Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Li Maree
Date: 06 Apr 03 - 03:20 AM

John Williamsons' "Billabong"

Oh Billabong (poo poo poo poo poo)
Billabong (aah aah aah aah aah aah)
Plenty Bamboo (diddly diddly diddly diddly)
A little water,
Take a big deep breath (poo poo poo poo poo)
And away we go (aah aah aah aah aah aah)
In a big canoe (diddly diddly diddly diddly)
Up the river.

Always a favourite when he does it live, people love to sing
along. It's a really good song, he's a legend!

Li Maree (having such a fine time since discovering Mudcat)

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 10:07 PM

oooh eee oooh aah aah , ting tang twolla wolla bing bang
    The Witchdoctor

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,Linda Kestner
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 09:58 PM

Anyone recognize something about these lyrics?

Kemo Kimo Dear Old Woe
High ma low Roundst to Bobolink
Lip Lap Loop Lap Polly with a boot jack
Sing a song of Sally
Won't you come e-o

Children born in 1916 were bounced on their Iowa grandfather's foot as he sang them some version of these remembered lyrics. He was born in Missouri in 1854. Please let me hear from you if you have even a hint of this song! Thanks.

Linda Kestner
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Kaleea
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 01:27 AM

My buddies in our Ceoli band taught me the words to "Whiskey Before Breakfast" except that in the B section it goes:

diddle Idle dum dydle diddle eyedl eeddle dum,
diddle Idle dum dydle diddle eyedl ay,
"Lard" preserve us & protect us,
   we're drinkin whiskey, b'fore breakfast!

      & whadd'ya mean "nonsense?" It makes sense to me!

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,JB3
Date: 15 Oct 02 - 12:52 AM

My favorite is the Froggy Went A-Courtin' version that goes:

Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride
Rink-tum body mi-chi cam-bo
Sword and pistol by his side
Rink-tum body mi-chi cam-bo

Ki-ma-ne-ro down to Cairo, Ki-ma-ne-ro Cairo
Straddle laddle laddle bobba lada bobba link-tum
Rink-tum body mi-chi cam-bo

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 12:51 AM

For Mousethief:

"Who put the bop in the bob-she-bop-she-bop,
Who put the ram in the rama-dama-ding-dong...?"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 14 Oct 02 - 12:48 AM

Thanks for the refresher course, Willa. I can still hear Burl Ives singing that on his "Wayfaring Stranger" album, from way back about 1959.

Genie

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Amos
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 06:20 PM

I've always been fond of the gibberish injected by the Holy Modal Rounders. E.g, :

"No, no, son!! It's Mow muppa umpa umpa Oom Pow pow!". Something like that.

In my parent's home, one favorite was the fine ole "King of the Cannibal Islands":

Holey Pokey, Winky Wung
Kalamaroo, kalamarung
Whangery-changery, chingery-chung
The King of the Cannibal Islands!

So how come I can remember all that and not my BBW's social security number? :<>)) Hmmmm?


:>)


A

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: BK Lick
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 06:12 PM

"The Wee Cooper Of Fife," yes, and also Pete's version:

I married me a wife in the month of June,
Risselty-rosselty now, now, now !
I carried her home in a silver spoon,
Risselty-rosselty, hey bom-bosselty,
Nicklety, knacklety, rustical quality,
Willaby-wallaby now, now, now !

... in the DT at risselty-rosselty

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,Vintage Martin
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 11:46 AM

"...ro tiddly o, sh*t or bust, never let your ba**ocks dangle in the dust." (from "The Lobster")

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 05:23 AM

The ones where I can imagine the naughty words they replace.

SHANT TELL YOU!!! you will have to go figure your own fantasies.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 13 Oct 02 - 05:12 AM

Can't think of the name of it (something about a dog?) but there's a 16th-century madrigal or glee that has the immortal refrain: "With a dildo, dildo, dildo..."

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 08:24 PM

The Carrion Crow sits in the oak
With a ring-dong dilly-dong ki-ro-lee
A-looking at a tailor a-cutting up a coat
With a ring-dong dilly-dong ki-ro-lee

Hey, follee, follee, follairo
Hey, follee, follairo lee
Up jumps John, a-ringing on his bell
With a ring-dong dilly-dong ki-ro-lee

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 12:25 PM

Well, "Mairzy Doats" is kinda in a category itself. The whole song (several verses) is -- and is not -- nonsense syllables. The "nonsense syllables" are, of course, just regular words pronounced without proper enunciation. It's not a song that has a nonsense refrain like a lot of folk songs do.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Willa
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 08:26 AM

Genie.
Click this!

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Big John
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 07:45 AM

http://www.geocities.com/heartland_connection/music.html

Try this for "Mares eat oats"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: kendall
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 06:14 AM

Betsy from Pike. Hoodle dang foul dee dido hoodle dang foul dee day.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,Boab
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 04:13 AM

"With his chickericka-chee-ching-chai-ching lorum, porum, norum,
Medipee-kai, kai-go, koo-go, kitty-kitty kai-go,
I spy chickericka chee ching chai!
   ["The China Man he had a Wife"]

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 11:00 PM

Uh-oh. I think I mixed up the nonsense lines of a couple of folk songs.

The "Farmer's Curst Wife," IIRC, goes:
"A farmer was plowin' his fields one day,
Rightful, rightful itty fie day,
When the divil come up and to him he did say,
Right-fa-la, itty fie day, rightful, rightful, itty fie day. ..."

Now, dammit, where did the "nickity nackity noo noo" lines come from? Was it "The Wee Cooper Of Fife?"

Genie

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 10:57 PM

There's a cute version of "Froggy Went A'Courtin' " out there with a refrain of "king kong kitchie kitchie krime-o". It's fun to sing.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Nerd
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 09:51 PM

Tommy Makem's "Dick Darby the Cobbler":

With me intwing of an ingthing of an iday
With me intwing of an ingthing of an iday
With me roo boo boo roo boo boo randy
And me lab stone keeps beating away

It also has the line

"me wife now, she's humpy, she's lumpy," which is not nonsense but still funny

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 04:11 PM

I like the one about "The Farmer's Curst Wife" that has the refrain
"Nickity nackity noo noo noo and then"
"Hey williky wallicky, hey John Dougal! a rin fra rushity roo roo roo."

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Willa
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 03:59 PM

Jerry and Uncle Dave - Janet Russell does a great version of this on her CD "Bright Shining Morning?" You really need to listen to her singing, in her Scottish accent, as It's very difficult to write the words as she sings them. The nearest I can get is
Jeannie Jenkins
Oh, Mother, would I wear ma broon goon the day, oh?
No, I wouldna wear your broon, Jeanie Jenkins, oh.
No, I wouldna wear your broon for tae gan into toon
Chorus
And I'll buy ye a roly poly sugar alley hokey pokey whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.
whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.

Successive colours/verses then
green goon - green, it's na fit tae be seen
reed goon - reed, it's the colour o' ma bleed
yellow goon - yellow, for the colour's too mellow
white goon - white, for the colour's too bright
Last verse is
Oh, Mother, would I wear ma blue goon the day, oh?
Aye, I'd wear your blue, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.
I'll wear ma blue, Mother, just to please you.
And I'll buy ye a rolypoly sugar alley hokey pokey whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.
whoops corduroy, Jeannie Jenkins, oh.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 03:20 PM

The "Jenny Jenkins" words I know (showing the first verse) are as follows, refrain in bold:

Oh, will you wear red, oh my dear, oh, my dear?
Will you wear red, Jenny Jenkins?
I won't wear red, it's the color of my head,
I'll buy me a tally feather, aye, sir.
I'll buy me a tally, walk-a-belly so to wear with m'robe
To go with m'robe, Jenny Jenkins
I'll buy me a tally feather, aye, sir
I'll buy me a tally feather
Double dose a dillydally
Suky, suky why man
As' a rosy, juicy why
Jenny Jenkins!

Will you wear green (etc.)

Dave Oesterreich
Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Genie
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 10:44 PM

Fee Widdo Fiddies (Three Little Fishies)

Kemo Kimo

Courtin' In The Kitchen

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Nerd
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 05:19 PM

In his "knock Song," Christy Moore had a refrain that sounded like nonsense words, but was actually:

Did NATO donate, Did NATO donate, Did NATO donate, the dough?

That was cool!

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Gareth
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:19 PM

Sorry perhaps I should have used the blickyfier

Then there's this

Gareth

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Gareth
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:18 PM

Then there's this
Gareth

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Bobert
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:12 PM

Ahhhh, Pual Seibel, the *Master*:

From "Legend of the Captain's Daughter":... "Time is now, and will be long ago."

From "Jasper":... " Last time I saw Jasper, he was runnin' down the road with his bgoots put on backwards, just in case it snowed.."

Bobert

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 01:35 PM

Jenny Jenkins, for sure:

"Oh, will you wear red, oh, my dear, oh my dear
Oh, will you wear red, Jenny Jenkins?
I won't wear red, it's the color of my head,
I'll by myself a follderalla, seeka double Use a calla roll to bind me
And you can roll, Jenny Jenkins roll"

Just change to color...

Seems like there are a couple other nonsense words in there... it's been years since I've sung it..

Jerry

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 12:41 PM

Some can make whole songs out of it ("diddling"), for example Sean Cannon used to do a beauty called "The Ayatollah Reel"

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Kim C
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 12:12 PM

My Son John and Willie Taylor.

Subject: RE: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Sorcha
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 11:26 AM

Gilgarry Mtn aka Darlin' Sporting Jenny

Subject: Favorite songs with Nonsense refrains
From: Amy
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 11:21 AM

I know there have been several threads about Nonsense refrains..reasons for etc. I was just wondering what are your favorite songs with nonsense refrains?