Thank you guys so very much. I don’t haven’t figured out exactly how to make it look like lyrics on this page, but this is the words that Poppa sang:

In the little red school house with my book and slate
In the little red schoolhouse, I was always late.

Altho’ I yearned to be back yonder in the days of yore
How I would stand up and holler two plus two are four.

When I should have been learning about the golden rule
Our little hearts were yearning for the swimming pool.

Though we could hardly wait for the eight o’clock bell
The moment we heard it we ran like mell.

O, gee I want to be in the little red schoolhouse.

Ten o’clock spelling had just begun
Johnny throwed an ink ball just for fun.

Hit the teacher’s ear with an awful splat.
She turned and said, “Who did that?”

Pretty little Percy on the very front row
Raises up his hand and says, “Teacher, I know!”

Little Johnny whispers to the teachers pride
You just wait until I get you outside.

Johnny supposed to stand up with his face to the wall
He says, “I don’t wanna” and he tries to stall.

If I stood up there, I would take an awful chance
I got a great big tear in the seat of my pants.

Anyway, the above is exactly how my Uncle Franklin, better known as “Poppa” sang the song. When I went to the http://www.turtleservices.simple.com/In%20Little%20Red%20House...and I could click on the actual song by Billy Jones and Ernest Hare. It was amazing how many verses Poppa had actually matched up too. (Considering Poppa is 88 yrs old) Billy and Ernest have a few more verses, and they sing the song in the back and forth style...kinda like straight man playing to comic one.

Poppa did say “mell” and not hell... I’m not sure what is on original song...or if it was truly “mell” as they didn’t want to offend an audience that KNEW what they were implying. Also, Poppa used the word “pants” in the last line...to rhyme with chance. On the record, they say trousers. They also had another verse on the end about the teacher saying “go home and wash your face”...and the boys say something like, “Why, it’ll only get dirty again.”

Poppa is still in hospital, and it has turned to pneumonia. Not unexpected, but he still responds to us all.

The other song for now is one called TITTLE TITTLE TATTLETALE. His wife sang it the most, but he also knew it. It goes:

The school children were singing
The school bells were ringing.
Soon roll, the teacher would call
“Johnny?” “Bright Present”
“Mary?” “Bright Present.”
“Where were you Monday morning, John Paul?”

“I had a toothache, an awful toothache
And maw made me stay home from school.”

“Teacher,” says Winnie, “John Paul told a lie.
He went a fishing on Monday morn.”

(I think there should be another line or two here, but the song ended this way)

Tittle Tittle Tattletale
Shame, Shame, Shame
Tittle Tittle Tattletale is your name
Always been the teachers pet
Never kept a secret yet
Tittle tittle tattletale is your name.

I wish I could give you the chords, but I don’t play or sing. I just wondered if any of you have heard this song and know where it might be found.

Any help always appreciated, and again my thanks for all your research and help.

Judy Malone.

HTML line breaks added & some spelling & punctuation fixed. --JoeClone, 28-Nov-01.