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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man From: GUEST,Caroline, Dartmoor Date: 03 Jul 08 - 07:20 AM My Grandad used to sing this as his party piece at Christmas time and I'll never forget the sight of his false teeth shooting across the top of the Baby Grand piano whilst in full song! Treasured memories... |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,GM Date: 10 Oct 08 - 04:07 PM My mum in 90 and has always entertained the family and others with her version of the "Piggies Song" handed to her by her grandmother. She comes from the NE of Scotland. Her version is as follows: The auld sow lies on her backside bare Bare (Grunt)(Whistle) (Rasp) Shi Dant Ickal Dah Oh my faither he was a fine young man Man (Grunt)(Whistle) (Rasp) Shi Dant Ickal Dah The piggies are made of the finest of bacon Bacon (Grunt)(Whistle) (Rasp) Shi Dant Ickal Dah The piggies they lie on the finest of straw Straw (Grunt)(Whistle) (Rasp) Shi Dant Ickal Dah |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,craig marley Date: 10 Apr 09 - 12:34 PM I was born in Winnepeg in 1943. My father was also born in Winnepeg in 1916. He sang this song to me and my sister once or twice a year until we were young adults. After that, we had to beg him to do it. He is now 93 and unable to even recall the words. I would love to send him a CD or digital. Anyone out there who can email a copy? craigmarley@verizon.net |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST Date: 02 Sep 11 - 06:56 AM Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njZxuT--Dgo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: LadyJean Date: 03 Sep 11 - 12:42 AM I heard Anna Russell sing it on television. She sang, "Suzanne is a funny old man." It was beautifully funny with her deadpan sort of humor. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,Davey Date: 16 Sep 11 - 03:46 PM I first heard this song on an episode of Three's Company where Jack and his father sang it. It got me interested in the song and I found different versions of it. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST Date: 16 Sep 11 - 06:42 PM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIwoa6HlSnM One of the best versions you will hear |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: stallion Date: 17 Sep 11 - 06:15 AM My grandpa used to sing us this song and claimed that his grandpa had written the song. It could be plausible since his father moved to Scarborough and joined Catlins Pierots on the beach prior to that had moved from the music hall to play piano in cinemas in Leeds, he was supposed to have started in the music halls at a very young age with his father who was a performer. Trouble is they were called Smith and used Stage names and or ran away to Scarborough and used the name Smith cos he was always referred to by my mother as Grandad Clarke ie that used to belong to Grandad Clarke, mainly to old framed photo's of show girls in costume around the edwardian era, Mum used to say they were relatives but for the life of me I can't remember just who. Trouble is everyone and his dog (including my family) would lay claim to stuff! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Stringsinger Date: 17 Sep 11 - 01:14 PM I heard this Cyril Smith song when I was young on a 78 record. Are you sure the words aren't "Suzanne is a funny old man"? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,Mary Llewellyn Date: 12 Dec 17 - 01:54 PM FWIW, I first heard this song in a video of Anna Russell's farewell tour, and I thought she was singing "Susanna's a funny old man". |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,keberoxu Date: 12 Dec 17 - 02:09 PM "there was an old man and he had an old sow ... ...non-verbal noises " Would you believe, an improvised quote from Marlon Brando, of all people, in Last Tango in Paris? I think it might be the scene with the dead rat. Which of course is adorned later with "Rat's - ******** with mayonnaise!" That's the only place I've encountered it. I don't get out near enough. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 12 Dec 17 - 03:06 PM I ought to lodge my grandad's version which I still sing and I'm 70. There was an old farmer had an old sow (snort)ow, (raspberry)0w, (whistle) i-diddly-dow Sussana's a funniful man (snort)an, (raspberry)an, (whistle) i--diddly dan Susanna's a funniful man Sing lassie go rings-oo-ray Susanna's a funniful man. Now this old sow had 3 little pigs....i-diddly-digs These little pigs they all got stuck.....i-diddly-duck These little pigs they all made good bacon.....i-diddly-dacon These little pigs they all went to heaven....i-diddly-devon |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 12 Dec 17 - 03:07 PM For Sussana please read Suzanna. Silly me! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,Jon Dudley Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:22 AM The seldom rendered (and reserved for pub sessionss only back in the day) last verse, from jim Copper was the wordily challenging - 'and these little pigs they shat in the farmer's hat (snort) at, (raspberry) at, (whistle) at' etc, etc. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,JTT Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:43 AM Here's a version from the film Shipmates o' Mine. By the way, "Lilliberlero" as in the Orange anti-Catholic song, comes from the Irish 16th-century war cry Líle ba léir ó - "Let the lily be plain before us", the lily being a symbol of Ireland. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 13 Dec 17 - 03:26 PM Have you got the wrong thread, JTT? Just tried to sing 'Old Sow' to Lilliburlero and struggled. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 13 Dec 17 - 03:57 PM Went back through and see the Lilliburlero connection. Seems to be connected pretty tentatively though. Anyone sing it to something that resembles 'Lilliburlero'? The Albert Richardson tune and all the versions I've heard all use the same tune which is a variant of the ubiquitous 'Dumble Dum Deary' aka 'Richard of Taunton Dean' used by many country ditties. I also hear some resemblance to the Scots comic song 'The Lum-hat wanting a croon' (The stovepipe hat without a top). |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:00 PM A great rendition on the film JTT. I could be wrong but I'd say the actor was miming to Albert Richardson's 78 recording. I have a copy somewhere but not to hand. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:01 PM I should add, thanks for posting it. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: keberoxu Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:06 PM I'm with Mudcatter Bob Coleman on this one: the Richard Dyer-Bennet interpretation was my intro to this song, as well. No farting or shitting whatever in his version. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 13 Dec 17 - 04:29 PM Ah but what was the tune like? Is it in Dyer-Bennet's book (currently for sale on Ebay)? As for farting and shitting these are essential parts of life and ordinary country people of past ages hadn't the airs and graces and we city dwellers put on. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST,Jon Dudley Date: 15 Dec 17 - 07:16 AM Being very careful not to stray too far in the direction of another (lengthy) thread, Bob Copper noted that in one of Frank Bond's notebooks (bearing in mind Frank was a stickler for covering every square inch of paper), in a space at the bottom of one page he wrote "hold on you chaps, I wants to fart"...as you say, countrymen of yore weren't quite as sensitive as are we... |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Lighter Date: 24 Sep 19 - 06:53 AM Eaglesfield Smith, "Sir John Butt, a Farce. In Two Acts" (Edinburgh, 1798): "SIR J. BUTT...The pigs they lie with their a---s bare!--- I heard the good parson palaver one day. Lero lero, bullen a la lero, lero, lily bur lero...." |
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Subject: Lyr Add: THE OLD SOW SONG (Smith-Vallée-Daniels) From: Jim Dixon Date: 18 Jan 22 - 01:51 PM You can hear this at the Internet Archive. My transcription: THE OLD SOW SONG (Smith-Vallée-Daniels) As recorded by Rudy Vallée and his Connecticut Yankees, vocal refrain by Cyril Smith,* Bluebird B-7078-A, 1937. [Spoken:] I would like to present Cyril Smith, who is best known for his rendition of old English folk songs and Christmas carols. He will sing a very lovely and beautiful one that English mothers have been singing to their children for many years. It is the custom in England for the audiences, especially the ladies, to assist the singer, and after you’ve heard the song once or twice, we’d like you to join in with him. It’s an old madrigal, and the title: “I Heard Three Birds.” Cyril Smith: 1. Oh, there was an old man and he had an old sow, [honk]-ow, [ppppt]-ow, [tweet]-hi-diddle-dow. There was an old man and he had an old sow, Lassa-fa-ral-da-ray! Oh, Susanna's a funny old man, [honk]-an, [ppppt]-an, [tweet]-an, Susanna’s a funny old man. [Spoken:] Now, er, do you get the idea, ladies? You see, it’s not so much a question of making the noises, as getting them in the right order. See, all you’ve got to do is [honk], [ppppt], [tweet]. I mean, there’s really nothing to it, and now that you’ve grasped the fundamental principles, I would like you to all join in the second chorus of this beautiful old song with me. The ladies, please: 2. Now this old sow had nine little pigs, [honk]-igs, [ppppt]-igs, [tweet]-hi-diddle-jigs. Now this old sow had nine little pigs, Lassa-fa-ral-da-ray! Oh, Susanna's a funny old man, [honk]-an, [ppppt]-an, [tweet]-an, Susanna’s a funny old man. [Spoken:] Ladies, I am sorry to say that I am not receiving the cooperation and support to which I am accustomed. I asked you to join in and help me out with this thing. I mean, after all’s said and done, what’s a little [ppppt] between friends? Now, I had the pleasure of singing this song in Chicago three weeks ago, and I met with a much better response than I am receiving tonight. Of course, I know Chicago's the windy city, but I mean, why can’t you join in, anyway? 3. They tried to climb over the garden wall, [honk]-all, [ppppt]-all, [tweet]-hi-diddle-dall. They tried to climb over the garden wall, Lassa-fa-ral-da-ray! ([Spoken:] All together!) Oh, Susanna's a funny old man, [honk]-an, [ppppt]-an, [tweet]-an. Susanna’s a funny old man. - - - * I believe the opening speech is by Vallée; the rest is sung and spoken by Smith. [honk] is a guttural snort—close the epiglottis and inhale. [ppppt] is the traditional “raspberry”—tongue between the lips and blow. [tweet] is an actual high-pitched whistle. The Internet Archive has similar recordings by— Cyril Smith and the Notables, United Artist EN-324A, no date, but probably the same as below. Cyril Smith and the Notables, Enterprise 259-A, 1947. Cyril Smith, Castle 159, 1949. Jay Bird, Harmad 108A, 1956. On the Smith recordings “(Smith-Vallée-Daniels)” are always credited as songwriters. On the Bird recording, only Smith is cited. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Steve Gardham Date: 18 Jan 22 - 02:17 PM Looking back through this old thread I don't find it difficult to surmise that the earliest refrain was 'lilliburlero bullen a la'. Quite often Macaronic or foreign or even nonsense choruses over time can become real English words with the desire to make sense of what is seemingly nonsensicle. And the tune of Dicky of Taunton Dean does have similarities with Lilliburlero. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: GUEST Date: 18 Jan 22 - 10:35 PM Used to sing this, learned from the singing of Ken Langsbury, but without the facial gymnastics. Now dentally challenged, I can no longer manage it. The trials and tribulations of old age.... I remember a couple of fellows at a UK festival many years ago singing a parody, I think called "The Mechanical Man" or perhaps "The Robotical Man" with appropriate robotic sounds and movements. Lots of techy references which mostly went over my head, but I must admit that it was very funny, even if I didn't totally understand the lyrics. Anyone else recall it and who sang it? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sow Song (Suzanna's a Funicle Man) From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 19 Jan 22 - 04:25 PM In 1975 I can remember my friend's 30-something English cousin, a psychiatrist who was working in Australia for a couple of years trying to cheer us up after the Dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government by singing this song, I can still remember her facial contortions & noises, but we were not cheered up. |
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