Lyr Req: Songs about spelling bees

Subject: the spelling bee
From:
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 06:43 PM

I am trying to find old folk songs about spelling bees. Does anyone know any songs about spelling bees? Please let me know.

Subject: RE: the spelling bee
From: Dale Rose
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 07:12 PM

Go to the Levy Sheet Music site. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/bibliosearch.html. Enter the word spelling in the search blank, and you should get five documents, some of which you are looking for.

Subject: RE: the spelling bee
From: catspaw49
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 07:45 AM

Well at first I was stymied at why the hell anyone would want songs on Spelling Bees; now I'm just kinda' sittin' here broodin' on why anyone wrote songs on Spelling Bees. Afterwhile I'll have some sassafras tea and it will all be better.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Songs about spelling bees
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 08:07 PM

THE SPELLING BEE by Septimus Winner (1875). This was used in a Three Stooges film called “Swingin’ the Alphabet.”

DAT'S DE WAY TO SPELL CHICKEN by Sidney L. Perrin and Bob Slater (1902). This song gave rise to variations such as C-H-I-C-K-E-N, performed by Fiddlin’ Doc, Greenbriar Boys, Jeff Warner & Jeff Davis, Kathy Kalleck, McGee Brothers, Michelle Shocked, Mississippi John Hurt, Paul and Win Grace, Red Clay Ramblers, and possibly others. The chorus of this song has been so often medleyed with the chorus of WHAT YOU GOIN' TO DO WHEN THE RENT COMES 'ROUND? (which begins “Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown”) that many people take them to be the same song.

Subject: Lyr Add: OLD UNCLE JOHN AND HIS EDUCATED WIFE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 08:14 PM

From the sheet music at Baylor University. Copies are also held by the Library of Congress and Johns Hopkins University.


OLD UNCLE JOHN AND HIS EDUCATED WIFE
Words and music by Alfred W. Sweet, ©1892.

1. Now old Uncle John had an educated wife.
She studied very hard all the days of her life.
She learned all she could when she was very small,
And never has forgotten it, her alphabet and all.
She knew all about the planets in the heaven,
Could tell how many times, two would go in forty-’leven;
And old Uncle John many times in his life,
Thanked his stars that he was married to an educated wife.

CHORUS: With an A and a B and a great big C,
And a C and a D and an E, F, G,
She showed her education when she talked to her relation,
And all of her relation knew she had an education,
With an H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P;
Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

2. Now she was so smart, she could read and write her name,
And she taught Uncle John that he might do the same.
She spelt all the words in the little spelling book,
And committed them to mem’ry; she never had to look.
She taught Uncle John the great big words to spell.
He learned them so nicely that anyone could tell
That old Uncle John all the days of his life,
Received his education from his educated wife. CHORUS

3. One night when they held a spelling match in town,
She heard of it at once and was crazy to go down.
The old white horse was harnessed in the shay.
They put their hat and bonnet on and soon were on the way.
The old brown church with weather-beaten steeple
Was crowded very full with educated people.
Of Uncle John’s wife, they had heard so many tell,
They thought they’d come and hear this educated lady spell. CHORUS

4. They all took their places as their names were read.
Uncle John was at the foot and his wife at the head.
With toes on the mark, and their heads so very straight,
All ready for the first big word they patiently did wait.
At last, it came—the word was Ebenezer—
To Uncle John’s wife, and it didn’t really please ’er.
It passed to Uncle John, and the first time in his life,
He show’d his education from his educated wife. CHORUS

Subject: Lyr Add: THE SPELLING MATCH (Frank Wilder, 1875)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 10:26 AM

From the sheet music at Johns Hopkins University:


“Respectfully Dedicated to All the Bad Spellers”
THE SPELLING MATCH
Words and music by Frank Wilder ©1875.

1. What next will be the rage, I’m sure ’tis hard for one to tell,
But now the order is to see how all of us can spell.
So all the schoolboys, more or less, their craniums expand,
And e’en reporters of the press in spelling lend a hand.

CHORUS: What next will be the rage around, the people’s mind to catch?
Oh, I don’t know, but surely now they’re all for a “spelling match.”

2. A row of “spellers,” right and left, upon the stage appear,
And when the words are given out, the spelling’s mighty queer.
The fun it is enjoyed by all; sometimes a feller’ll frown,
But that is when he makes a miss and quickly is “spelled down.” CHORUS

3. Some spell a word and use the I, instead of saying E.
Some put two Ls and think they’re right, where only one should be;
And then there’s where the laugh comes in: the speller is confused.
He has to take a “back seat” sure, ’mid shouts of those amused. CHORUS

Subject: Lyr Add: SING-A-SPELL (Louis Prima)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 02:25 PM

You can hear this recording at the Internet Archive:


SING-A-SPELL (MUSICAL SPELLING BEE)
(Louis Prima)
As recorded by Louis Prima and his Gleeby Rhythm Orchestra, on Varsity 8166, 1940.

CHORUS: Spell “man.” (M-A-N) Spell “can.” (C-A-N)
(M-A-N, man, C-A-N, can)
Ring the bell and sing a spell.
Spell “boy.” (B-O-Y) Spell “toy.” (T-O-Y)
(B-O-Y, boy, T-O-Y, toy)
Ain’t it swell to sing a spell?
If you miss an easy one, you mustn’t give up hope.
S’pose you had to spell the word “Constantinople.”
Spell “cat.” (C-A-T) Spell “rat.” (R-A-T)
(C-A-T, cat, R-A-T, rat)
Ain’t it swell to sing a spell?

[The song seems to be structured as an actual party game. The leader, Louis Prima, repeats the above chorus several times, after introducing each band member with a short couplet, and then substituting various 3-letter spelling words. What you can’t see in the printed lyrics above, is that the song is delivered at a fast pace, and the band members’ responses can turn into tongue-twisters, especially if the specific spelling words are unexpected. This causes some of the band members to stumble—or so it seems (I realize the reaction was probably planned and faked, but that’s the intended effect)—and the other band members laugh accordingly.

[The couplets and the spelling words:]

1. Let’s start the class. There goes the bell.
Frankie, you’ll be the first to sing and spell.
… eye … why …
… bob … cob …
… gee … egg …

2. Now here’s a Gleeb; his name is Dell.
Let’s see how he can spell.
… eel … ill …
… bow … wow …

3. Here’s Emilio, the trumpet man.
He thinks he’s the best speller in the band.
… age … gag …
… ink … elk …

4. Here’s another Gleeb; we call him Red.
If he misses, we’ll put him to bed.
… ask(?) … six …
… era … gag …
… wee … eel …
… tax … lax …
… man … can …
Ring the bell and sing a spell.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Songs about spelling bees
From: Cool Beans
Date: 12 Aug 22 - 09:19 AM

Of course, since this thread began there's been a whole Broadway musical about spelling bees, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."