Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?

Subject: Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 04:55 PM

Though the above song has been touched on in two other threads and the text is in the DT, this is a specific request for the **melody** of the whole song, including the tune for the verse part.

Repeat: I need, not the words, but the tune!! All of it.

"Mother, May I Go Out to Swim (The Bathing Song)"'s complete melody has been unusually hard to find. The DT has two midis based on the Randolph collection. Neither has more than four lines repeated.

I have searched all the sheet music sites I know of, some ten or twelve of them, without finding the sheet music for this.

Recordings are basically children's records, none of which include the tune for the verse, or even the complete tune for the refrain. Same goes for internet sites -- the song always appears in a simplified version, except for the one dug up by Bruce Olson that's in the DT, and that includes no music.

Can anyone come up with the whole melody for this? (Sentimental note: my mother used to sing it. But never the verses.)

Thanks, Bob

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?
From: Louie Roy
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 07:29 PM

Bob if you send me your email address I'll send an MP3 of Mother May I by Liz and Lynn Anders. Louie Roy

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?
From: Peace
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 08:12 PM

Try # 14 on this site. I don't know whether it works or not, sorry.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?
From: Peace
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 08:13 PM

Sorry, Louie. Didn't see your post until after I posted.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jun 08 - 09:05 PM

Hi, Bob -
We have Bruce Olson's Website available here at Mudcat - it's on the Quicklinks dropdown menu. The tunes are from this page (click):

X:113
T:MTHRSWM1- Mother, May I Go Out to Swim (song)
S:by Lester Keith, 1908 (Slurs missing in meas. 15-6, 31-2)
Q:1/4=100
L:1/4
M:3/4
K:D mixolydian
d|ded|B2B|ABA|E2G|FGG|E2F|(D3|D2)D|\
E^DE|G2A|B^AB|d2d|^cBG|FFE|(A3|A2)d|\
ded|B2B|ABA|E2G|FGF|EED|(B3|B2)B|\
^cBA|^c2A|BAF|B2F|GAB|^c2A|(d3|d)zd|\
d2e|d2e|(d3|d2)d|d2d|d2e|(d3|d)zz|]

X:114
T:MTHRSWM2- Mother, May I Go Out to Swim (chorus)
S:by Lester Keith, 1908
Q:1/4=100
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:G
d e d B2^G|A2BE3|F2GA2F|E3D3|\
D2E G F E|F F GA2D|A2DA2^G|^A3B3|\
d e d B A ^G|A2BE2G|F2GA2^A|^A3B3|\
e2d c c B|A B A E2G|F2ED2B|A3G3|]


To play or display ABC tunes, try concertina.net

I think it will sound more intelligible if you up the tempo a bit - say Q:1/4=140
Holler if you need help understanding this.

Bruce didn't cite his source for this, which surprises me. He was a real scholar.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Mother May I Go Out to Swim?
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 04 Jun 08 - 06:51 AM

Thanks all for the suggestions. Louie, guess I won't need to send for the mp3, but thanks for the offer.

Barbara Lea, by the way, seems to have written her own tune. It doesn't resemble the original.

Joe, you've done it again. I couldn't find that Olson tune page and concluded it hadn't been saved with the rest. Many thanks.

Hooray for Mudcat.

Bob