The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #1681 Message #752077
Posted By: Susanne (skw)
21-Jul-02 - 04:21 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Froggy Went A-Courtin'
Subject: Lyr Add: HERE'S TO CHESHIRE (Leslie Haworth)
The second version whose chorus Steffan quotes above as sung by John McCutcheon is called 'Here's to Cheshire', a fairly recent re-write by Cheshire fruit farmer Leslie Haworth and recorded by The Spinners in 1964. I haven't checked Dicho's links but I think it unlikely this is among them, so here goes:
HERE'S TO CHESHIRE
(Trad / Leslie Haworth)
Chorus:
Here's to Cheshire, here's to the cheese
Here's to the pears and the apple trees
And here's to the lovely strawberries
Ding! Dang! Dong! go the wedding bells
There was an old frog lived in a well
Ding! Dang! Dong! go the wedding bells
A pretty little mouse lived in a mill
Ding! Dang! Dong! go the wedding bells
Froggy went a courting and he did ride
He said 'Missy Mouse you must decide'
For I am rich and I am brave
What better husband could you have
I'll not take your word for that
You'll have to satisfy Uncle Rat
Rat said, I'm very much afraid
If you don't take Froggy then you'll die an old maid
So the knot was tied secure and fast
She's off her uncle's hands at last
Open the oysters spill champagne
Never will there be such a feast again
Tune up the fiddle and let's have a square
Top couple must be the happy pair
As they were going it hot and strong
The old grey cat come prowling along
Into the window and out of the yard
Didn't bring no invitation card
Uncle Rat like a hero stood
Puss wet her whiskers in his blood
Miss Mouse she made a dive for a crack
Puss made a pounce and broke her back
Where was the valiant frog this while
Just about broke the four minute mile
Came to a brook and he didn't stop to look
The old drake knabbed him in his fluke
That was the end of him and of her
Won't be no tadpoles covered in fur
Lines 2 and 4 are invariably 'Ding! Dang! Dong! go the wedding bells'. I've left them out for reasons of space.