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Subject: Lyrics required From: kendall Date: 25 Feb 08 - 08:13 AM When I was a boy I used to hear bits of a song, part of it went: Oh, I came to a river and I couldn't get across Paid $5.00 for an old gray horse....... and... Oh the cat couldn't kitten and the dog couldn't pup And the old man couldn't get his rhubarb up. to the tune of Turkey in the straw. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required From: GUEST,Chicken Charlie Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:21 AM Kendall-- I've found it this way: Went to the river and I couldn't get across; Spent five dollars on a blind old hoss-- Tied him up to the poplar trough Where he caught the whoopin' cough. Hey, Lou, sugar, sugar too! Hey, Lou, sugar, sugar too! Cat's in the cream jar, whatcha gonna do? Skip to m'Lou, my darlin' The ol' hare skip, the ol' hare hop; The ol' hare stole my turnip top. I threw him in the river and he went ker-plop! Johnny's gone for a soldier. * Bran new boots up to my knees; I can kiss any gal I please. Pepper in the stew-pot makes me sneeze! Skip to m'Lou, my darlin. Just from the railroad, trolly-rolly ray, Sing all night and sleep all day; Buy some corn when I get my pay-- Hey, Jimmie, keep pickin' on the banjo. Ain't seen the like since I been born: People still a-comin' and the train done gone. Hand me down the jimmie-john; gimme little corn-- Skip to m'Lou, my darlin'. * This line substituted for one I have forgotten. Jimmie-John = "demijohn" for corn (whiskey). You knew that. I didn't realize that Skip To M'Lou and Turkey/Straw can be sung to each other, but they can. (Here comes big time thread creep.) Well, dog my cats--a boy learns something every day. On Mudcat. Best wishes, Chicken Charlie |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required From: Peace Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:29 AM 'As is the case with a lot of highly intellegent people, John was a little on the eccentric side. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, but he definatly marched to a different drummer than most people. Sometimes he would just burst into song unexpectedly. He managed to keep us entertained with a small repertoire of songs sung in a barbershop quartet style. For no apparent reason, at any given time the shop would echo with "The kitten couldn't cat and the dog couldn't pup and the old man couldn't get his rhubarb up", or, "Went down to the river but I couldn't get across so I paid five dollars for an old plug hoss". The 30 second solo a cappello concert would always end with "Shave and a haircut: 2 bits"' from www.kountrylife.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?bd=forum&th=168418 |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required From: Peace Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:31 AM Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore - Google Books Result or "couldn't get his rhubarb up" in the quotations. It opens a PDF file and I don't know how to link to them. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required From: Peace Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:32 AM In fact, the four sites that turn up with that Google will add a bit to this thread. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required From: Amos Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:38 AM "Out of the Way Fiddler", also sometimes known as "Down IN Rackensack" is one of a number of songs that has this couplet. "Come to a river and I couldn't get across So I paid five dollars for a sway-backed hoss Well I rode him in an' he couldn't swim So I paid five dollars just to get huim out agin, Oh, out of the way, fiddler. Out of the way, fiddler, Out of the wya the fiddler boy, Goin' down into Rackensack" A similar verse is often sung as part of Turkey In the Straw, in some places. A |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: kendall Date: 25 Feb 08 - 02:45 PM Ok, thanks. I don't remember any of those lyrics, but it's probably just that I didn't retain anymore than the ones I posted. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: kendall Date: 26 Feb 08 - 07:03 AM I had a little chicken and it wouldn't lay an egg I rubbed hot water up and down its leg The little chicken hollered and the little chicken begged The same little chicken layed a hard boiled egg. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: GUEST,Chicken Charlie Date: 26 Feb 08 - 01:43 PM Kendall-- OK, if you're into THAT lyric set, then: I had an old hen, and she had a wooden foot. She went 'n' made 'er nest in a mulberry root. She laid more eggs than any chicken on the farm-- Another wooden foot wouldn't do her no harm. ---- There was an old soldier, and he had a wooden leg. He never had tobacker, but tobacker he would beg. Another old soldier was as clever as a fox: He always had tobacker in his old tobacker box. Said the first old solider, "Will ya lemme have a chew?" Said the second old solider, "I'll be hanged if I do, But if you save your money and you keep it under locks, Then you'll always have tobacker in your old tobacker box." Well, the first old soldier, he was gettin' mighty mad. He said, "I'll get even, yes I will by gad!" He went to the fire, took the rifle from the peg, And stabbed the other soldier with a splinter from his leg. ----- There's a' ol' man settin' in the corner of a mill, An' the wheel goes 'round of its own free will. All the wheat is in the hopper and the corn is in the sack-- Now gents step forward and the ladies step back. Best wishes, Chicken Charlie |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: Barry Finn Date: 27 Feb 08 - 02:05 AM From my Mother, never knew why it had an extra 2 lines. "Walked around the corner & I walked around the block Walked right into a bakery shop Lady looked at the nickle & she looked at me Said this nickle's no good to me There's a hole in the middle & it goes right through Says I there's a hole in the donut too." I'll have to ask her about it Barry |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the st From: Splott Man Date: 27 Feb 08 - 03:52 AM I knew an old feller and his name was Bill He lived on top of Garbage Hill He never took a wash and he never will Oo, yuk, dirty old Bill. Oh I went to San Francisco and I walked around the block I walked right into a donut shop I pulled a donut out of the case And I handed the woman a 5 cent piece Well she looked at the nickel and she looked at me She said "This nickel is no use to me, There's a hole in the middle and it goes right through." Says I "There's a hole in the donut too!" |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: Jim Dixon Date: 28 Feb 08 - 08:25 AM From an article titled "Some Folk-Songs of the South" by David Starr Jordan, The Californian Illustrated Magazine, 1892:
First of these is a fragment from Eastern Virginia, from one of those endless poems sung in the evening at the quarters, and to which many impromptu additions are made, as the song goes on. In verses of this kind usually a single person will sing the words of the theme, the others all joining in the chorus. This gives great scope for improvisation, and often the results of a happy thought will be approved by the others, and so form an accretion to the original song. A worthless song which is thus frequently used to build upon, is this: |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: GUEST,Chicken Charlie Date: 28 Feb 08 - 09:44 AM Jim-- Thank you very much for your very informative post. Chicken Charlie |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the straw From: Gene Date: 28 Feb 08 - 10:07 AM I wudn't be surprised to find there are as many variations as there are artists that recorded it! |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics req. - alturkative turnkey in the straw From: Severn Date: 29 Feb 08 - 07:44 AM Additional variations to Kendall's verse: Well, I had a little chicken And she wouldn't lay an egg So I rubbed hot chocolate Up and down her leg Well, the poor chicken cried And the poor chicken begged And the poor little chicken Laid an Easter Egg. Well, I had a little chicken And she wouldn't lay an egg, So I rubbed some soy sauce Up and down her leg. Well, the poor chicken cried And The poor chicken begged, And the poor little chicken Laid an Egg Foo Young..... Anybody got any more of them?.... |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics required - alternative turkey in the st From: John MacKenzie Date: 29 Feb 08 - 08:19 AM In one episode of Northern Exposure, Marilyn went to the big city, and all through the sequence Turkey in the straw is being sung in one of the native American languages. It's a lovely version too. G. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: Jim Dixon Date: 20 Mar 08 - 07:25 AM TURKEY IN THE STRAW in a Native American language -- I'll bet that was Buffy Sainte-Marie. It's a song I've heard several times on WOJB, a radio station that comes from a reservation in northern Wisconsin. (I listen when I go there in the summer.) However, I just searched for that song and failed to find it. Maybe she called it something else. Maybe she just took the tune and put words to it that had nothing to do with turkeys or straw! Maybe it was (but I doubt this) someone whose voice just sounded like Buffy Sainte-Marie. I'm stumped. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: Leadfingers Date: 20 Mar 08 - 08:11 AM Turkey in the Starw ! Good Tune for Christmas ! (Or Thanksgiving) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: BK Lick Date: 20 Mar 08 - 09:45 AM The Northern Exposure episode is from the fourth season (1993) and the song "Ojibway Square Dance (Love Song)" was performed by Georgia Wettlin-Larsen -- it's on More Music From Northern Exposure available at Amazon where you can hear a sample. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: Jim Dixon Date: 20 Mar 08 - 11:28 AM That's right—I just listened to a sound sample of OJIBWAY SQUARE DANCE (LOVE SONG), and it is indeed the song I remember hearing. I am embarrassed to admit that I assumed it was Buffy Sainte-Marie simply because she's the only female Indian singer I was familiar with. Oddly, "More Music from Northern Exposure" seems to be the only album that has it. I wish I knew what the words meant, but I don't suppose there are any Ojibway translators in Mudcat land, are there? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: BK Lick Date: 20 Mar 08 - 06:09 PM The entire track (including Wettlin-Larsen's spoken intro) is online -- you need to register at imeem.com to listen but it's easy to do. (I don't know about its leagality.) —BK |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: charles92027 Date: 20 Mar 08 - 07:20 PM For some peculiar reason that I've never been able to figure out, I always sing the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Turkey in the Straw. I'm serious, once you do it, it'll be stuck in your head everytime the ice cream truck drives by. Buck Howdy sings a great set of lyrics on his Giddyup CD. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: charles92027 Date: 20 Mar 08 - 07:25 PM My mistake, it wasn't Giddyup, it was Skidaddle! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: Mr Red Date: 21 Mar 08 - 05:53 AM talking turkey - I ain't never seen a Buck and Wing danced live. I have asked a few Buck dancers from the US. The only example I have seen was on a video made by Thomas Alvar Edison. Is it so specialised and archaic as to be unseen these days? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: kendall Date: 21 Mar 08 - 09:19 AM As I was going down the road I met a leader with a heavy load He cracked his whip and the leader sprung The old cat shit on the wagon tongue. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: alternative turkey in the straw From: GUEST Date: 21 Mar 08 - 10:15 AM Mr. Red, IMHO your question on Buck and Wing would be worth a new thread. I once saw a really old film of June Carter, step or clog dancing, and I wondered at the time if what she was doing was called a Buck and Wing. Have looked for the film in recent years but no luck. There are lots of definitions of Buck Dancing. Step dancing, clog dancing and buck dancing seem to overlap depending on region. |
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