Lyr Req: Aunt Cathy/Tante Koba (Josef Marais)

Subject: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 03:25 PM

Has anybody ever heard or seen the lyrics of this song?

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 05:07 PM

Haven't seen or heard it. The online list of songs gives the title as Aunt Cathie, but it's not cross-referenced with albums, and not all the albums shown have track listings.

There is a Facebook fan page - you might have some luck asking there (or on the two fan sites)

Mick

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: GUEST,iancarterb
Date: 15 Jun 10 - 11:38 PM

Might this be TANTE KOBA in Afrikaans? I (and many others I'm sure) could listen to a 1950s 10" LP album and transcribe it.
    Carter B

Subject: ADD: Old Tante Koba by Josef Marais
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 02:04 AM

What do you know of the song yourself? I haven't been able to find "Aunt Cathy," but there's "Old Tante Koba":

OLD TANTE KOBA

Old Tante Koba, she ought to know,
She stirs her coffee with her own big toe.
Old Tante Koba, she is so dumb,
She thinks it's better than to use her thumb.

CHORUS:
'Tisn't my affair, 'tisn't your affair,
It's Tante Koba's trouble, so we needn't care.
'Tisn't my affair, 'tisn't your affair,
It's Tante Koba's trouble, so we needn't care.

Old Tante Koba, she loves to eat,
She got so fat, she cannot see her feet.
Old Tante Koba, she eats alone,
So no one knows that she nibbles the bone.
CHORUS

Old Tante Koba, she's fond of meat,
She roasts a leg of mutton for a treat.
Old Tante Koba, she eats alone,
So no one knows that she nibbles the bone.
CHORUS

Old Tante Koba, she is so tight,
She puts her pennies in her stocking at night.
That's not a very safe thing to do,
She ought to put 'em in her old veld shoe

CHORUS


Afrikaans chorus:

Dis nie myne nie, dis nie joune nie.
Dis ander man so goed wat jy oor stry.
It isn't mine, it isn't yours.
It's other people's stuff over which you're fighting.


Koba- pronounced KOO-bah

Source: combined verses from two Marais & Miranda books:
World Folk Songs
and
Folk Song Jamboree

-Joe-

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Click to play MIDI

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YouTube Recording of "Old Tante Koba," by Josef Marais (1939)

Laurika Rauch - My Ou Tante Koba

Jakkals Jol - Ou Tante Koba

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: Little Robyn
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 03:30 AM

We used to sing Aunty Kathy rather than Tante Koba.
It was played on NZ radio in the 50s - Marais & Miranda were the singers.
Several others too.
Zulu Warrior, Marching to Pretoria, The cat came back, Unfortunate Miss Bailey, Johnny with the bandy legs, Pretty Kitty, Riding down from Bangor, Ma says Pa says, lots more.
There's a thread here
and other links.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: GUEST,iancarterb
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 09:38 AM

Thanks, Joe- all I remembered (from the 50s also, from my parents aforementioned 10" LP) was the 'thinks it's beter than to use her thumb' line. My parents were not folkies, but may have heard of Marais and Miranda from NZ connections made between '42 and '45, some of which they kep tup with after the wat.
Carter

Subject: ADD: Ou Tante Koba en Bobbejaan Klim die Berg
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 03:35 PM

Ou Tante Koba en Bobbejaan Klim die Berg
Woorde: Tradisioneel; Musiek: S. A. Volkwysie;
verwerk: Chris Lamprecht.

Ou tante Koba, sy was so dom,
sy roer haar koffie met haar groottoon om.
Tie-rie-rie-ra, die-rie-ram-pam-pa!
Tie-rie-rie-ra, die-rie-ram-pam-pa!
Ou tante Koba, maak oop die deur;
jou man se broek sit vas in die skeur.
Tie-rie-rie-ra, die-rie ram-pam-pa!
Tie-rie-rie-ra, die-rie-ram-pam-pa!
-----
Bobbejaan klim die berg, so haastig en so lastig;
bobbejaan klim die berg, so haastig en so lastig;
bobbejaan klim die berg om die boere te vererg.
Hoera vir die bobbejaan!
O moenie huil nie, o moenie treur nie, die Stellenbosse boys kom weer.
O moenie huil nie, o moenie treur nie, die Stellenbosse boys kom weer.

http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za/~lochner/blerkas/woorde/258.txt

(Or go to index of Ons Blerkas to see all of the songs, and midis of all, including the ones above).
Ons blerkas

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Click to play

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 04:00 PM

I am impressed. The only bit of the song I had was 'Tisn't my affair, 'tisn't your affair,
It's Aunt Cathie's trouble, so we needn't care'

So it is obviously a translation of the Tante Koba song. Thank you everybody especially Joe.

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 04:26 PM

Those of you who have heard "Aunty Kathy" or "Aunt Cathie," is it more-or-less the same song as the "Old Tante Koba" lyrics that I posted? It certainly sounds like that's true for some of you. I'm also wondering if Marais and Miranda recorded this song as "Aunt Cathie," and what the lyrics were.
Is the tune the save as the one in Q's post?

I'm guessing the lyrics Q posted are Afrikaans rather than Dutch (Neederlandisch?? - what do the people of the Netherlands call their language and country?). Here's how Google translator translates it:

Koba old aunt, she was so stupid,
His stirring her coffee with her toes to.
Tie-rie-rie-ra, de-rie-ram-pam-pa!
Tie-rie-rie-ra, de-rie-ram-pam-pa!
Old Auntie Koba, open the door;
your husband's pants stuck in the crack.
Tie-rie-rie-ra, the rie-ram-pam-pa!
Tie-rie-rie-ra, de-rie-ram-pam-pa!
-----
Baboon climbs the mountain so quickly and so hard;
baboon climbs the mountain so quickly and so hard;
baboon climbs the mountain farmers to contend.
Hooray for the baboon!
Oh do not cry, do not mourn O, the Stellenbosch boys come again.
Oh do not cry, do not mourn O, the Stellenbosch boys come again.

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: Little Robyn
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 04:47 PM

I don't remember many of the words from then - it was more than 50 years ago, but the big toe bit was in it and the chorus.
I also had their book Folk Song Jamboree so if there were different words earlier, that would have clouded my memory of them.
Maybe someone can locate a recording - but it would probably be on an old shellac disc, not even vinyl, so there may not be many around now.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy by Josef Marais
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jun 10 - 04:53 PM

Poor Bobbie Jean. No wonder the Stellenbosch boys avoid her.

All lyrics in Ons Blerkas are Afrikaans. There is an Afrikaans Dictionary on line.

Subject: RE: Aunt Cathy/Tante Koba by Josef Marais
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Jun 10 - 02:51 AM

MIDI added for Old Tante Koba from Marais & Miranda Folk Song Jamboree

Click to play MIDI

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Aunt Cathy/Tante Koba (Josef Marais)
From: GUEST,Grace
Date: 18 Sep 11 - 04:57 PM

This made me happy as I remembered this song from an old 78 record we had when we were children. One side was Old Auntie Cathie and the other side was The Baboon Climbs the Hill.
The words I recall for Old Auntie Cathie are:

Old Auntie Cathie she loves to bake,
but I don't think I'd want to eat her cake.
She doesn't use butter, she doesn't use dough,
and what she uses I really don't know.

Old Auntie Cathie she loves to knit,
but none of her garments ever seem to fit.
She wanted to make me a little red hat
but right on top of my nose it sat.

It isn't your affair, it isn't my affair,
It's Auntie Cathie's trouble so we needn't care.

As for The Baboon Climbs the Hill I mostly remember only the tune
but the chorus was
Stop your moanin' stop your groanin'
we heard your (something) from afar.
Stop your moanin' stop your groanin'
We heard your call and here we are.

Thanks for all the info everyone. How fun!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Aunt Cathy/Tante Koba (Josef Marais)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Sep 11 - 03:12 PM

I found 3 albums that contain OU TANTE KOBA sung in Afrikaans:

Sung by Chris Blignaut on "Afrikana: Tradisionele Afrikaanse Liedjies, Volume 1" (2009)

Sung by Chris Blignaut on "Sing vir Ons" (2011)

Sung by Jaco on "Sing in Afrikaans" (2006)

I can listen to them on Spotify, but I can't transcribe them. There seem to be at least 5 verses.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Aunt Cathy/Tante Koba (Josef Marais)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 11:47 AM

the baboon climbs the hill
with a sickle tail, with a sickle tail,
the baboon climbs the hill
with a sickle tail, with a sickle tail.
and the farmer watches til
he has come much nearer still,
then he'll catch him by his sickle, sickle tail

Stop your moaning, stop your groaning
the Stellenboschel boys are near.

Stop your moaning, stop your groaning
the Stellenboschel boys are here.