HOT CODLINGS
(Written and composed by Charles Dibdin Jnr. & John Whitaker - 1819)

A little old woman her living she got
By selling hot codlings, hot, hot, hot
And this little old woman whose codlings sold
Tho' her codlings were hot, she felt herself cold
So to keep herself warm, she thought it no sin
To fetch for herself a quartern of RI tol iddy
Iddy, iddy, iddy, Ri tol iddy, iddy, ri tol lay.

This little old woman set off at a trot
To fetch herself a quartern of hot! hot! hot!
She swallowed one glass, and it was so nice
She tipped off another in a trice
The glass she filled till the bottle shrunk
And this little old woman she got RI tol iddy
Iddy, iddy, iddy, Ri tol iddy, iddy, ri tol lay.

This little old woman, while muzzy she got
Some boys stole her codlings hot, hot, hot,
Powder under her pan put, and in it round stones
Says the little old woman, 'These apples have bones'
The powder the pan in her face did send
Which sent the old woman on her latter RI tol iddy
Iddy, iddy, iddy, Ri tol iddy, iddy, ri tol lay.

The little old woman then up she got
All in a fury hot, hot, hot,
Says she, 'Such boys never were known
They never will let an old woman alone.'
Now here is a moral, round let it buz
If you mean to sell codlins, never get RI tol iddy
Iddy, iddy, iddy, Ri tol iddy, iddy, ri tol lay.



Written and composed by Charles Dibdin Jnr. & John Whitaker - 1819
Performed by Sam Cowell (1820-1864)
Performed by Joseph Grimaldi (1779-1837)
Performed by Tom Mathews (1805-1989)


Source: https://monologues.co.uk/musichall/Songs-H/Hot-Codlings.htm

Another recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVtR2UVM9gU

Here's the entry on the song by the Traditional Ballad Index:

Hot Codlings

DESCRIPTION: "A little old woman her living she got By selling hot codlings hot, hot, hot." But she feels cold, so she seeks "a quartern of RI tol iddy iddy iddy...." She drinks a whole bottle, and boys steal her codlings while she is drunk. She warns of drunkenness
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Scott); said to have been sung by Grimaldi in 1828 and earlier
KEYWORDS: food commerce drink humorous
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Scott-EnglishSongBook, pp. 58-59, "Hot Codlings" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wolf-AmericanSongSheets, #907, p. 61, "Hot Codlins" (3 references)
Roud #13942
NOTES [37 words]: Grimaldi seems to have been the first to sing this song, but its real fame may have arisen from its use by others; Wolf, p. 61, lists three broadsides, with the credit "as sung by the great Comic Vocalist, Tony Pastor." - RBW
Last updated in version 3.5
File: ScED058

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