The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #72705   Message #1254601
Posted By: Malcolm Douglas
23-Aug-04 - 01:26 PM
Thread Name: Origins:Old Man 'Badiah Jumped in the Fire/Obadiah
Subject: ADD: Obadiah (jumped into the fire)
It seems to vary. From Joy Cowley, Story Chest: Small Read Together Books - Obadiah Stage 1 (Story Chest S.), quoted at Donald Hayes - Lexical Analysis:

OBADIAH (small book series)

Obadiah jumped into the fire.
The fire was hot so he jumped in the pot.
The pot was black, so he jumped in a sack.
The sack was full, so he jumped in a pool.
The pool was wet, so he jumped in a net.
The net was fishy, so he jumped in a dishy.
The dishy was hard, so he jumped in the yard.
The yard was yuk, so he jumped in a truck.
The truck was loud, so he jumped in a cloud.
The cloud flew away, so he jumped in the hay.
The hay was just right, so he stayed there all night.

( URL )

Quoted at Cathy Spagnoli, Storyteller: Tales to Try (no source named):

Old Obadiah jumped in the fire.
The fire was hot, so he jumped in a pot.
The pot was black, so he jumped in a crack.
The crack was high, so he jumped to the sky.
The sky was blue, so he jumped in a shoe.
The shoe was red, so he jumped in a bed.
The bed was white, so he stayed all night.


I expect there are many more.