Tune Req: 'I had a little rooster by the barnyard

Subject: Kids song: little rooster was my playmat
From: GUEST,tim myrfield
Date: 07 Mar 01 - 09:54 PM

We are looking to replace this song that our kids loved but we lost it and now can't find anything about it but just remember some of the lyrics,

I had a little rooster by the barnyard gate,
That little rooster was my playmate
That little rooster went cock a doodle doo
Dee doodle dee doodle dee doo

This song then went through various farmyard animals

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Kids song: little rooster was my pl
From: SeanM
Date: 08 Mar 01 - 03:49 AM

Ummm... there's a song that I'm pretty sure is traditional that goes something to the effect of...

I went to market to get a cock
And the cock did very well please me
And every time I fed me cock
I fed it all under a tree

And me cock went
"Cock-a-Cock-a-Cock-a-Cock-a-doodle doo"
And after everybody's cock
Did my cock crow

While that's not quite what you're looking for, I'm wondering if it's a variant... once the entendre is done, most of the rest of the song consists of "I went to market to buy a XXXX" with all the various animals, doing the animal call at the end of the chorus and building up.

Sorry if it's not the right one, but it's all I can think of. Time to let better minds than I take a shot.

M

Subject: ADD: Little Rooster^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Mar 01 - 03:56 AM

LITTLE ROOSTER

Had a little rooster by the barnyard gate,
That little rooster was my playmate,
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little cat by the barnyard gate,
That little cat was my playmate,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little dog by the barnyard gate,
That little dog was my playmate,
That little dog went arf, arf, arf,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little duck by the barnyard gate,
That little duck was my playmate,
That little duck went quack, quack, quack,
That little dog went arf, arf, arf,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little pig by the barnyard gate,
That little pig was my playmate,
That little pig went oink, oink, oink,
That little duck went quack, quack, quack,
That little dog went arf, arf, arf,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little sheep by the barnyard gate,
That little sheep was my playmate,
That little sheep went baa, baa, baa,
That little pig went oink, oink, oink,
That little duck went quack, quack, quack,
That little dog went arf, arf, arf,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little cow by the barnyard gate,
That little cow was my playmate,
That little cow went moo, moo, moo,
That little sheep went baa, baa, baa,
That little pig went oink, oink, oink,
That little duck went quack, quack, quack,
That little dog went arf, arf, arf,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

Had a little horse by the barnyard gate,
That little horse was my playmate,
That little horse went neigh, neigh, neigh,
That little cow went moo, moo, moo,
That little sheep went baa, baa, baa,
That little pig went oink, oink, oink,
That little duck went quack, quack, quack,
That little dog went arf, arf, arf,
That little cat went meow, meow, meow
That little rooster went cock-a-doodle-doo,
Dee-doodle-dee, doodle-dee, doodle-dee-doo.

---

I found this at www.kididdles.com. In my head, I can hear the voice of Peggy Seeger singing this, but I can't recall the recording. Oh, here it is - it's on a Rounder recording by Mike & Peggy Seeger called Animal Folk Songs for Children, and it's in a songbook with the same title, written by their mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger. Mike & Peggy did recordings of ALL of the songs in their mother's Animal Folk Songs for Children and American Folk Songs for Children.

But it's not Peggy's voice on the recording of that particular song, which is NOT in their mother's songbook (but IS on the CD) - so now I still don't know where (or if) I heard Peggy sing it...

-Joe Offer-

^^

Subject: ADD: I Had a Rooster^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Mar 01 - 04:06 AM

Oh, here's the version I'm familiar with - the recording is by Pete Seeger....

---

I HAD A ROOSTER
Traditional

I had a rooster
And the rooster pleased me
I fed my rooster by the green apple tree
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a piggy
And the piggy pleased me
I fed my piggy by the green apple tree
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a cow
And the cow pleased me
I fed my cow by the green apple tree
My old cow went
Mooooo!
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a horsey
And the horsey pleased me
I fed my horsey by the green apple tree
My old horsey went
Neigh, Neigh
My old cow went
Mooooo!
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a chicken
And the chicken pleased me
I fed my chicken by the green apple tree
My old chicken went
Bac, bac, bac
My old horsey went
Neigh, Neigh
My old cow went
Mooooo!
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a doggy
And the doggy pleased me
I fed my doggy by the green apple tree
My old doggy went
Roof, Roof, Roof
My old chicken went
Bac, bac, bac
My old horsey went
Neigh, Neigh
My old cow went
Mooooo!
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a sheep
And the sheep pleased me
I fed my sheep by the green apple tree
My old sheep went
Mmmmmm, MmmmmMy old doggy went
Roof, Roof, Roof
My old chicken went
Bac, bac, bac
My old horsey went
Neigh, Neigh
My old cow went
Mooooo!
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

I had a baby
And the baby pleased me
I fed my sweet little baby by the green apple tree
My sweet, pink, powdery, chubby, cute little baby went
Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaaah!
My old sheep went
Mmmmmm, MmmmmMy old doggy went
Roof, Roof, Roof
My old chicken went
Bac, bac, bac
My old horsey went
Neigh, Neigh
My old cow went
Mooooo!
My old piggy went
Oink, Oink, Oink
My old rooster went
Cockle doodle doo, dee doodle dee doodle dee doodle dee do

Oh, here's the version I'm familiar with - the recording is by Pete Seeger....
I still insist I've heard a recording of Peggy singing it.

-Joe Offer -
(e-mail sent)^^

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Kids song: little rooster was my pl
From: GUEST,Tim
Date: 08 Mar 01 - 09:53 AM

To All; Thanks so much for your help! My searches on the internet and the library didn't turn up anything helpfull, I know where I'll come in the future for information! Tim

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Kids song: little rooster was my pl
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 08 Mar 01 - 08:37 PM

At least one of those versions (the first one Joe posted) is on Wee Sing Fun & Folk, a tape/book published by Price Stern Sloan and put out by two Oregon women whose names I've forgotten. I think it's the best of the Wee Sing series. So did my daughter: she'd practically memorized the whole hour-long tape by the time she turned four.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Kids song: little rooster was my pl
From: toadfrog
Date: 18 May 03 - 08:06 PM

I want to say, Peggy and her siblings sang this on an old 10-inch Folkways disk called "Folk Songs for Children," or words to that effect, except that instead of "I had a rooster by the barnyard gate, And the rooster was my playmate," I believe they sang:

I had a rooster, the rooster loved me,
I'll cherish my rooster by the green bay tree.

I also would have sworn I owned the disk, but it appears it belonged to friends, as I cannot find it.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Kids song: little rooster was my pl
From: black walnut
Date: 19 May 03 - 09:25 AM

Another version is "I had a little rooster and the rooster pleased me * I fed my rooster on the gooseberry tree * Etc.".
It doesn't really make sense, and I don't remember where I learned it.

~b.w.