusty,
Quee Quay Quo, Quee Quay Quum,
Quee Quay money-money-money-money dusty,
Quee Quay Quo, Quee Quay Quum,
O Nicodemo! O jolly-olly-umbo!
O Nicodemo! O jolly-olly oompah! oompah! oompah!
Sarasponda, sarasponda, sarasponda, ret set set,
Sarasponda, sarasponda, sarasponda, ret set set!
A-dore-ee-oh! A-dore-ee-boom-day-oh!
A-dore-ay-boom-day-ret-set-set!
Hossay possay oh!

Haruo

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: wordfella
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 07:06 AM

I can't shake the image of Groucho in Duck Soup. He's babbling on about something, and he slides into "With a hey nonny nonny and a hot cha cha!"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,guesting gamer
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 01:55 PM

Jerry - I love "Jenny Jenkins". I sing it for school kids all the time. When they get to the "roll, jenny jenkins, roll" they hold their arms out and roll them around each other (easier to do than to explain.)

Getting back to favorites, I've always liked to sing "Guabi Guabi". I know that it is not really nonsense, as it actually has a meaning in whichever African dialect it originated from, but I learned it off an old Jim Kweskin Live at the Cafe 47 LP, and just tried to get the phonetics out. It is a real gas to sing, because you can be virtually free of meanings of the lyrics and enjoy the purity of the music. I thinkl I first learned it because I liked the guitar arrangement.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Hester
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 04:05 PM

Well, for traditional songs with nonsense refrains, I'd say my favourite is "Thorneymoor Woods". As I hear Anne Briggs sing the refrain, it's "Fol-de-rol tu-ra-la dae", and perfectly expresses a poacher's gleeful disdain for the Game Laws.

And of course, the word "folderol" has come to actually mean "nonsense", in reference to such folk songs.

As far as pop songs with nonsense lyrics go, I like Perry Como's "Hot Diggity".

Cheers, Hester

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Willa
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 04:49 PM

Guest Linda
try this
http://www.volcano.net/~jackmearl/songs/ksongs/kemo_kimo.html
The song you want seems to be based on this one.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Willa
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 04:53 PM

Here's another link
@displaysong.cfm?SongID=3379

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Mudlark
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 06:05 PM

I've always like the last verse in the way I learned Jenny Jenkins...
What will you, my dear, oh dear, then what will ya wear J. J.?
Wellllllllll......what do you care if I just go bare,
Gonna...etc.

And I like Strawberry Faire

As I went down to S. F.
Singing, singing, buttercups and daisies
Met a lady making her way, fol de dee
Her eyes were blue, and gold was her hair
As she went on to S. F.

Reevo, reevo, fol de diddle di do
Reevo, reevo, fol de diddle day

Just trips right off the tongue.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Art Thieme
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 06:34 PM

The Star Spangled Banner (mainly the part about the glory of "the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air")

I'd rather we had a national anthem like "Waltzing Matilda"-----about a homeless hobo sho steals a sheep to keep from starving and rather than get caught, drowns himself.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Blackcatter
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 07:06 PM

Name these songs:

1) Mush shirigim duraham da - whack fol the daddy oh!

2) With a too-roo, roo-roo rantin hi; a too-roo, roo-roo rantin hi . . .

3) And she said: Litha-doo, a-litha-doo, a-litha-doo, a-lee, And she hi-da-del-lee, and she hi-da-del-lee and she landed.

4) Whack fol the dol now, dance to your partner.

5) Ah-dee-doo, ah-dee-doo-da-day,   Ah-dee-doo, ah-dee-day-ay

6) Toor-a-loora-loo, toor-a-loora-lay, toor-a-loora-loo, toor-a-loora-lay

7) Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae Giddy i-ae for the one-eyed Reilly. Giddy i-ae (bang bang bang) Play it on your old bass drum.

8) Aye da diddly dyddle dum, diddly doodal dyddle dum, diddly do rye, diddly dy day

9) Whack fol-lol-de-ra.

10) Whack fol the diddle all the di do day. So we say, Hip Hooray!

11) With the rattum-rattum-rub-a-dub-dub, we'll send you back on the lime juice tub.

12) Lintin addie toorin addie, Lintin addie toorin ee. Lintin lowrin, lowrin, lowrin,

13) Sing hushabye loo, low loo, low lan. Hushabye loo, low loo

14) To my toora loora la, my toora loora laddy. Ri toora loora la, ri toora loora laddy.

15) Tiddle-lee-oh-toe, tiddle-lee-oh-toe, tiddle-lee-oh-toe - toe-tum. Tiddle-lee-oh-toe, tiddle-lee-oh-toe, tiddle-lee-oh-toe - toe-tum. Tiddle-lee-oh-tah-den, tiddle-lee-oh-toe, tiddle-lee-oh-toe-tum. Tiddle-lee-oh-dah-den, doodle-lee-dah-dum

16) Diddle-ly row-da-row-da-row. Diddle-ly row-da-row-da-row. Diddle-ly row-da-row-da-row. Diddle-ly row-da-row-da-row.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,celtaddict
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 07:41 PM

OK, Blackcatter, got 'em all but #11. That is probably readily found at a shanty site. A "lime-juice tub" is a British ship, from the practice of using limes to prevent scurvy, required by the British Navy before most industries were thinking of OSHA concerns.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,celtaddict
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 07:49 PM

By the way, the second half at least of Haruo's favorite,
"Sarasponda, sarasponda, sarasponda, ret-set-set. . ."
was a work song of women spinning, and supposedly mimicked (or guided) the rhythm of the work. It had many verses and was almost certainly sung, as shanties and many other worksongs, with improvised verses. There are many of these work songs from Scotland, Ireland, and particularly the northern islands, where automation arrived later, and from much of Europe. I am not sure but believe "Sarasponda" is from northern Europe.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 09:44 PM

I like "the farmer's curs't wife" not so much for its hi-diddle-i-diddle-i-fi, but for the story it tells (take us back daddy, she'll ruin us all!)

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Padre
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 09:57 PM

"Fod"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,celtaddict
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 03:26 AM

This thread reminds me of my younger brother, who as a preschooler always called a horse (in the late 50s) a "biddlumbumbum." My parents and the other grownups were baffled and spent a good deal of time trying to figure out why. They proposed absurdly lame (to my eight year old ear) explanations, such as "Maybe he's trying to say big animal?" It seemed a prime example of the denseness of the grownups. This was the era of The Lone Ranger and his themesong, the William Tell Overture, and in that era every kid riding a toy horse accompanied it by the overture: "biddle um, biddle um, biddle um bum bum."

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Gurney
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 03:49 AM

Twanky-dillo, Twanky-dillo, Twanky-dillo-dillo-dillo-dill-o.....

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: alison
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 03:57 AM

Lime juice tub is an Aussie song... its here in the dt

slainte

alison