Bingo was his name-o

Subject: Bingo was his name-o
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 12:29 PM

Someone bought us a little battery-operated robin for Christmas which sings different little ditties and waggles its head when you clap your hands. One of the tunes is this nursery rhyme that both our children sang forty years ago in their playgroups. It was one of their favourites and we often heard them chuntering away with it when they were playing quietly with their toys. I was astonished to find that wiki calls it a folk song and that it dates back to at least 1785! Looks like it's gone through a bit of a folk process since then too!

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: meself
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 12:45 PM

It's the best song I can think of for teaching children how to spell "Bingo" ... !

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: GerryM
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 12:48 PM

One of the many songs I learned on the bus on the road to Day Camp, circa 1960.

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 12:52 PM

Of course it's already in Mudcat: BINGO

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 02:00 PM

The search thingie isn't working properly just now, Nigel.

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 02 Jul 23 - 11:17 AM

Just seen a very worrying discussion on FaceBook regarding this song:

There was a farmer had a dog,
And Bingo was his name, sir.
B-I-N-G-O,
B-I-N-G-O,
B-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name, sir.

"Was Bingo the name of the farmer, or of the dog?"

I'd always assumed it was the dog. But now I'm uncertain ;)

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Jul 23 - 12:16 PM

Same tune basically as 'Come , landlord fill the flowing bowl' and another children's game to the same tune was 'I wrote a letter to my love, and on the way I dropped it'

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jul 23 - 01:24 PM

Was it sung by a fat lady with a walking stick?Either way up

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 02:37 AM

C# collected it. It used to crop up on the radio, on Children's Hour. (Bingo was his name, sir, Bingo was his name, I'll sing B and you sing I etc.)

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: GUEST,RJM
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 03:43 AM

It is one that passed me by.
I remember singing other folk songs at school and at woodcraft folk. on the subject of learning spelling through singing.
Does anybody else remember singing the alphabet. abc defg hijklm nopq rstu wxyz

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: GUEST,RJM
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 03:44 AM

I missed the v, typo

Subject: RE: Bingo was his name-o
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Jul 23 - 06:05 AM

Yes, Dick
More of a jig metre though, tune similar to first phrase of Bingo. Second half perhaps related to Blaydon Races amongst others. Probably a pretty standard ditty tune of the early 19th century.