Lyr Req: Crazy Words, Crazy Tune (Yellen, Ager)

Subject: Washington at Valley Forge
From: Norske
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 02:18 PM

I have just recently acquired the CD "The Guv'nor" by one of my favorites... Ashley "Tyger" Huthchings.

On this compilation of previously unreleased works is the tune "Washington at Valley Forge" I just can't make out the lyrics much further than "freezing toes...freezing nose" and further in, maybe "betting parlor."

Any help or guidance is appreciated greatly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 03:52 PM

My college roommate used to sing:

Washington at Valley Forge
Freezing cold and up spoke George
He'd go "Spo-do-dee-oh, Spo-do-dee-oh-do-oh"
Crazy words, crazy tune
Ooo that George would moon and spoon,
He'd go "Spo-do-dee-oh, Spo-do-dee-oh-do-oh"
On that ukelele daily George would play
A-bee-da-bum-bay
Dancin', prancin',
Then he'd shout: "Red hot mama!"
Crazy words, crazy tune
Ooo that George would moon and spoon,
He'd go "Spo-do-dee-oh, Spo-do-dee-oh-do-oh"

...But I don't suppose that was the one you were looking for...?
Allison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: Norske
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 05:54 PM

Animaterra! That's it! Care to share how or where you got them? The accents are too much for me!

Thanks and Kudos to you and to the Cafe!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: Norske
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 05:57 PM

Ooops, In my delight I overlooked the line about your roommate, thanks him/her as well!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 09:51 PM

So glad I could help! I had no idea it was anything other than a crazy camp song of the '70's. I'll have to see if I can get that recording sometime- what else is on it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: Norske
Date: 25 Nov 99 - 05:48 AM

Sorry about the delay, I have to work on holidays...

You asked for it!!...Since I *am* one that believes that Tyger Hutchings is the greatest thing to happen to English Folk/Rock...His research/restoration/revival of old folk tunes and his musicianship are to me, impressive... an unsung hero in the music world.

Happened to have the CD here with me at work, but didn't bring the liner notes (damn!), but it is pressed by "Wildcat Recording Corp" #WLD-9221.

All are previously unreleased songs that "didn't quite make it" onto other LPs or CDs. Has him in early Fairport and Steeleye Span. But his "pet" band of course is the Albion Band. The song in question, re Washington, is the first track on the CD. It's a very short, but entertaining track, recorded late 60s/early 70s.

Do you peruse any of the alt.mp3 sites? I'll try and upload a few fer ya...(ISP willing) or if you like, I'll get more info from the liner notes of this or just about any other CD Tyger appears on, and post 'em 'ere mate!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: bassen
Date: 25 Nov 99 - 07:14 AM

Check out Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band. Recorded this in the sixties sometime, but the song is obviously older than that. I have a vague recollection of it being an older song that JK "fixed up" a little. A lot of the stuff JK recorded was old jugband material originally recorded in the 20s and 30s. animaterra - your roommate must have learned it from them, or vice versa, the lyrics are identical. Check out the Jug Band Rag at http://mh005.infi.net/~jugband/jbr.htm

bassen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: Banjer
Date: 25 Nov 99 - 07:57 AM

While on the subject of Mr washington and his band of merry men at Valley Forge, there is a song that I vaguely recall from the 'sixties. It was a pro Viet Nam song, pro military. One line I distinctly remember is "I'm glad they weren't around to say get out of Valley Forge" Does anyone recall that? Sorry I don't have more to go on. Thanks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 01 Feb 00 - 02:03 AM

I'll be sending a MIDI for Alan to post at Mudcat MIDIs. Regards, John

Subject: Lyr Add: CRAZY WORDS - CRAZY TUNE (Yellen, Ager)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Feb 08 - 12:34 AM

WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE, recorded by Jim Kweskin, is a version of a song originally called CRAZY WORDS - CRAZY TUNE.

I found the following lyrics at a Frank Zappa fan site, apparently because Frank Zappa quoted this song in one of his own recordings. Judging from the length, I'd guess these are the "official" lyrics from the sheet music. They don't mention George Washington, but see the quotes from the recordings farther down.

CRAZY WORDS - CRAZY TUNE (VO-DO-DE-O)
Words, Jack Yellen. Music, Milton Ager.
New York: Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc., 1927.

There's a guy I'd like to kill,
If he doesn't stop I will.
He's got a ukulele, and a voice that's loud and shrill.
'Cause he lives next door to me
And he keeps me up till three,
With his ukulele and a funny melody.

1. Crazy words, crazy tune,
All that you'll ever hear him croon.
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do, vo-do-do.
Sits around, all night long,
Sings the same words to every song:
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.
His ukulele, daily, how he'll strum! Bum-bum-bum!
Vampin' and stampin'. Then he hollers, "Black bottom!"
Crazy words, crazy tune,
He'll be driving me crazy soon.
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.

2. I have begged that guy to stop,
I have even called a cop,
Told my dog "Go sic him," but the durn dog wouldn't go.
But tonight will be the end,
Yes siree, 'cause I intend
To go up and kick him in the vo-do-do-de-o-do.
He's got to stop it, stop it. Yes he must, or I'll just
Kill him, I'll kill him. Then I'll do the black bottom.
When I'm jailed, upon my need,
To the jury and the judge I'll plead:
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.

3. Now the minuet, quiet bliss,
Calm and peaceful, it went like this:
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.
The polka too was a treat,
Your partner said if you tread on his feet:
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.
The gliding foxtrot we've got and the blues, if you choose.
We've got the Charleston and we'll soon have Black Bottom.
Our vicar said, "Ah, me,
Friends, our hymn for tonight will be
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do."

4. It's a rage, it's a craze,
Everybody sings now-a-days:
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do, vo-do-do.
Every goof, every sheik,
Tunes his uke and begins to shriek:
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.
Go on the east side, the west side, here or there, everywhere,
They vo-do, vo-do-do. Then they holler, "Black bottom!".
Young or old, old or young,
The guy that started it should be hung.
Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do.


* * * *

Here's another verse from the recording by Irving Aaronson and His Commanders, 2/4/1927, which you can hear at The Red Hot Jazz Archive:

Napoleon marched his men
To Waterloo. What did he say to them?
"Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do." (Oh, is that so?)
Washington at Valley Forge
Was bitter cold, and up spoke George:
"Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do." (No! You don't say!)
And Simon Legree, in Uncle Tom's Cabin, what did he say to Uncle Tom?
I'll tell you what he said. He took his whip and said to Uncle Tom: "Come on! Charleston!"
And in the Senate the other day,
What did our President Coolidge say?
"Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do."

* * * * *

A similar, but truncated verse was sung by the California Ramblers, also recorded in 1927, also playable at The Red Hot Jazz Archive:

Napoleon marched his men.
He turned around and he said to them:
"Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do. Vo-do-do."
Washington at Valley Forge,
It was bitter cold, but up spoke George:
"Vo-do-de-o, vo-do-do-de-o-do."
Remember Patrick Henry in that speech, that famous speech,
Cried, "Give me--give me--liberty or Black Bottom!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: GUEST,Archer Honea
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 05:18 AM

I knew the lyrics as:

Wasington at Valley Forge
Freezin' cold but up spoke George sayin'
Bo-do-deo, bo-do-deo, do
Crazy words, crazy tune
But all that George could croon and spoon was
Bo-do-deo, bo-do-deo, do
On his ukelele daily
He would strum with a beedle dum dum
Dancin' prancin'
And then he'd holler red hot momma
Crazy words crazy tune
But all that George could croon and spoon was
Bo-do-deo, bo-do-deo, do


We sang it circa 199-1980 in our folk music entertainment group called The East Hill Minstrels representing York College, York, Nebraska

It was not a camp song at the time to my knowledge

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Washington at Valley Forge
From: BanjoRay
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 09:33 AM

Guest Archer Honea - Those are exactly the words used by Jim Kweskin on the lp called Jim Kweskin Jug Band, from the 60s.
Ray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crazy Words, Crazy Tune (Yellen, Ager)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 May 11 - 12:25 AM

YouTube has recordings of CRAZY WORDS, CRAZY TUNE by:

Frank Crumit
Irving Aaronson and his Commanders
Johnny Marvin
Savoy Havana Band
The California Ramblers
The Happiness Boys (Billy Jones & Ernest Hare)
The Varsity Eight
Vaughn DeLeath

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crazy Words, Crazy Tune (Yellen, Ager)
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 12 - 05:12 PM

Do you know that Dan Zanes and Friends have a cover of this, using the child-friendly lyrics posted by Archer Honea above? From the House Party cd, around 2003 I think.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crazy Words, Crazy Tune (Yellen, Ager)
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Feb 18 - 08:53 PM

Bill Vanaver had another verse that he sang in the 60's. At that point I only knew the Kweskin version listed here. I've searched all over the Internet Machine for them but couldn't find them.
So here they are, and now it is:

Lincoln down at Gettysburg,
These are the only words he heard,
Voo do di o, voo do di o doh.
Crazy words, crazy tune,
All that Abe could croon and spoon was
Voo do di o, voo do di o doh.
Remember Pat-rick Hen-ry
In his speech, his very famous speech
Said give me, give me
Liberty or foddle oddle oddle,
Crazy words, crazy tune,
All that he could croon and spoon was
Voo do di o, voo do di o doh.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crazy Words, Crazy Tune (Yellen, Ager)
From: Creede
Date: 22 Feb 18 - 02:30 PM

I did this verse for a while a few years ago. For obvious reasons it is now outdated:

We all wondered yesterday
What the President would say
He said, "Vo-do-dee-oh, vo-do-dee-oh-doh."
Crazy words, crazy tune,
All he did was croon and swoon and --
"Vo-do-dee-oh, vo-do-dee-oh-doh."
On his ukulele, daily, he would strum --
Beedle-um-bum,
Dancin', prancin',
And then he'd holler, "Ohhhh-bama!"
It's the rage, it's the craze,
Everyone sings nowadays,
"Vo-do-dee-oh, vo-do-dee-oh-doh."