Yeah, Susanne, I think it would be interesting to see it posted here. I found four versions of the song in the Digital Tradition, and none in the Forum. I think it would be interesting to see what background information we can dig up. Might you be able to post the lyrics for "John Grumlie"?
-Joe Offer-

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This song has a lengthy listing in the Traditional Ballad Index, so there are many versions to explore.

Father Grumble [Laws Q1]

DESCRIPTION: Grumble says he can do more work in a day than his wife can do in three. She offers to exchange tasks for a day; he agrees. She gives him a long list of household chores and sets out to plow. He fails in most of his tasks and admits his wife's superiority
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1825
KEYWORDS: contest husband wife work humorous feminist
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland,England(Lond,North,South)) Ireland US(Ap,MW,NE,Ro,SE,So)
REFERENCES (37 citations):
Laws Q1, "Father Grumble"
Whitelaw-Song, p. 464, "John Grumlie" (1 text)
Wiltshire-WSRO Gl 101, "Old Dorrington" (1 text)
Hamer-Green, pp. 54-55, "The Capable Wife" (1 text, 1 tune)
Belden, pp. 225-228, "Father Grumble" (5 texts)
Randolph 74, "Father Grumble" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 124-126, "Father Grumble" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 74A)
Eddy 43, "Father Grumble" (1 text, 1 tune)
Grimes, p. 101, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
Gardner/Chickering 172, "Old Grumble" (1 text)
McIntosh, p. 43-45, "Old Grumbler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 191-193, "The Wife of Auchtermuchty" (1 text)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 104-105, "John Grumlie" (1 text)
Linscott, pp. 248-250, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Wood" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 180, "Father Grumble" (2 text -- one of them "Darby and Joan" -- plus mention of 2 more)
Hudson 59, pp. 175-176, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
HudsonTunes 42, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Wood (Father Grumble)" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Moore-Southwest 118, "Old Crumbly Crust" (1 text, 1 tune)
Owens-1ed, pp. 228-229, "The Grumbler's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Owens-2ed, pp. 119-120, "There Was an Old Man That Lived on a Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 243-244, "Father Grumble" (1 text, with local title "There Was an Old Man"; tune on p. 420)
Brewster 40, "Father Grumble" (3 texts)
SharpAp 188, "The Drummer and His Wife" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Hubbard, #126, "The Ancient Farmer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp747-748, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
Friedman, p. 443, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
Scott-BoA, pp. 41-43, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 10, "Father Grumble" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 579-580, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Wood" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H702, pp. 504-505, "The Wealthy Farmer" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 36, pp. 82-84, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
JHCox 156, "Father Grumble" (7 texts)
CrayAshGrove, pp. 19-20, "Phoebe" (1 text, 1 tune, a "comic stage rewrite")
Silber-FSWB, p. 188, "Little Phoebe"; p. 189, "Old Man In The Wood" (2 texts)
BBI, ZN1410, "In Auchtermuchty lived a man" (?)
DT 343, WIFEWORK WIFEWRK2* WIFEWRK3*
ADDITIONAL: Katherine Briggs, _A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language_, Part A: Folk Narratives, 1970 (I use the 1971 Routledge paperback that combines volumes A.1 and A.2), volume A.2, pp. 208-210, "The Old Man in a Wood," "The Old Man Who Lived in a Wood" (2 texts)
Roud #281
RECORDINGS:
Margaret MacArthur, "Old Mr. Grumble" (on MMacArthur01)
Jean Ritchie, "Father Grumble" (AFS; on LC14)
Pete Seeger, "Equinoxial" (on PeteSeeger12)
SAME TUNE:
Bublin Bay (NLScotland, L.C.1269(173b), "Bublin Bay" ("They sailed away in a gallant barque"), unknown, 1857 -- listed as to the tune of "John Grumlie" but with so many lyrics from "Dublin Bay (Roy Neal)" that it coud almost be considered the same song still -- plus the long introduction asks for the pianist to play "Dublin Bay")
ALTERNATE TITLES:
John Grumlie
Equinoxial
Old Daddy Grumble
NOTES [154 words]: According to the notes in Brown, "St. John Honeywood of Massachusetts [around 1800] dressed [this] up as 'Darby and Joan," and his version has achieved something like traditional currency; at least, a text clearly enough derived from it is one of the items in our North Carolina collection."
The names "Darby and Joan" are an interesting pairing because, according to Arnold Kellett, The Yorkshire Dictionary of Dialect, Tradition, and Folklore, revised edition, Smith Settle, 2002, p. 44, "Darby and Joan" is a "popular term for a devoted old couple... said to have originated in the early eighteenth century a a reference to a blacksmith and his wife at Healaugh, Tadcaster."
Another song on the same theme is Henderson-Victorian, pp. 85-86, "The Labouring Woman." Based on the lyrics, I would say it is not the same song, and the man never actually does the women's work, but it might have been inspired by this song. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: LQ01

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This is the first version in the Digital Tradition, posted by Susan of DT - where's it from, Susan?

OLD CRUMLEY or MORE WORK IN A DAY

Old Crumley he began to swear
As the leaf grows on the tree, tree
That he could do as much work in a day
As his wife could do in three, three
That he could do as much work in a day
As his wife could do in three, three

Mrs. Crumley she picked up the whip
And went to drive the plow, plow
Crumley he picked up the pail
And went to milk the cow, cow
Crumley he picked up the pail
And went to milk the cow, cow

When Old Brindle saw him a coming
She began to beller and blow, blow
She kicked Old Crumley on the shin
Till the blood ran off his toe, toe
She kicked Old Crumley on the shin
Till the blood ran off his toe, toe

He looked to the East, he looked to the West
He looked towards the sun, sun
Thought it had been a very long day
"I wish my wife would come, come"
Thought it had been a very long day
"I wish my wife would come, come"

this is an abbreviated version
sometimes Phoebe and Equinoxal
DT #343
Laws Q1
@work @feminist @animal
recorded by Edna Ritchie, Jean Ritchie, Peggy Seeger, etc
filename[ WIFEWORK
SOF

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And the second DT version, with a well-documented source:

OLD GRUMBLER

Old Grumbler ripped, Old Gnumbler swore
By all the green leaves on the tree,
That he could do more work in one day
Than his wife could do in three -three,
Than his wife could do in three.

Mis' Grumbler turned around about
Saying, You'll have trouble now,
For you may do the work in the house,
And I'll go follow the plow - plow,
And I'll go follow the plow.

And you must milk the muley cow
For fear that she goes dry,
And you must feed the pig in the pen,
Tlie pig that's blind in one eye - eye,
The pig that's blind in one eye.

And you must watch the speckled hen
For fear she lays astray,
And you must spool the cut of thread
That I spun yesterday - day,
That I spun yesterday.

And you must churn the churning of cream
That stands in yonder frame,
And you must watch the kettle of mush
For fear it catches a flame - flame,
For fear it catches a flame.

Mis' Grumbler picked up the old ox goad
And started to follow the plow,
Old Grumbler picked the slop bucket up
And started to milk the cow - cow,
And started to milk the cow.

Old Muley kicked, Old Muley stomped,
So, Muley, so -
Old Muley kicked Old Grumbler's shins
Till the blood ran down to his toes-toes,
Till the blood ran down to his toes.

Next, Grumbler went to feed the pig,
The pig that was blind in one eye,
He bumped his head against the pen
Till his brains were ready to fly - fly,
Till his brains were ready to fly.

Next, Grumbler went to watch the hen
For fear she laid astray,
But he forgot the cut of thread
That his wife spun yesterday - day
That his wife spun yesterday.

Next Grumbler went to churn the cream
That stood in yonder frame,
But he forgot the kettle of mush
Till it was all in a flame - flame,
Till it was all in a flame.

Old Grumbler turned around about
To see how high the sun,
Old Grumbler ripped, Old Grumbler swore
That his wife would never come - come,
That his wife would never come.

Old Grumbler ripped, Old Grumbler swore
By all the green leaves on the tree,
If his wife didn't do a day's work in a year
She'll never be scolded by me - me,
She'll never be scolded by me.

From Folk Songs and Singing Games of the Illinois Ozarks, McIntosh
Collected from Mrs. Mono Jones, Sparta, IL 1945
DT #343
Laws Q1
@feminist @work @marriage
filename[ WIFEWRK2
TUNE FILE: WIFEWRK2
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

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And the third DT version, source also well-documented.

FATHER GRUMBLE

There was an old woman, there was an old man
Who never could agree
He said he could do more work in a day
Than she could do in three.

Now said the old woman unto the old man
If this you will allow,
Why you shall stay at home today
An' I'll go follow the plow.

But you must milk the teeny cow
For fear she will go dry,
An' you must feed the little pigs
That lay within the sty.

An' you must watch the speckled hen
For fear she'll go astray,
An' you must wind the bobbin of yarn
That I spun yesterday.

The old woman she picked up the shares
To go an' follow the plow,
The old man he picked up the pail
To milk the teeny cow.

Teeny she winked an' Teeny she blinked
An' Teny curled up her nose,
An' give' the old man such a kick in the face
That the blood streamed down to his toes

Whoa Teeny, haw Teeny,
My good little cow, stand still,
An' if ever I try to milk you again
It'll be against my will.

He went to feed the little pigs
That lay within the sty,
The old sow run up against his legs
An' knocked him ten foot high.

He went to watch the speckled hen
For fear she'd go astray,
An' forgot to wind the bobbin of yarn
That his wife spun yesterday.

He swore by the sun, he swore by the stars
An' the green leaves on the tree,
That his wife could do more work in one day
Than he could do in three!

From Ozark Folksongs, Randolph
DT #343
Laws Q1
@work @marriage @feminist
filename[ WIFEWRK3
TUNE FILE: WIFEWRK3
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

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And the fourth, apparently from Helen Hartness Flanders, posted in this thread by Sandy Paton:

WOMEN'S WORK

There was an old man who lived in the woods,
As you can plainly see,
Who said he could do more work in a day
Than his wife could do in three.
"If this be so," the old woman said,
"Then this you must allow,
That you will do my work for a day
While I go drive the plow.

"But you must milk the Tiny cow
For fear that she go dry,
And you must feed the little pigs
That are within the sty.
And you must watch the bracket hen
Lest she should lay astray,
And you must wind the reel of yarn
That I spun yesterday."

The old woman took the staff in her hand
And went to drive the plow.
The old man took the pail in his hand
And went to milk the cow.
But Tiny hinched and Tiny flinched
And Tiny cocked her nose,
And Tiny gave the old man such a kick
That the blood ran down to his toes.

"It's here, my good cow, and ho, my good cow,
And now, my good cow, stand still!
If ever I milk this cow again,
'Twill be against my will!
And then he fed the little pigs
That were within the sty,
But he bumped his head against a post,
And how the blood did fly.

And then he watched the bracket hen
Lest she should lay astray,
But he forgot the reel of yarn
His wife spun yesterday.
He swore by all the stars in heaven
And all the leaves on the tree,
That his wife could do more work in a day
Than he could do in three!

He swore by all the leaves on the tree
And all the stars in heaven
That his wife could do more work in a day
Than he could do in seven!


That's pretty much how I remember it. The version may be drawn from the one in t
he Flanders collection. SP

DT #343
Laws Q1
@feminist @work @marriage
filename[ WIFEWRK4
SP