Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)

Subject: Lyric: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphl
From: Nonie Rider
Date: 25 Sep 97 - 04:24 PM

Yet another "I heard this one in summer camp and can't find it in the database":

(murfle murfle)

And my father wants me wed (O layo vachia)

Or at least that's what he said (O layo vachia)

So marry now I will (O layo etc.)

When the rivers run uphill

And the fish begin to fly

On the day before I die.

Anyone know more about this one?

--Nonie

Subject: Lyr Add: SUITORS (O LÊ LÊ O BAHIA) (trad. Brazil)^
From: Sue Wichers
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 11:22 AM

It's from Brazil, and you can find it in these songbooks:
Sing Together (1973 Girl Scouts of the USA)
Canciones de Nuestra Cabaña (1963 & 1980; World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, available through your local Scout/Guide store or catalog)
Sing (American Camping Association)
Still Singing (songbook of the 85th singalong in Washington DC, Girl Scouts of the Nations Capitol, USA)

SUITORS (O LÊ LÊ O BAHIA)

There are suitors at my door, O lê lê O Bahia
Six or eight or even more, O lê lê O Bahia
And my father wants me wed, O lê lê O Bahia
Or at least that's what he said. O lê lê O Bahia

CHORUS
O le o lo; O lê lê O Bahia
O le o lo; O lê lê O Bahia
O le o lo; O lê lê O Bahia
O le o lo.

And I told him that I will, O lê lê O Bahia
When the rivers run up hill, O lê lê O Bahia
And the fish fly, O lê lê O Bahia
Or the day before I die. O lê lê O Bahia CHORUS

And my father said to me, O lê lê O Bahia
You will marry and you'll see, O lê lê O Bahia
Your dreams will all come true O lê lê O Bahia
In a paradise or two. O lê lê O Bahia CHORUS

--- from SING (ACA)---- tr Charles and Clea Dubs; English verse 2 Katherine Cartwright, 1 & 3 by A. D. Z.
Sent to me from Bahiá,
Basketful of good cajá,
With a note, et cetera,
Will you marry me?

Then I told him that I will....

Then I told him that I may,
"Oh, but not for many a day,
To Bahiá I'd better go,
To be starting my trousseau.

----CLAP RHYTHM---
2: Right hand pat left thigh
3: Right hand pat left forearm
4: Clap hands
5: Left hand pat left thigh
6: Left hand pat right thigh
7: Left hand pat right forearm
8: Clap hands

------- extra verse---
So I left the very next day , O-lj-lj-o bahia
For at home I could not stay, O-lj-lj-o bahia
And with help from him above, O-lj-lj-o bahia
I will find the one I love, O-lj-lj-o bahia

Now the rivers run uphill, Oh-oh-lay-oh-bah-de-ah,
Doesn't that give you a thrill, Oh-oh-lay-oh-bah-de-ah,
Flying fish are known to fly, Oh-oh-lay-oh-bah-de-ah,
And tomorrow I must die, Oh-oh-lay-oh-bah-de-ah.

---ANOTHER VERSION -----
There are suitors at my door, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
Six or eight or even more, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And my father wants me wed, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
Or at least that's what he said, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.

Chorus (slap knees, clap hands):
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.

And I said I never will, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
Till the rivers run uphill, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And the fish begin to fly, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And the day before I die, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.

Chorus

And my mother said to me, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
You will marry, you will see, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And your dreams will all come true, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
In a paradise for two, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.

Chorus

And the rivers ran uphill, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And the fish began to fly, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And the day before I died, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
I became a blushing bride, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.

Chorus
^^

Subject: RE: Lyric: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphl
From: GUEST,Yavonne Dearth
Date: 12 Feb 03 - 12:37 AM

I learned this from Girlscout camp.

Oh a lay oh o-kee-ok

There are suitors at my door (oh a lay oh a kee ok)
six or eight or even more (oh a lay oh a kee ok)
and my father wants me wed (oh a lay oh a kee ok)
or at least that's what he said (oh a lay oh a kee ok)

Chorus: oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh a kee ok
oh lay or la, oh a lay oh a kee ok
oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh a kee ok
oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh a kee ok

And I told him that I will (oh...)
When the rivers run up hill (oh..)
Or when fish begin to fly (oh..)
Or the day before I die (oh...)

Chorus

Irrigation runs up hill (oh...)
doesn't that give you a thrill (0h...)
flying fish do really fly (0h...)
and tomorrow I may die (oh..)

Chorus, last time ending with an extra( ah kee ak)

Subject: Lyr Add: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphl
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Feb 03 - 12:39 AM

Does not appear to ever have been harvested.................no birdies.

Subject: RE: Lyric: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphl
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Feb 03 - 12:40 AM

I sang this one, too, at Camp Seabow in Laytonville, CA, a Camp Fire Girls camp. It's almost identical to the last version posted except we sang the refrains as There are suitors at my door OH LAY OH LA EE AH, the chorus was OH LAY OH LA, OH LAY OH LA EE AH, and the flying fish line was "Flying fish will surely fly."

Subject: DTADD: Suitors^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 07:54 PM

SUITORS

There are suitors at my door, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
Six or eight or maybe more O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
And my father wants me wed, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
Or at least that's what he said, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a

Chorus
O-le-o-la, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
O-le-o-la, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
O-le-o-la, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
O-le-o-la, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a

I told him that I will, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
When the rivers flow uphill, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
Or the fish begin to fly, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a
Or the day before I die, O-le-le-o-ba-hi-a

Chorus^^

Identified as a Brazilian folk song

from Sing Together, A Girl Scout Songbook, 1973^^

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphill (Suitors)
From: GUEST,Mary Ann Offer
Date: 12 Jun 03 - 11:54 PM

Well, Joe and all, I don't know how useful it is for you to know this, but "Suitors" is a song I learned in my first year of Girl Scout camp, in 1959, in Racine, Wisconsin. The melody in my memory for the verses isn't quite the same as the one on the midi file, but the chorus certainly is the same. The motions were very important to satisfactory performance of the song!

Subject: RE: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphill (Suitors)
From: GUEST,Lisa
Date: 03 Jul 03 - 11:44 PM

I too sang this song at Girl Scout Camp. The last verse was slightly different;

I got married yesterday, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And the rivers ran that way, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And the fish began to fly, oh a lay ah pah kee yah,
And tomorrow I must die, oh a lay ah pah kee yah.

Subject: RE: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphill (Suit
From: Susan of DT
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 05:31 AM

It sounded like "Oh lay-o bod-i-ah" in my girl scout troop.
harvested and ready for the 2003 DT

Subject: Lyr Add: O LÊ LÊ O BAHIÁ (trad Brazil)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 11:13 PM

This song from Brazil is entitled O Lê Lê O Bahia. Everyone has already written the English words. Here they are in Portuguese. I found this in Canciones De Nuestra Cabaña (1980).

Da Bahiá me mand'ram.
O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
Um cestinho de cajá,
O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
E mandaram perguntar,
O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
Se eu querai, me casar.
O Le o La O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
O Le o La O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
O Le o La O Lê Lê O Bahiá.

Eu mandei dizer pra êle
O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
Que queria, mas não já
O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
Que queria ir à Bahia
O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
Preparar o enxoval
O Le o La O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
O Le o La O Lê Lê O Bahiá.
O Le o La O Lê Lê O Bahiá.

Subject: RE: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphill (Suitors)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Sep 03 - 04:36 AM

when i sang this song as a girl scout in the early 90s there was a last verse that kinda undermined the dying part of the song

and my father he was right
i'm a mother and a wife
i'm as happy as can be
in a paradise for three

my friends and i also came up with a parody about hitmen

there are hitmen at my door
sixty eight and even more
and my father wants me dead
or at least that's what he said

Subject: RE: Marry now I will, when rivers run uphill (Suitors)
From:
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 01:35 PM

Yeah, Camp Fire Girl camp at Camp Seabow in California! Those were the days. We did indeed use "O lay o lach-e-ya" (phonetic). And we also sang about Mrs. Armand (the landowner) and her dog "Bingo" B-I NGO, B-I-NGO, B-I-NGO and Bingo was his name-o!" Wasn't it a long, hot, dusty hike back up to camp from the waterhole in the heat of the summer?!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Marry now I will, when rivers...(Suitors)
From: GUEST,Sophia (Smith) Kitts
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 09:31 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Marry now I will, when rivers...(Suitors)
From: GUEST,Sophia Kitts
Date: 02 Jul 04 - 09:34 PM

Just remember there was always a snack at the cookhouse after that hot hike from the swimming hole!

Just had a Seabow friend come for a visit and found this site doing a search on "seabow"

We sang this song last night and a ton of other Seabow songs. Embarrassed all 5 of our kids!


Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Marry now I will, when rivers...(Suitors)
From: GUEST,Amanda
Date: 06 May 05 - 12:26 AM

I learned this song at Girl Scout Camp as well, only (like many people) a bit differently. This way:

There are suitors at my door
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Five or ten or maybe more
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
And my father wants me wed
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Or at least thats what he said
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah

Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah

And I told him that I would
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
When the rivers ran upstream
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Or the fish began to fly
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Or the day beofre I die
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah

Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah

And the rivers ran upstream
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
And the fish began to fly
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
And at last I found my love
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
So tomorrow I must die
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah

Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah
Oh lay oh la
Oh a lay oh la kee-ah

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Marry now I will, when rivers...(Suitors)
From: Tannywheeler
Date: 06 May 05 - 10:32 PM

Shades of 1964!!! Learned this one from a coffeehouse singer when I was going to Univ. of Tex. and living in a dorm and sometimes visiting open mike sessions at a coffeehouse 2 blocks from the campus. She said it had come from Brazil, and that Bahia is a place there.            Tw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Lê Lê O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,matsian
Date: 07 Mar 09 - 10:30 PM

I learned this song at Camp Kettle Run in Medford, New Jersey. I learned it with a different third verse, though my friend from Michigan knew the exact same words to the third verse.

Suitors

There are suitors at my door, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
Six or eight or even more, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
And my father wants me wed, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
Or at least that's what he said, oh a lay oh bah kee yah

Oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
Oh lay oh la, oh a lay oh bah kee yah

And I told him that I will, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
When the rivers run up hill, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
And the fish begin to fly, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
Or the day before I die, oh a lay oh bah kee yah

Chorus: Oh...

And so I left the very next day, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
For at home I could not stay, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
For I'm off to see my love, oh a lay oh bah kee yah
For he comes from up above, oh a lay oh bah kee yah

Chorus: Oh...

While singing the chorus one or more singers would hold the "la" at the end of "oh lay oh la" while the others continued singing "oh a lay oh bah kee yah.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Amanda
Date: 01 Jun 09 - 08:53 PM

We learned this song a girl scout camp, but it had a little different ending.

Now I'm old and turning grey,
   Oh-a-lay-a-bye-ah
For at home I could not stay.
   Oh-a-lay-a-bye-ah
For my father wished me wed,
   Oh-a-lay-a-bye-ah
And I told him TO DROP DEAD!
   Oh-a-lay-a-bye-ah

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Old Campfire Girl
Date: 02 Aug 09 - 08:25 PM

I spent every summer since about 1964-1970 and can't find anything or anyone who has memories of that great Camp, Best memories of my youth!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Dec 09 - 12:50 PM

Hi-We drove past the turn-off to Camp Seabow, six miles north of Laytonville, CA, yesterday with much reminiscing. I have looked up on google, Camp Seabow, Mendocino, CA and gotten a map of the area that jumps around and doesn't show enough detail to satisfy me. I wonder if it's possible to make contact with the current owners and visit? Marianne

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Seabow Morning Sing Graduate
Date: 17 Aug 10 - 11:13 AM

Hello Old Camp Fire Girls!
    What a song! I can vaguely remember some of the lyrics, but what was the tune??
    I too have tried to find out exactly what happened to Seabow, and attended from about 1961 - 1970. I can't even find anything out about old Camp Fire groups in my former town - it seems that the headquarters in Richmond, on Nevin, where we set off to camp on those old yellow school buses, no longer exists, and so I surmise that there are now no more Camp Fire girls in the whole of Contra Costa County - and that that's been the case for years & years.
    Would anybody like to start on gathering up old Seabow songs and see what happens? I've often daydreamed about setting up a website on Seabow, complete with song lyrics and tunes, maps, old timetables, photos and anecdotes - as I'm sure someone else could do it better than me, I've never pursued the idea.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Guest: Girl Scout and Catholic School
Date: 24 Aug 10 - 01:08 AM

I have been looking for these lyrics for 45 years! I was at a Celtic Woman Concert and they sang a similar Irish song. It dawned on me to search the web! Thank you for collecting and posting these songs. We sang them at a Girl Scout Camp up in the Uinta Mountains in Utah. We also sang them on bus trips that our Catholic high school took to basketball and football games.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Tom Dietz
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 11:35 PM

My mom, Beverly Dietz, was the nurse and director at Seabow from the time I was a little boy; I spent a lot of time there and really enjoyed it. I have exceptionally strong and good memories of the place, Mrs. Armand, the cookhouse[and songs], the campfire, swimming[it's where I learned to swim], work parties, and on and on. After that I spent my summers at Camp Ravencliff[YMCA]. Seabow was apparently bought by a group of physicians it was rumored to have been logged to some extent beforehand...maybe some illegal agricultural use as well. My last visit was in 1969 as a Calif.Division of Forestry firefighter from Laytonville; helped with the Smoky Bear talks. RIP Seabow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Carolyn Pugh
Date: 02 Nov 10 - 05:30 AM

I went to Camp Seabow too. I have fond memories of Mrs Dietz and many others from the 60s and 70s.

Join the Camp Seabow facebook page.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Daphy
Date: 12 Jun 11 - 08:09 PM

I heard the repetative line as O le o la, o le la qui ta...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,clg
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 01:06 PM

We sang this song at Hidden Valley GS Camp in the Poconos, ca. mid 70's. The last verse we sang was also different -- And the sounds were "Olay Oh Potsay Ah"

Then my father said to me, olay, etc.
That some rivers run uphill...
And that fish can learn to fly...
"And tomorrow you may die..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Otter
Date: 28 Oct 11 - 11:11 PM

We were still singing this (with rudimentary hand motions) in a Girl Scout camp in western New York in the 1990s. No one knew where it came from but as the other younger poster has mentioned it had an 'extra' verse at the end that mitigated the girl's expected death -

"And my father he was right,
I'm a mother and a wife
And my dreams have come to be
In a paradise for three"

It was a favorite hiking song because of the steady cadence of the words, and we loved singing it!

I've heard the 'nonsense' words sung several different ways... I was always partial to Pa kee ya (the way I learned it), but Bahia does make more sense! I always did wonder what those nonsense words meant!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Dec 11 - 04:09 PM

I have always heard it as oh lay oh lah oh lay oh lucky dah

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Cherie in Honolulu
Date: 15 Jul 12 - 05:01 PM

I'm so happy to find this thread!

I learned the song at Campfire Camp Wakoma in the Puget Sound region of Washington State (near Olympia) in the late 1960s and early 70s. We learned the hand/leg clapping too, but the chorus was Oh-lay-oh-lah, oh-a-lay-oh rock-ee-ah (and so on).

Like others I've wondered what the chorus meant. We sang every night after dinner and I always thought the song was sad--like others we sang at camp! Poor girl, doomed to marriage. Anyway, our version did not end happy:
And I told him that I will
And the rivers ran uphill
And the fish began to fly
For tomorrow I will die.

Bummer!
(Maybe that's why I'm not married?!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Rmm
Date: 15 Apr 14 - 02:36 AM

We sang this in the 2000's at my Girl Scout camp in Vermont. When I started in 2001, we want the third verse as "and the rivers ran uphill ole.../ and the fish began to fly ole.../ and the day before I died ole.../ I became a blushing bride ole..." Some of the girls would substitute virgin in for blushing and I think some used pigs instead of fish. But anyways by the time i left camp, they no longer used the third verse at all because of the suicidal nature of the last two lines

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Oct 16 - 09:24 AM

Here's how I learned this one back in the 70's:

There are suitors at my door (o le le a baiha)
Six or eight or even more (o le le a baiha)
And my father wants me wed (o le le a baiha)
Or at least that's what he said (o le le a baiha)

chorus:
O le o lai o le le a baiha
O le o lai o le le a baiha
O le o lai o le le a baiha
O le o lai o le le a baiha

So I told him that I will (o le le a baiha)
When the rivers run uphill (o le le a baiha)
When the pigs begin to fly (o le le a baiha)
Or the day before I die (o le le a baiha)

chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,KFob
Date: 14 Oct 19 - 04:46 PM

The version I learned at camp went

There are suitors at my door oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
Eight or ten or maybe more oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
And my father wants me wed oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
Or at least that's what he said oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah

Oh lay oh laaaa
oh a lay-o buckee ah
Oh lay oh laaaa
oh a lay-o buckee ah

And I told him that I will oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
When the rivers run uphill oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
And when fish begin to fly oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
Or the day before I die oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah

chorus

Irrigations run up hill oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
They're man-made, but still oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
Flying fish they surely fly oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
And tomorrow I may die oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah

chorus

For I found my own true love oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
He is far across the sea oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
And when he returns to me oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
Then married we will be oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah

chorus

The camp counselors modernized the last verse to be:
For I found my own true love oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
He is working at hp oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
When I finish my degree oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah
Then maybe we will see oh-a-lay-oh buckee-ah

How interesting that there are so many variations!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Karen Keith
Date: 25 Aug 21 - 11:00 AM

I learned this song as a girl scout, in Sunnyvale CA. It was the early 1960's, and mostly similar to all the other versions, with Bahia very distinctly at the end of the repeating chorus - but a totally different last verse.

"Now i'm old and gray: o ole o Bahia
I'm an old maid to this day: o ole o Bahia
But my heart still rests in peace : o ole o Bahia
For life's wonders never cease! o ole o Bahia
chorus: ole o la ole o Bahia etc"

Interesting indeed are all the variations, though this seems the most radical.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Suitors (O Le Le O Bahia) (trad. Brazil)
From: GUEST,Karen Kersten
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 12:29 AM

I learned this at Camp Wathana (Camp Fire Girls camp) in Holly, MI in the 1970's. One of my faves!!