Origins: My Aunt Greet

Subject: Origins: My Aunt Greet
From: GUEST,Joe in Mpsl
Date: 10 Mar 24 - 12:41 PM

I've been trying to find the origin of a fun song, "My Aunt Greet" (or Grete). Since it's cleverly constructed and the few variations I've found are minor, it seems likely to have been composed and not from the folk tradition. Popular among Girl Guides and other youth groups, I have traced it back to a 1971 Girl Guides of Canada songbook and further back to a 1964 Girl Guides of New Zealand songbook. A few places say it's from the Netherlands (due to the name Greet; Grete could be Danish or Swedish, etc.). But the trail has petered out. Here are the lyrics:

My Aunt Greet, veeda veeda veet,
Has a puss, veeda veeda vuss,
And that puss, veeda veeda vuss,
Has a tail.

And that tail, veeda veeda vail,
Has a curl, veeda veeda vurl
Has a tip.

Comma

And that tip, veeda veeda vip,
Has a curl, veeda veeda vurl,
And that curl, veeda veeda vurl,
Has a tail.

And that tail, veeda veeda vail,
Has a puss, veeda veeda vuss,
And that puss, veeda veeda vuss,

Has my Aunt Greet

Subject: RE: Origins: My Aunt Greet
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Mar 24 - 08:28 PM

Another version, not much different:

MY AUNT GREET

My Aunt Greet, vee-da vee-da veet
Has a puss, vee-da vee-da vuss
And that puss, vee-da vee-da vuss
Has a tail, ____
And that tail, vee-da vee-da vail
Has a curl, vee-da vee-da vurl
And that curl, vee-da vee-da vurl
Has a tip, comma

And that tip, vee-da vee-da vip
Has a curl, vee-da vee-da vurl
And that curl, vee-da vee-da vurl
Has a tail, ____
And that tail, vee-da vee-da vail
Has a puss, vee-da vee-da vuss
And that puss, vee-da vee-da vuss
Has MY AUNT!
[Full Stop!]

The song apparently has Girl Scout/Girl Guide roots, but I can't find it in US or UK Girl Scout songbooks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vZRzZCubYc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YtQS_9mxAE

Subject: RE: Origins: My Aunt Greet
From: GUEST,Joe in Mpls
Date: 11 Mar 24 - 10:10 PM

Thanks, Joe. Here is another YouTube version - from a woman who was a camper and a counselor at my longtime summer camp in Minnesota (I am on the board of directors currently). This is where and how I learned this song.

https://youtu.be/h_mXUXg_AmY?si=owCgo2bsDcmR6Wd1