The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #22880 Message #2296267
Posted By: Goose Gander
23-Mar-08 - 11:19 PM
Thread Name: Penguin: When I Was A Little Boy
Subject: RE: Penguin: When I Was A Little Boy
When I was a little boy fat as I could wad (whistle) Tuk me by the heels and I slung me up to God Turn a rink tum a tolly roddle day
When I was a little boy fat as I could be (whistle) Sat on the roadside to see what I could see Tum a rink tom a tolly roddle day
As I sat there a giant passed by (whistle) Head on the ground and feet in the sky Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Asked me for a wrastle and I beat his own game (whistle) Shot him with his own gun wasn't that a shame Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
People seen the good I done (whistle) They give enough money to weigh a million ton Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Gave me a little box half an acre square (whistle) And in my little box I put my money there Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
When I travel I travel like an ox (whistle) And in my shirt pocket I carry my little box Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Gonna take a journey not a very long while (whistle) I'm just a goin bout ten thousand mile Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Gonna be gone just two days and a half (whistle) Them two days gonna eat a caw and calf Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Got a little dog his name is Blue (whistle) Showed me the hog where the hole went through Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Got a little dog his color is a dun (whistle) His body weighs a million and his tail weighs a ton Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Got a little cow and her name is Rose (whistle) Milk her in the house and I churn her out of doors Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
Got a little hen her color is fair (whistle) Set her on a mussel shell and she hatched out a hare Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day
The hare turned to a horse nineteen feet high (whistle) And if you beat that you'll have to sing a lie Tum a rink tum a tolly roddle day.
SOURCE: Voices From the Dust Bowl
And from the Ballad Index . . .
Little Brown Dog DESCRIPTION: "When I was a little boy As fat as I could go, They set me there upon the fence...." The boy fights and defeats a giant, induces his hen to hatch out a hare, acquires a dog with legs ten feet long, and otherwise does the impossible AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1891 (JAFL 4) KEYWORDS: talltale animal chickens dog horse sheep humorous nonsense fight FOUND IN: Britain(Shetlands) US(MA,NE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf) REFERENCES (11 citations): Randolph 357, "When I Was a Little Boy" (2 texts, 2 tunes) FSCatskills 145, "The Lofty Giant" (1 text) Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 101, "When I Was a Little Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) Hudson 129, p. 275, "To London I Did Go" (1 text) Peacock, pp. 24-29, "A Tale of Jests" (3 texts, 3 tunes) Leach-Labrador 111, "The Lying Song" (1 text, 1 tune) Karpeles-Newfoundland 87, "The Liar's Song" (1 text, 1 tune) Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 103-106, "The Little Bull Song" (1 text, 1 tune) Manny/Wilson 79, "The Little Bull" (1 text, 1 tune) Silber-FSWB, p. 394, "Little Brown Dog" (1 text) DT, (AUTUMNTO) Roud #1706 CROSS-REFERENCES: cf. "The Derby Ram" cf. "The Swapping Boy" cf. "The Seven Wonders" ALTERNATE TITLES: The Big Jeest Once I Had The Lie Song Notes: I've listed this song under a title by which it's well known; as it was extremely popular in the 1960s folk revival. -PJS Versions of this song may take almost any form, as long as there is enough exaggeration. The piece is recognized by its short lines and stanzas. Here are samples: "When I was a little boy, To London I did go, Upon that banished (?) steeple, My gallantry to show." "I bought me a little hen, I did not take much care; I set her on an oyster shell, And she hatched me out a bear." Hudson calls this a rhymed version of the story of Jack the Giant Killer. Some versions were doubtless influenced by that, but the song doesn't require killing a giant. - RBW