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Subject: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Sean Mac Ruaraidh Date: 26 Jul 00 - 06:52 AM Hi, Just the lyrics will do - I don't really expect to get any chords. 1. I require a full version of Childrens song - or is this all of it ? 'On a mountain stands a lady, who she is I do not know. All she wants is gold and silver, all she wants is a fine young man' 2. My dad's been singing a song that appears to be coming straight from his subconcious - i.e. starts to sing it when he is driving. Only words I have are :- 'Old Uncle Albert was dancing with bears, dancing with bears, dancing with bears' Thanks, Sean MacRuaraidh. "Dancing With Bears" replies moved to this thread (click). -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain / Dancing Bears From: GUEST Date: 26 Jul 00 - 09:09 AM The first song is a variant of "Oh no, John, no" and/or "Madam will you walk". As kids we used to sing:
Who she is I do not know. All she wants is gold and silver, And a nice young man, you know Wassail! V |
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Subject: ADD: On the hillside stands a lady From: Jimmy C Date: 26 Jul 00 - 09:21 AM The little girls in Belfast and probably other places used to sing a skipping song that went:
Who she is I do not know All she wants is gold and silver All she wants is a fine young man Lady, Lady, touch the ground Lady, Lady spin around Lady, Lady, touch your shoe Lady, Lady, go right through. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain / Dancing Bears From: GUEST,Sean MacRuaraidh Date: 26 Jul 00 - 10:44 AM I heard the song first in Belfast and my sister used to skip to the tune and do the Lady Lady part but I didn't know the words - so thank you. I recently heard the song again by Ian Campbell Band - Scottish - but it didn't have the Lady Lady bit. I began to wonder if there was more to the song as it doesn't seem to finish. Does she get her gold, her silver or a fine young man ? Why is she on the mountain and how long has she been standing there ? Thanks - I wonder what the tune for the Waltzing Bear song is ?
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 26 Jul 00 - 11:27 AM The "On yonder mountain" verse probably belonged originally to the "Madam Madam I've Come a-Courting/ Oh No John/ No Sir No/ Ripest Apples/ Spanish Lady" group of songs; you might like to have a look at these examples on the DT: Ripest Apples Oh No John No John No Chester City A Forum search will also find you quite a few references. Malcolm |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain / Dancing Bears From: GUEST,Bruce O. Date: 26 Jul 00 - 04:18 PM Also see "Consent at Last" in Scarce Songs 1 on my website. I take it to be the original of "No, John, No/ Spanish Merchant's Daughter". Verses in that are quite similar to some in "Paper of Pins/ Quaker's Courtship/ Keys of Heaven" and the songs are sometimes misidentified. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain / Dancing Bears From: GUEST,Bruce O. Date: 26 Jul 00 - 05:37 PM Steve Roud's folk song index seems to have the two songs well separated, and "No, John, No/ Spanish Merchant's Daughter/ Twenty, Eighteen" is Roud #146. He notes about 2 dozen texts in all. No broadside text close to traditional versions seems to be known. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Canada Date: 20 May 10 - 02:26 AM For skipping we would sing (in the 1960s in northern Canada) On a Mtn stands a lady Who she is I do not know All she wants is gold and silver All she wants is ice and snow So come in my lady, lady, lady So come in my lady, While I go out to tea (this was an invitation for one girl to skip in and take the rope and the other girl to skip out) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Desideratum1731 Date: 23 Apr 11 - 02:11 PM We girls sang it when skipping in the 40s and 50s in London. Two girls turned the rope while singing: 'On the mountain stands a lady, who she is I do not know. All she wants is gold and silver, all she wants is a fine young man. So come in my XXXX dear, XXXXX dear, XXXXX dear, so come in my XXXXX dear before I run away. Either a boys name or a girl's name would be called to take their place skipping over the rope. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: Darowyn Date: 24 Apr 11 - 04:37 AM I know a much longer version which goes to the tune used as the theme to the old TV series "The Liver Birds". Everybody sings Stands a lady, on the mountain Who she is I do not know. All she wants is gold and silver, All she wants is a nice young man" the 'young man' then sings (to different tune) Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk? Madam will you marry me? lady, No! 'young man' What if I buy you a nice arm chair, to sit in the garden when you take the air? Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk? Madam will you marry me? lady, No! 'young man' What if I buy you a silver spoon, To feed your baby in the afternoon? Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk? Madam will you marry me? lady, No! 'young man' What If I buy you a nice straw hat, With long green ribbons hanging down the back? Madam will you walk? Madam will you talk? Madam will you marry me? lady, Yes! Everybody (another different tune) Off to church love, off to church love, farewell! Home from church love, home from church love, farewell! Young man+ all the boys What's for breakfast love, What's for breakfast love, farewell! What's for breakfast love, What's for breakfast love, farewell! lady,+ all the girls Bread and butter and watercress. Bread and butter and watercress. Bread and butter and watercress, and you shall have some! Young man What's for dinner love, What's for dinner love, farewell! What's for dinner love, What's for dinner love, farewell! lady, Bread and butter and beetles. Bread and butter and beetles. Bread and butter and beetles, and you shall have some! Young man What's for supper love, What's for supper love, farewell! What's for supper love, What's for supper love, farewell! lady, Bread and butter and RATS. Bread and butter and RATS. Bread and butter and RATS, and you shall have some! Then everyone runs about screaming for a while, then they all come back into the circle to start again. My class of eight year olds used to play this in Leeds in the early 80's, and the fact that I remember it accounts for the reason that I made a birthday cake for one of my grandsons that was decorated with bread and butter and beetles one year. Two years later his little brother asked me "When you make my birthday cake granddad, will you put bugs on it please?" Cheers Dave |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: open mike Date: 25 Apr 11 - 03:23 PM thought this might be about the statue above Butte Montana... http://www.ourladyoftherockies.net/ |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: Steve Gardham Date: 26 Apr 11 - 02:09 PM The above question and answer version seems to be related to the versions used as rural stage pieces at village concerts in the nineteenth century. It also seems to be based on 2 songs, one 'Madam, will you walk', followed by, 'Shepherd, oh, shepherd, will you come home'. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST Date: 11 May 11 - 09:49 PM my mother used to sing...on a mountain stands a lady who she is i do not know...all she wants is gold and silver...all she wants is a fine young beau- which makes more sense because it rhymes |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Michael James Date: 27 Nov 11 - 06:04 AM Why do I have the feeling that the roots of this song are much more sinister than we all remember them to be? It has been swimming around in my head for 2 days now. I remember it from childhood either as a skipping song or when playing 2 balls against the wall. That was in the late 40's just after the war. Did it originally have a sinister meaning and was it some kind of warning? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,SteveG Date: 27 Nov 11 - 10:52 AM This stanza sometimes introduces versions of 'The Keys of Heaven' but it is by no means certain that's where it originated. Like other add-ons above these things have a tendency to be tagged together especially in children's games. However if it is part of 'Keys of Heaven' there are Scottish versions 'Pennyworth of Preens' that have the Devil asking the questions, so you may well have something. Personally I think it's just staightforward and a piece of children's playfulness. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST Date: 06 Jun 12 - 09:28 PM My mom sang it much different: On the mountain, stands a lady, Who she is I do not know All she wears is gold and silver All she needs is a punch in the nose So I'm calling *( insert name here)* dear, *Katie *dear, *Katie* dear So I'm calling Katie dear, when I go out to play. Good day! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,oxenkiller Date: 04 Jul 13 - 12:54 AM wasn't there some version of this song sung on the "Mister Rogers" TV show? With those ugly king castle puppets during the "land of make believe" segment? I dunno, it's been almost 40 years since I watched that...I think that version had "...all she wants is gold and silver/all she needs is a good shampoo." |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: Joybell Date: 04 Jul 13 - 05:53 PM As a skipping song in the 1950s we sang "On a hill there stands a creature..." I always loved that image. A dragon? A lady griffin? A she-bear? Joy |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Shay Date: 14 May 14 - 02:34 AM When I was a kid in the 1990s we used to sing: on nmountain stands a lady who she is i do know all she wants is gold and silver all she needs is a punch in the So out goes *name of kid who was jumping* and in goes *name of the next kid in line* then we would start again. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: BrooklynJay Date: 14 May 14 - 08:38 PM I've heard a version of it as "Spanish Lady," and I think it was sung in the southern part of the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century. I seem to remember seeing this on a website - I just can't recall which at the moment. I'm pretty sure The Limeliters recorded a version of the song on their "More of Everything" album c.1964. Jay |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Guest Courtbard Date: 09 Aug 14 - 08:51 PM GUEST,oxenkiller: You are correct. It was the "trio" of Lady Elaine Fairchild (puppet), Lady Aberlin (Human Betty Aberlin), and I think Henrietta Pussycat (puppet and both of them voiced by Fred Rogers) that sang the song and they did end the verse with "all she needs is a good clean shampoo." Although I think they used as slightly different tune. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Old gray squirrel Date: 10 Aug 14 - 12:46 PM As to Sean Mac Ruaraidh's second query, his father's fragment appears to be from Waltzing with Bears, a delightful song adapted by Eugene Poddany from a Dr Seuss rhyme. For the lyrics, search Mudcat for Waltzing with Bears. There are also several threads in the Forum. To hear Pricilla Herdman sing it, go to Youtube. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Popsicle Date: 23 Mar 24 - 12:49 PM We sang this version in Ireland in the 1950's: There's a lady on the mountain, who she is I do not know. All she wants is Gold and Silver and a nice young man I know. Take your partner, take your partner, go to the church love, kneel down love, say your prayers love, come home love. Open the gates and let me through! Not 'til you show you're black and blue! Here's my black and here's my blue! Now open the gates and let me through! This was sung in a circle of girls and 2 would pair off outside the circle and follow the actions of the song (kneeling, praying, etc.) and show their right leg for the black and their left leg for the blue. After that they could join the circle. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: John MacKenzie Date: 23 Mar 24 - 03:53 PM You'll find it in here along with other kids street songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdpXTFy3zlw&list=WL&index=3 |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: On a mountain stands a lady From: GUEST,Roderick A Warner Date: 30 Mar 24 - 08:06 AM Back in the mists of time on Friday afternoons at my school, having cunningly evaded the lure of the combined cadet force and marching around in a sweaty uniform, I was forced to join my fellow non-martially inclined refuseniks in spending a couple of hours singing ‘folk songs’ from grubby well thumbed books. Directed by a fearsome Scottish lady teacher at the piano. Enthusiasm was assumed and enforced by power of her mighty will and baleful stare. Anyway, somewhat appropriate to the topic in hand, I remember one such piece of dreck that started: ‘On yonder hill there stands a lass, mark well what I do say/I’ll go and court her for her beauty/Will she answer yes or nay? Oh, no John, no John no John no.’ Or something similar. A torture on fine days, stuck in the school hall when the sun was shining, only relieved by the collective thought that at least we weren’t with the suckers outside being shouted at etc. We were obviously what the country was coming to, in the contemporary term of approbation. Smoothing irons were also dashed and coasts of High Barbary invoked. Maybe it was some form of suppression of the endemic folk culture by the powers that be? Still gives me a shudder or two in remembrance so maybe it worked… |
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