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GUEST,Rev Origins: King of the Cannibal Islands (67* d) RE: Lyr/Tune Req: King of the Cannibal Islands 19 Aug 06


I have the Lyrics for King of the Cannibal Islands as published in the Popular National Songster (1845, pp. 95-96). I'll also post the lyrics of a similar song called Tongo Island (same songster, pp.89-90). I've just used these songs in my dissertation, so I have them handy.

KING OF THE CANNIBAL ISLANDS
Oh! Have you heard the news of late,
About a mighty king so great,
If you have not, 'tis in my pate
The king of the Cannibal Islands,
He was so tall, near six feet six;
He had a head like Mr. Nick's,
His palace was like dirty Dick's;
'Twas built of mud for want of brick;
And his name was Poonoowinkewang,
Flibeedee flobeedee buskeebang,
and a lot of Indians swore they would hang,
Hokee, pokee, wongee, fum,
Putte, po, pee, kabula, cum,
Tongeree, wongree, ching, ring, wum,
The king of the Cannibal Islands.

This mighty king had in one hut,
Seventy wives as black as soot,
And thirty of a doble smut,
The king of the Cannibal Islands
Just one hundred wives he had,
and every week he was a dad,
upon my word it was too bad,
For his smutty dears soon drove him mad;
There was Hunkee, Munkee, short and tall,
with Tuzzee, Muzzee, and Keeko Pall,
and some of them swore they would have all,
The king of the Cannibal Islands.

One day the king invited most
All his subjects to a roast,
For half his wives gave up the ghost,
the king of the Cannibal Islands.
Of fifty wives he was bereft,
and so he had but fifty left;
He said with them he would make a shift,
So for a gorge they set off swift.
The fifty wives were roasted soon,
and all demolished before the noon,
and a lot of chief's vowed to have soon,
The king of the Cannibal Islands.

When they had done and bones picked clean,
They all began to dance I ween;
The fifty wives slipped out unseen,
from the King of the Cannibal Islands.
He turning round misses them all,
So for his wives began to bawl,
But not one answered to his call,
He sprung out through the muddy wall;
Then into the woods he went with grief,
And found each queen 'long with a chief,
He swore he'd Macadamize each thief,
The king of the Cannibal Islands.

He sent for all his guards with knives,
To put an end to all their lives,
The fifty chiefs and fifty wives,
The king of the Cannibal Islands.
These Cannibal slaves then begun,
Carving their heads off one by one,
And the king he laughed to see the fun,
Then jumpt into bed when all was done;
And every night when he's asleep,
The headless wives and chiefs all creep
And roll upon him in a heap,
The king of the Cannibal Islands.
Hokee Pokee, &c.




THE TONGO ISLANDS
I sailed from port one summer's day,
And to the South Seas made my way,
I got wreck'd in No Bottom Bay,
All in the Tongo Islands.
The king he made a chief of me,
They called me Koora Kira Kee,
We got as thick as thick could be,
And every night drank strong Bashee, --
Says he, will you be my son-in-law,
and marry the princess Wowski Faw?
Says I, your majesty, hold your jaw,
I do accept the princess' paw,
Swango, Tongo, Hokey, Pokey; Hingeree, Chingeree,
Soaki, Woaki, all in the Tongo Islands!

We'd at our wedding scores of guests,
We'd nuns and lords and chiefs and priests,
Who guzzled like so many beasts,
All in the Tongo Islands.
There was the mighty Guyalore and Flyalore,
and Sannetlore and Gannetlores,
With forty more such –––––– !
The king he drank three quarts of rum.
Which sowed him down so he was dumb;
We thought he'd gone to kingdom come,
Which made the queen look precious glum.
Swango, Tongo, &c.

My bride was kind as kind could be,
And we lived in great harmony,
Till the chiefs they jealous grew of me,
All in the Tongo Islands.
They swore they'd eat me up like pork,
And eat me without knife or fork,
Says I to myself, this is precious work,
So off my body I better walk,
So one fair day, to show my wit,
Not being ready for the spit,
To cut and run I did think fit,
So instead of biting they were bit.
Swango, Tongo, &c.

So now thank heaven I'm safe and sound,
Once more upon my native ground,
And never more I will be found,
All in the Tongo Islands
For what's the use of being chief,
When you can't mutton get nor beef,
Nor a glass of grog to give relief,
To raise your spirits or drown your grief?
For though the lawyers here we need,
Who eat us up alive 'tis said,
But there they knock you on the head,
And swollow you up after you're dead.
Oh! Swango, Tongo, &c.


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