My grandmother, long deceased, used to sing Froggy Went A Courtin' to me when we washed dishes: there was a completely different tune with a Keemo Kimo type refrain. I can't find it anywhere and want to add this to your research as I am getting ready to join the band up high:

Froggy went a courtin' and he did ride
With a rig dum bum bitty kairo (long i as in rhymo)
Sword and a pistol by his side
With a rig dum bum bitty kairo
Chorus:
Kai man neero Kai ro Kairo
Kai man neero Kairo
Stim Stam Fuma Ruddle Bunny on a Rig dum
Rig dum bum bitty Kairo

I don't have the ability to record it - I used it in my classrooms with preschoolers for years but I am sure no one remembers it. I wish I could record it for you so it wouldn't be lost. I have searched for years to find it printed somewhere and now on the 'net but to no avail.

My grandmother hailed from 1900 in Indiana, settling in Arkansas where she probably learned it and then finally in Washington DC where she died in 2000.

Heather Miller
rainbowranchorg@yahoo.com
December 30, 2024
Ocala, FL