The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #5714 Message #2493820
Posted By: Phil Edwards
14-Nov-08 - 11:20 AM
Thread Name: When was Cuckoo's Nest first published?
Subject: RE: When was Cuckoo's Nest first published?
Great stuff. What made me curious about the version I heard last night (basically this one) was the last line of the chorus - "At the bottom of the belly lies the cuckoo's nest." Spelling it out like that seemed very unlike a real bawdy ballad - once they've set up a conceit like that they usually keep it going more or less forever. And it turns out that the chorus (which was originally the last verse) has been jazzed up - from
But give me a girl with a wriggle and a twist: That is pleasant and good-temper'd with a cuckoo's nest
to
But give me a girl that will wriggle and will twist: At the bottom of the belly lies the cuckoo's nest.