Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy

Subject: when the boat comes in
From: GUEST,kath
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 02:47 PM

thou shall have a fishie on a little dishie Iwant all the lyrics too this song please help me

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jun 03 - 09:27 PM

does anyone know this song and as an aside which advert is it on at the mo cos it,s driving me mad. cheers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 24 Jun 03 - 10:51 PM

Dance To Your Daddy.
No idea about the ad.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: masato sakurai
Date: 24 Jun 03 - 11:05 PM

DANCE TO YOUR DADDY is in the DT.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: masato sakurai
Date: 24 Jun 03 - 11:14 PM

Info from folktrax:

DANCE TO YOUR DADDY-O - "Come here, me little Jacky" - Dandling or mouth music song - ROUD#2439 & 13510 - CHAMBERS Popular Rhymes of Scotland 1870 p24 - BRUCE-STOKOE NM 1882 - STOKOE-REAY SBNE 1899 pp76-77 "D ti thy D" - Cf RYMOUR CLUB MISCELLANEA 1906 #3 p180 - STOKOE-REAY SBNE 1899 pp132-3 - WHITTAKER NCB 1921 - GREIG-DUNCAN 3 428 (1v words only) - GREIG-DUNCAN 8 2002 #1561 p113 "Hush-a-ba baby, dinna mak a din" & 1562 "DTYD" - ORD BB 1930 p244 "The Milking Song" - HALLIWELL 1812 #136 p36 (1v only) "You shall have an apple, plum, rattle basket" - MASON NRCS 1877 - NOVELLO Schl Ser 3 - SHARP-KARPELES CSC 1974 2 #400 p590 Sister Emma, Clewer, Berksh 1909 "D to thee D" - RICHARDS-STUBBS EFS 1979 p52 Sharp: Sister Emma - CROININ 2000 #47 pp98-100 "D for y D"- see SING TO ME JOHNNY - WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN (Jimmy MacBeath) - Tune Cf LORD & LADY COURTNEY'S DELIGHT (Reel) -- Elizabeth CRONIN rec by Alan Lomax, Ballymakeera, Macroom, Co Cork 1951: COLUMBIA SL-204 1955/ 160 & 301/ SAYDISC CD SDL 411 1995 "Traditional Songs of Ireland" with "Cucanandy Nandy" & "What would you do?"/ FOUR COURTS CD-2 #11 - Ewan McCOLL rec by AL, Hyde, Chesh 1951: 7"RTR-0705/ DAT "Dance to your shadow" - Fred LAWSON (voc/gtr) rec by PK, Newcastle 15/6/54: RPL 20611/ 7"RTR-0032-3/ HMV DLP-1143 1956 10" LP/ 425 - Seamus ENNIS (voc + fid): 169 (from Cronin) - Jean RITCHIE: RIVERSIDE RLP-12-620 1956 from Cronin aft "Go & tell Aunt Rhody" - solo girl rec by Diane Hamilton, Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary 1961: 7"-RTR-0509 #24 "I'll buy my child a fostern (?)/ I'll buy me child a spoon/ I'll buy me child a writing sack and he can go to school" - Colin ROSS & Foster CHARLTON (fids) & HIGH LEVEL RANTERS: TOPIC 12-T-186 1968 - Sylvia Moore (vocal with guitar & tabla): 137 - Nic JONES: LEADER LER- 2027 1971 - SWEENEY'S MEN: TRANSATLANTIC TRA-SAM 37 1976 - RIPLEY WAYFARERS Radio Folk on Two 1984 (?) CASS 0453 aft "Hexhamsh Lass" - Nursery Rhymes arr Nigel Pegrum & Vince Cross CASS-1173 - HIGH LEVEL RANTERS at National Garden Festival, Gateshead on RPL Radio 2 27/7/90 CASS-1034

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 06:38 AM

The advert is for Young's fish foods I think. We've had a discussion of the advert before, but I can't see the thread offhand but I think it's Alex Glasgow's version of the song, originally used as the theme for the television series When The Boat Comes In

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: JennyO
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 07:04 AM

Aw shucks, beat me to it!

Anyway, here is more about the show, which was made in the 1970's "When the boat comes in"

And here is a cute little fish story with the music in the background fishy story

Jenny

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: GUEST,Bagpuss
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 07:17 AM

The link Masato gives above is the version which is sung to a different tune to the one on the advert. On the version on the advert (and the one more popularly known, thanks perhaps the the aforementioned TV show), the verse is:

"Thou shalt have a fishy
On a little Dishy
Thou shalt have a fishy
When the boat comes in"

The chorus is:

"Dance to your/thi daddy
My little laddie
Dance to your daddy
When the boat comes in"

Or:

"Dance to your/thi daddy
Sing to your/thi mammy
Dance to your/thi daddy
When the boat comes in"

Bagpuss

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 09:08 AM

Folk,duo,Karen-and-Cloin-Thomson,sing,a,good,version,of,this
its,on,their,Cd,as,well
The,CD,is,£10,if,you,want,a,copy,send,a,message,to,KJ

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 09:44 AM

In the version above, you just substitute a different fish for the second "fishy" in each verse ie:

Thou shalt have a fishy
On a little Dishy.
Thou shalt have a Herring
When the boat comes in.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: Les from Hull
Date: 25 Jun 03 - 01:16 PM

It's lots of fun if you have strange 'fish' - sperm whale, dolphin, ceolocanth, submarine...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: JudeL
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 07:37 AM

There's a very good version by Jonny Handle on the CD "Along the Coaly Tyne" which seems to have 3 parts to it the "though shalt have a fishy " with a different fish each time and the "dance to your daddy" both seem to be used as parts of the chorus. I've made an attempt to transcribe the words which are sung in a VERY broad accent.

Cwm here me little jacky,
n(a)ow (a)I've chawed me baccy,
let wa have a cracky,
till the boat cummes in.

Dance to ya daddy ma bonny laddie,
Dance to ya daddy to ya mammie sing

you shall have a fishy on a little dishy
you shall have a bloater when the boat comes in

Here's yer mammie cooming,
she's a canny woman,
yonder comes yer daddy,
though he cannat stand

Dance to ya daddie ma bonnie laddie,
dance to ya daddie to ya mammie sing

you shall have a fishy on a little dishy,
you shall have a herrin' when the boat comes in,

Tommy's all(w)ays fuddled ,
he's so fond of ale,
but he's good to me,
I hope he would nut fall

dance to yer daddy ma bonnie laddie,
dance to yer daddie to ya mammie sing,

you shall have a fishy on a little dishy,
you shall have a mackeral when the boat comes in

I like a drop mesel(f)
when (a)I can get it sly,
an' 'though me bonnie bairn ,
'ull like it wi us all


dance to yer daddie ma bonnie laddie,
dance to yer daddie to yer mammie sing
You shall have a fishy on a little dishy
you shall have a codling when the boat comes in

(I apologise for this next verse which doesn't make sense & has bits missing, having listened to this verse more than a dozen times I still can't work out what all the words are supposed to be, but then I don't speak geordie. If anyone has the cd or remembers the song and would like to offer some suggestions please do so)

you would get it "robbed off?"
as we're standing needin,
we 'll made the keeler,
"***?" the bairns that "breed?"

dance to yer daddie ma bonnie laddie ,
dance to yer daddie to yer mammie sing

thou shalt have a fishy on a little dishy ,
thou shalt have a salmon when the boat comes in.

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN/DANCE TO THY DADDY
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 08:14 AM

This song is of the early period or roots period of the tradition. Still a period of stylization but a bit closer to the period before publication....whatever that means....

WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN / DANCE TO THY DADDY

Come here me little Jacky,
now ah've smoked me baccy,
let's hev a bit of cracky,
till the boat comes in.
Dance to thee Daddy, sing to thee Mammy,
dance to thee Daddy, to thee Mammy sing;

Thou shalt hev a fishy on a little dishy,
thou shalt hev a fishy when the boat comes in.

Here's thy mother humming,
like a canny woman;
Yonder comes thy fatha,
drunk - he cannat stand.

Dance to thee Daddy, sing to thee Mammy,
dance to thee Daddy, to thee Mammy sing;
Thou shalt hev a fishy on a little dishy,
thou shalt hev a haddock when the boat comes in

Our Tommy's always fuddling,
he's so fond of ale,
but he's kind to me,
I hope he'll never fail.

Dance to thee Daddy, sing to thee Mammy,
dance to thee Daddy, to thee Mammy sing;
Thou shalt hev a fishy on a little dishy,
thou shalt hev a Bloater when the boat comes in

I like a drop mesel',
when I can get it sly,
and thou, my bonny bairn,
will like't as well as I.

Dance to thee Daddy, sing to thee Mammy,
dance to thee Daddy, to thee Mammy sing;
Thou shalt hev a fishy on a little dishy,
thou shalt hev a Mackerel when the boat comes in.

May we get a drop,
oft as we stand in need;
and weel may the keel row
that brings the bairns tha breed.

Dance to thee Daddy, sing to thee Mammy,
dance to thee Daddy, to thee Mammy sing;
Thou shalt hev a fishy on a little dishy,
thou shalt hev a Salmon when the boat comes in.

-In Allan's Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings....,
Thomas and George Allan, NewcastleUpon Tyne, 1891. Author lsited
as Watson and source: Fordyce's "Newcastle song Book," 1842"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: JudeL
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 08:29 AM

Thanks peasant for the "correct" version, between "the folk process" (ie in a couple of places the singer appears to be singing slightly different words) and the "accent" I was having difficulty identifying the words being sung.

BTW I'm still not entirely sure what the 2nd half of the 5th verse means, any chance of a translation?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: Watson
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 08:33 AM

Author listed as Watson
I could write a canny song in those days!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: Snuffy
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 08:37 AM

Jude, literally:

"Well may the keel row, that brings the children their bread."

Keels were boats used on the Tyne. You will certanly know the tune of "Weel may the keel row" if not the words.

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: JudeL
Date: 27 Jun 03 - 03:47 AM

Thanks snuffy, I knew that bairns were children but I hadn't made the connection that breed = bread in a geordie accent.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: GUEST,Chris in New Mexico
Date: 16 Oct 24 - 05:16 PM

Reviving a 20 y/o thread.

Wonderful live version of this on YouTube by Bob Fox from about nine years ago. #1 PEASANT's version above is almost identical. Can someone listen to that video and suggest Bob Fox's guitar tuning? Standard? DADGD? Open-something? Whatever it is,it's absolutely gorgeous.Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: thou shall have a little fishy
From: GerryM
Date: 16 Oct 24 - 05:28 PM

Recording by Nancy Kerr and James Fagan: https://youtu.be/QYe3UpGddMM?si=kSVEbOApOfp5KKBm

I see that way upthread there was a post from "Bagpuss". That's the name of a British animated children's television series from 1974, in which one of the characters was voiced by Sandra Kerr, mother of Nancy.