Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)

Subject: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From:
Date: 11 May 98 - 03:15 PM

Hey all! Anyone know the lyrics to hey lolly lolly-lo? I have a record of Woody Guthrie singing it, but the sound's pretty muffled and crackly so I can't figure out what they are saying.

Subject: RE: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 May 98 - 03:45 PM

I couldn't find it, but I'm sure somebody will. It brings up another question, though. I have lots of good songbooks, but most are collections of "traditional" songs. Can anybody suggest a songbook that would include the songs of Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and others of that era?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: HEY LOLLY LOLLY (sung by Woody Guthrie)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 May 98 - 04:01 PM

Well, I found the lyrics at a wonderful Woody Guthrie Web Site. Was this song really written by Woody?

HEY LOLLY LOLLY
As sung by Woody Guthrie

Hey lolly lolly lolly
hey lolly lolly lolly low

A married man will keep your secret
a single boy will talk about you

A playin' man will keep your secret
a quiet man will talk about you

Well, a married man's an easy rider
a single boy gets all excited

Single boy walks up and down the street
Married man's in his stockin' feet

Subject: RE: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From: Roger Himler
Date: 11 May 98 - 05:31 PM

In the 60's, a similar chorus was used to paste together made up verses for singing. It gives you enough time to come up with the next verse if a group of you are singing.

I was in high school then and we would be very topical, teasing people about their relationships, taking jibes at teachers, etc. A great old song. I wonder if Woody used it the same way?

Oak Publications has a fairly large collection (80+) called *The Leadbelly Songbook* edited by Moses Asch and Alan Lomax. It gives the chords and melody lines for the songs.

It is distributed by:

Music Sales Corporation
325 Park Ave.
South, NY, NY 10003 USA or

Music Sales Limited
8/9 Frith St., London W1V5TZ England, or by

Music Sales Pty. Limited, 120 Rothschild St., Rosebery, Sydney, NSW 2018, Australia

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From: Susan of DT
Date: 11 May 98 - 06:46 PM

Hey Lolly Lolly low collects floater verses. What comes to mind is:

I've got a girl who's ten feet tall
Hey lolly lolly low
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the hall
Hey lolly lolly low...

You can use just about anything that fits

Subject: RE: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From: judy
Date: 12 May 98 - 01:43 AM

It was a camp type song for us where you made up verses about people's names:

I know a girl her name is Judy
Hey lolly, lolly, lo
She sure knows how to shake her booty
Hey lolly, lolly lo

chorus:
Hey lolly, lolly, lolly
Hey lolly, lolly, lo
Hey lolly, lolly, lolly
Hey lolly, lolly, lo

I was just sharing it with my kids the other night at dinner.

enjoy!
judy

Subject: RE: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From: Bob Dylan
Date: 14 May 98 - 11:44 AM

"We love to sing Them Dirty Verses. Hey..... Full of sex and drugs and curses" Hey.....

Subject: RE: Hey Lolly, Lolly-Lo Lyrics?
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 14 May 98 - 12:07 PM

I remember the song as "Hey, lydy, lydy" during high school, and it was the scene for dozens of sexist verses about things like "a girl who lives on the hill, she won't do it but her sister will," etc. Or at least those were the verses the guys always sang. I never knew it was a Woody Guthrie song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jul 08 - 06:23 PM

( to follow the verse about "ten feet tall"...)

I've got a girl who's three feet tall
Hey lolly lolly lo
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the kitchen
Hey lolly lolly lo

I've also heard it as "hey liley liley lo"

-PP

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: Rapparee
Date: 25 Jul 08 - 06:30 PM

We also sang it in the Army; I will only say that the verses were sexist in the extreme.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 08:32 PM

I've only heard woody sing this verse in 'take a whiff on me'

Subject: Lyr Req: Hey Li-lee, Li-lee, Li-lee
From: Genie
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 08:38 PM

Well, I've always thought the song was "Hey, Li-lee, Li-lee, Li-lee" too and I've seen it spelled that way (or the way GUEST who forgot to add any identifier spelled it) a lot, but when you hear it sung, it's really hard to tell the difference. *g*

I didn't especially connect the song to Woody, but I'm not surprised he sang it.

It really is a good one for impromptu singalong verses.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 11:57 PM

This verse is entirely
Hey lolly lolly lo
Too short.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: Joe_F
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 10:29 PM

I've got a girl 'bout five foot tall,
She don't get no sleep at all.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: GUEST,tuvya
Date: 07 Apr 19 - 03:28 AM

Where's this song from?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey Lolly Lolly (Woody Guthrie)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Apr 19 - 04:06 PM

I had this by the Weavers.

The only verse about the tall woman I know (it wasn't in the Weavets version) is from a totally different song called, I think, Tie My Pecker To My Leg, and says I need a gal, 6'10" - she's gotta be that tall so I can git it all in!