Origins:What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier

Subject: kitty lie over next to the wall
From: skarpi Iceland
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 04:31 PM

Few years back a band from Ireland came to Iceland and did a few gig and one of the song they sang was this songcalled kitty lie overnext to the wall !!! The band is called Diarmond O´leary and The Bard´s , I think you know the band if you live in Ireland. If someone have the lyrics or can lead to a place where i can look , please give answear on this thread. It would great to hear from Ireland. many thank´s slán . skarpi .

Subject: RE: kitty lie over next to the wall
From: Susan of DT
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 06:57 PM

It sounds familiar - probably Jean Redpath mouth music. I searched for [next to the wall] in the blue search box and the third hit was WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU MARRIED A SOLDIER, which has the Kitty line in it. Is this what you are looking for?

Subject: RE: kitty lie over next to the wall
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 07:33 PM

Skarpi min!

That is the song you're looking for.

All the best.

Subject: RE: kitty lie over next to the wall
From: Jon W.
Date: 28 Oct 98 - 01:40 PM

Planxty recorded a version of this on their album "Cold Blow and the Rainy Night" with Johnny Moynihan on vocals.

Subject: Origins:What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Nov 21 - 06:22 PM

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU MARRIED A SOLDIER? (DT Lyrics) Oh, what would you do if you married a soldier? "What would I do but to follow the gun?" And what would you do if he died on the ocean? "What would I do but to marry again?" cho: A rout the da dee the dum diddly da dum, A rout the da doubt the da diddly da dum, Da da diddly da dum, da dee, da dum Da diddly da dee, da diddly da dum. And what would you do if the kettle boiled over? "What would I do but to fill it again?" And what would you do if the caws ate the clover? "What would I do but to set it again?" The praties are dug and the frost is all over Kitty lie over, next to the wall, The summer is come and we're all in the clover Kitty lie over, next to the wall.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU MARRIED A SOLDIER? (sung by Elizabeth Cronin-differences in italics) Oh, what would you do if you married a soldier? "What would I do but to follow the gun?" And what would you do if he died on the ocean? "What would I do but to marry again?" CHORUS: A rout the da dee the dum diddly da dum, A rout the da doubt the da diddly da dum, Da da diddly da dum, da dee, da dum Da diddly da dee, da diddly da dum. And what would you do if the kettle boiled over? "What would I do but to fill it again?" And what would you do if the cows ate the clover? "What would I do but to set it again?" The praties are dug and the frost is all over Kitty lie over, close to the wall, The hens are boiled and the praties are roast, Kitty lie over, close to the wall.

Recording of Elizabeth Cronin from As I Rode Out (Field Trip-Ireland) Music collected by Jean Ritchie and George Pickow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z3IZY5gRRc

tune: The Praties are Dug
Recorded by Clancys
@Irish @mouthmusic
filename[ WHATDO
TUNE FILE: WHATDO
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Popup Midi Player

Subject: Origins:What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Nov 21 - 06:22 PM

Traditional Ballad Index entry:

What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier

DESCRIPTION: What would you do if you married a soldier?" "What would I do but carry his gun" "...if he died on the ocean?" "... marry again." "... kettle boiled over?" "... fill it again." "...cows ate the clover?" "... set it again"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1947 (OCroinin/Cronin-TheSongsOfElizabethCronin)
KEYWORDS: marriage death dialog nonballad animal soldier
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OCroinin/Cronin-TheSongsOfElizabethCronin 191, "What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #3051
RECORDINGS:
Elizabeth Cronin, "What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier" (on IRECronin01)
NOTES [12 words]: OCroinin/Cronin-TheSongsOfElizabethCronin: The chorus is mouth music. - BS
Last updated in version 3.2
File: OCC191

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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What Would You Do If You Married a Soldie
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 23 Nov 21 - 06:43 AM

Back in 2013 I uploaded a version of this song which I first heard on a Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem LP. The information beneath my video includes the lyrics and chords:

What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What Would You Do If You Married a Soldie
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 23 Nov 21 - 11:47 AM

Lyrics and recordings here https://mainlynorfolk.info/june.tabor/songs/whatwillwedo.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What Would You Do If You Married a Soldie
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 23 Nov 21 - 11:56 AM

Yodel It over Again · Peta Webb · Ken Hall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z7vcq-xrAs&list=OLAK5uy_mENJrpLSPB2-GHdNelncSAxA7fcBHvVzI&index=2

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What Would You Do If You Married a Soldie
From: Reinhard
Date: 23 Nov 21 - 11:57 AM

No, lyrics and recordings here: https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/whatwouldyoudo.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What Would You Do If You Married a Soldie
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 23 Nov 21 - 12:26 PM

Every time the Marsden Rattlers played the jig 'Frost is all over'- old Davy Stewart, amazing Scottish traveller and button accordion player, would come in singing these words- mid 60s

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What Would You Do If You Married a Soldie
From: Felipa
Date: 23 Nov 21 - 03:49 PM

I never made a connection between the songs "What would you do if you marry a soldier" aka "the frost is all over", and "What will we do if we have no money" until I looked at Reinhard's Mainly Norfolk link. But there is clearly some similarity in lyrics. And both songs are in the DT.
https://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=7732 What Will We Do?

Here is another Mudcat thread re The Frost Is All Over & What Would You Do If You Married A Soldier:Kitty Lie Over

Subject: RE: Origins:What Would You Do If You Married a Soldier
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 24 Nov 21 - 02:55 AM

As a bit of fun I once ran the two songs together at our singing session at the Belvedere in Liverpool; starting with Mary Delaney's version and then Bess Cronin's, and finishing with a bit of diddling. It was very enjoyable to do, and it was lovely to watch the recognition dawn on some listeners who might have known both versions that I was singing the "same" song!
It felt a bit cheeky and I hope it wasn't disrespectful.