Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)

Subject: Lyr Add: KEMO KIMO (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Jun 00 - 01:52 AM

KEMO KIMO
Version by Ed McCurdy on an album of children's songs

There was a frog lived in the spring.
Sing song kitty kitchy kime-e-o.
He was so hoarse he could not sing.
Sing song kitty kitchy kime-e-o.

CHORUS: Kemo kimo, where o where,
M'hee, m'high, and in come Sally singing,
Sing song pennywhistle ding tongue nippy cat,
Sing song kitty kitchy kime-e-o.

I grabbed that frog and pulled him out. Sing song...
He hopped and he skipped and he danced all about. Sing song... CHORUS

She's in the spring-house, 9 days old. Sing song...
The rats and the mice are a-getting mighty bold. Sing song... CHORUS

Way down yonder in Possum Creek, sing song...
The fellows grow to beat 10 feet. Sing song... CHORUS

Try to sleep, but it's no use. Sing song...
Their feet stick out for the hens to roost. Sing song... CHORUS

Repeat chorus as fast as you can.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ed McCurdy's Kemo Kimo
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Jun 00 - 01:54 AM

Sorry, should have put in an extra line break to signal the end of the chorus, which is the nonsense part. The next verse is what begins I grabbed that frog.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ed McCurdy's Kemo Kimo
From: Metchosin
Date: 09 Jun 00 - 04:06 AM

When I was small, my grandfather used to sing me the following nonsense words without verses but obviously related to the Ed McCurdy song and the ones discussed on this thread

Kemo kimo, dare awa
Ma high, ma ho
Rump sump sack a nickles
Poop-dag, nip-cat
Polly won't you kimeo
I love you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ed McCurdy's Kemo Kimo
From: Dale Rose
Date: 09 Jun 00 - 11:49 AM

I have updated some of the information on a page linked to from the one that Metchosin mentioned. As I note there, it is pretty much a monologue by me, but I think you'll find a lot about the song there. The original sheet music is available from the Library of Congress. Rather than point you directly there, I will give you the link to their American Memory search engine, which will do you more good in the long run ~~ do some exploring! http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mdbquery.html Enter the term keemo kimo, and set it for exact phrase, and you'll get TWO links to the sheet music for Keemo Kimo Geo Christy and Wood's celebrated banjo song ~~ it doesn't matter which one you use.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ed McCurdy's Kemo Kimo
From: GUEST,Liz Brown
Date: 04 Jan 09 - 09:14 PM

I just found this page and Metchosin's post is very interesting to me. My father (1914-2001) wrote this about his grandfather (1847-1920):
"One of my first recollections of childhood is of hearing my Grandfather Woodin sing mouth-music songs as he bounced me on his knee-crossed foot. The term "mouth-music" may be unfamiliar to some people, but it was an ancient way of singing meaningless words in a rhythmic fashion to accompany dancing when musical instruments were not available. My grandfather's favourite mouth-music song was one beginning with "Keemo-Kymo-Darow-Wye, McKee-McKay-Come-A-Rum-Dum-Tiddle-Diddle". Another began with "Dumpy Overhead with a Tee-Eye-Too", and yet another was "Paw's Little Gel-Gel, Paw's Little Boy". I don't recall many other words, but "Keemo-Kymo" had several verses, ending with "Sing-Song-City, Won't You Ky-Me-Oh?" Another nonsense ending was "Johnny Won't you Fiddle on My Banjo".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 12 - 01:24 AM

has anyone heard it like this
if you were dutch you couldn't sing this sing song kitty catchy kimeo. (repeat) kemo kimo care a way ma ee ma ra ma rum stick a thumb a diddle in suck nit cat suck bug polly wag sing song kitty catchy kimeo.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,Missy
Date: 09 Jul 13 - 04:13 PM

What a great way to spend the afternoon and still "my" version wasn't mentioned. Eighty years ago my ancient, British grandfather sang "Way down south on Sycamore Street, Sing song silly won you kimee oh That where de darkies grew ten feet, Sing song silly won you kimee oh ....... Keemo Kimo Dara Waw,Mahoo,Mahie.Ripside,Mule cart,Upside down Rat, Sing song silly won you kimee oh. Keep them moving as this could end up as a great thesis for some student somewhere! Missy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 09 Jul 13 - 04:22 PM

There are already plenty of knowledgeable threads on this family of songs which go back into the early 18th century. Funnily enough most (possibly all) of the original words had a rational meaning in cant terms. An important intermediary was the Minstrel song 'Keemo Kimo' of the mid 19thc.

The words of the various 'Froggy went courtin' songs go back much earlier than all of this.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,Valerie Kasper
Date: 08 Oct 13 - 01:37 AM

I have spent thirty years looking for this frog song that my father, deceased now, used to break out into song with! What I remembered was different also.
there once was a frog that lived in a pond, sing song kitty catchy ki me oh! He was so fat that he could not swim, sing song kitty catchy ki me oh! Me hi Me ho, me in come sally winkle sometimes penny winkle! It made my usually unhappy father happy and lighthearted!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,from my child hoood ,in grade school
Date: 17 Jun 14 - 10:36 AM

there was a frog lived in a spring, sing song                      kitty can't you kime ko, he went down the road mouse's bell to ring sing song kitty can't you kime ko. me oh my oh, dear me oh beware, me high me ho, me sometimes periwinkle, sometimes money jingle, instep, knip nap,hit him with a brick bat, sing song kitty, can't you kime oh.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,carolyn lowe
Date: 27 Jul 14 - 05:42 AM

My dad b1922 used to sing it like this: phonetically
Keem to Karo .. Keem to Kiro..
Keem to Karo..Ki-ro
Stradda Ladda ladda
Bobba ladda bobba link tum
Rink tum body beech a combo

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 27 Jul 14 - 03:10 PM

Funny, I never connected Kemo Kimo with Froggie went a-courting (the kitty in the chorus didn't click, I guess) - how obtuse of me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Bill D
Date: 27 Jul 14 - 03:14 PM

I think I must have see 25 versions of Kemo Kimo over the years... some interwoven with "froggy", some not.

It's a prime example of how odd words passed along orally can change.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,Marilyn Harper
Date: 06 Sep 14 - 10:18 PM

Our Dad used sing a version that went something like this:
There once was a boy whose name was Dick
Link to my little merry kimeo
He ate so much it made him sick
Link to my little merry kimeo.
(Chorus) Kime carry build a mulary
Kimeo to the kameo
Little straw bonnet and little ball Larry
Link to the little merry kimeo.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Sep 14 - 07:40 PM

If you're dutch you can't sing this song? Whence that tidbit?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,Jennifer S.
Date: 11 Sep 14 - 11:17 PM

My Dad's grandmother sang him this song in the 30's:
A horse and a sheep went out to pasture,
sing song city won't you kimeo
Said the horse to the sheep can't you go a little faster,
sing song city won't you kimeo
Dara wyma homa hyma rye sigh puma diddle, soup pat pitty winkle
sing song city won't you kimeo.

And of course I'm sure that's not how you spell all the words and my Dad is almost 91 so there could be a few lyrics missing!
Anyone hear of this before?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,erik
Date: 07 Aug 15 - 10:34 PM

My great grandmother taught this to me as a young child:

Keemo kimo lerro rum, with a heem and a hime and a yum stum sticky,
Billy with a boomjack won't you come back, sing song kitty won't ya' kye-me-o"

Thought I'd add my version.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,pyoung
Date: 19 Jun 16 - 01:45 AM

This song has been in our family for a long time, it comes at least rom my grandmother who was born in Huron County Ontario in
1879. My version as I remember it is something like this:

A horse and a sheep went out to pasture
Sing song city won't you ki-me-oh
Said the horse to the sheep, can't you go a little faster
Sing song city won't you ki-me-oh
Keemo Karmo darowah
Mic-eye mic-oh
Mic rump sack pumpernickel
Shut back penny whistle
Nim-cat nim-coe
Sing song city won't you ki-me-oh
When the chicks have nearly grown
Sing a song a city won't you kie-me-oh

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Dec 16 - 11:18 AM

Here is the version we learned in the 50s:

There was a little frog who lived in a spring
Sing song kitchy kitchy kimeo
He had such a cold, he could not sing
Sing song kitchy kitchy kimeo

Kemo, kimo die ree row
Rub stub puppy diddle lip cat sip cat
Billy billy boot jack
Sing song kitchy kitchy kimeo

Old Aunt Dinah, jumped out of bed
Opened the window, poked out her head
A snowball hit her in the eyeball square
"Take care ya' little darky don't you do that again."

(Obviously sung in a different time/place when sensitivities were muted toward racial issues.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 28 Dec 16 - 11:54 AM

Well, that was the end of him and her
There won't be no tadpoles all covered in fur

Also, in the Fox Went Out, old mother flipper-flopper jumps out of bed, out of the window she cocked her head crying John, John, the grey goose is gone, and the fox is on the town-O

And that song really had nothing to do with frogs or cats but that part seems the same...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 17 - 10:56 AM

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Sep 17 - 08:25 PM

Kemo kimo caught a little fly ro' fly ro'
Rap strap penny winkle flam a doodle yellow bug
Rap strap bottomless ke-emo!!

This was the version my papaw used to sing to me!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST,V. Jones
Date: 27 Jan 18 - 12:12 AM

My grandmother. Sang it like this:
Kimo kimo Darrow wine
Hie. How. Hum. (Drawn out)
Rhommah knackah
Bhommah knackah
Stand back penny Winkle
In come dip cat
Simg-a-song kitty cat
Can't change catch Ki-me-ooo

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 03:24 PM

At junior school I’m Cape Town, South Africa, in the 1970’s we learnt:
‘As I went by
On my two legs
Sing song kitty won’t you kimeo
A searchin for some turkey eggs
Sing sing kitty won’t you kimeo

Chorus:
Kemo kimo war-o-do
Wa-hi wa-ho
A rump stick pom a diddle
Come back willy nilly
There goes a hip cat
Sing sing kitty won’t you kimeo’

Sadly I don’t recall the other verses

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Kemo Kimo (from Ed McCurdy)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 04:51 PM

This must be the best example of attempts to rationalise what was at one point in its evolution a complete nonsense chorus.

Here's one example of an older version with complete nonsense refrains as it stands.

Now nature orderd as you were
Lingdum bullidum a Koyme
And we won't have tadpoles covered in fur
Lingdum bullidum a Koyme

Koymanero kilkil kero
Koymanero koyme
Plim-slim slammadiddle
I'm a bulla ringtum,
Lingdum bullidum a koyme.