The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #89691   Message #3086974
Posted By: Desert Dancer
01-Feb-11 - 11:29 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: Chow Willy
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Chow Willy
It's possible that Josef Marais added some verses and took out a copyright, but...

From -- English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians Collected by Cecil J. Sharp (Maud Karpeles, Ed., Oxford University Press, 1932), which has 11 versions (not including The Frog in the Well which appears separately with 4 versions).

No. 220 A Frog He Went A-courting
(version) C
Sung by Miss May Ray
at Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Claiborne Co., Kentucky, April 29, 1917

A frog he went a-courting he did ride,
Chow Willie, chow wee;
A frog he went a-courting, he did ride,
Chow Willie wee.
A frog he went a-courting, he did ride,
with a pistol and sword hung by his side.
Rig tum a riddle lum a rig tum a ree,
Chow Willie wee.

He rode till he came to Miss Mousie's house,
Saying: Miss Mousie, are you within?

Yes, kind sir, I am within,
Sitting at my spinning-wheel.

He took Miss Mousie upon his knee,
Saying: Miss Mousie, will you marry me?

O kind sir, I can't say that
Until I see my Uncle Rat.

The old rat ran up the wall
Says: The devil is among you all.

He ran down the other side,
Saying: Miss Mousie may be your bride.

Uncle Rat he went to town
To buy Miss Mousie a wedding-gown.

Where will the wedding supper be?
Away down yonder in the hollow bush tree.

What will the wedding supper be?
A piece of pie and a black-eyed pea.

The first came in was a little bug,
He sat down upon a jug.

The next came in was an old grey cat,
He made his supper on Uncle Rat.

X:1
T:A Frog He Went A-courting
C:Trad.
S:English Folk-Songs from the Southern Appalachians, Collected by Cecil J. Sharp, M. Karpeles, Ed.
O: version C, Miss May Ray, Lincoln Mem. Univ., Harrogate, Claiborne Co., Ky, April 29, 1917
M:4/4
K:G
G | G G G G A2 A2 | G2 G2 d4 |
w: A frog he went a-court-ing, he did ride,
c4 A A3 | c4 =F3 F |
w: Chow Wil-lie, chow wee; A
G G G G A2 A2 | G2 G2 d4 |
w: frog he went a-court-ing, he did ride,
c4 e e3 | d6 d |
w: Chow Wil-lie wee. A
=f f f f d2 c2 | d2 e2 d3 c/2 c/2 |
w: frog he went a-court-ing, he did ride, with a
d2 d d d2 c2 | A2 G2 =F4 |
w: pis-tol and sword hung by his side.
G2 G G A A A A | G2 G G d4 |
w: Rig tum a rid-dle lum a rig tum a ree,
c4 A A3 | G6 z |
w: Chow Wil-lie wee.

(Plug the abc above into the box here at abcconvert to get the dots or a midi.)

I learned this from Jeff Warner and Anglo; I'm surprised I didn't transcribe it last time this thread came up.

~ Becky in Tucson