12. Pig Latin Song
(Ledbetter) from Smithsonian Folkways 40068
Lead Belly Sings for Children

At one time pig Latin (called "dog Latin" in the South) was very popular as a kind of children's secret language. It has nothing to do with Latin. Words are transformed by taking the first consonant and putting it at the end of the word, adding "ay" to it. Thus "you" becomes "ou-yay." "Come here" becomes "Ome-cay ere-hay." This must be one of the few songs totally in pig Latin.

"I'm gonna do a number in pig Latin.... Down home they call it 'dog Latin,' but up here they call it 'pig Latin.' You go down home and say 'pig Latin,' people wouldn't know what you are talking about. If you say 'dog Latin,' they know just exactly what you are talking about. Now I'm gonna sing this in pig Latin, but I am going to tell you exactly what I am going to sing to you before I sing so you can get it. I'm gonna say 'Come here' in pig Latin. I'm gonna say,
'Come here, I got something to tell you that you ought to know.'
'Come here, I got something to tell you that you ought to know.'
I'm gonna sing it to you in pig Latin."

Ome-cay, ere-hay, ome-cay, ere-hay
Et-lay, e-may, ell-tay, ou-yay
Omething-say, at-thay, ou-yay, ought-ay,
o-tay, ow-knay (repeat)
Et-lay, e-may
(Repeat Ome-cay, etc., twice)
Ow-knay, ow-knay.