Lyr Req: Frog in the Well

Subject: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 09:52 AM

I'm looking for the lyrics of this song starting "There was a frog lived in the well". Wolfgang

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Link to Froggy Central (click)

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 10:53 AM

It's one oif the varients of the Frog's Courtship. We have a Scots version (Puddy in the Well) that may be what you want.

Subject: Lyr Add: FROGGIE WENT A-COURTING (from Mary O'Hara
From: Alice in MT
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 12:22 PM

Here is one version.

There was a frog lived in the well,
Hi Ho said Roly,
There was a frog lived in the well,
And a merry mouse in the dell,
With me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach,
Me piper and me Roly.

The frog he said I must go court,
Hi HO said Roly,
The frog he said I must go court,
With my bayonet and my sword,
With me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach ... etc.

Where will the wedding be?
Hi Ho said Roly,
Where will the wedding be?
At the foot of an ivy tree,
With me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach ... etc.

Now we're all in very good cheer,
Hi Ho said Roly,
Now we're all in very good cheer,
If we had some music here,
With me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach... etc.

In came the bumblebee,
Hi Ho said Roly,
In came the bumblebee,
With a fiddle on his knee,
With me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach... etc.

Now we're all in very good cheer,
Hi HO said Roly,
Now we're all in very good cheer
If we had some dancin' here,
With me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach,
Me piper and me Roly.

In came the butterfly,
Hi ho said Roly,
In came the butterfly,
And she plans to dance all night,
Me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach,
Me piper and me Roly.

Frog jumped up with a terrible fright,
Hi Ho said Roly,
Frog jumped up with a terrible fright,
Doffed his hat and said good night,
Me Roly-Poly Cabbage and Spinach,
Me piper and me Roly.

As the frog was crossin' the stream,
Hi Ho said Roly,
As the frog was crossin' the stream,
A big duck came and gobbled him up,
Me Roly-Poly cabbage and Spinach,
Me piper and me Roly.

This is an Irish version of Froggie Went a-Courtin', but the tune is different than the American one Burl Ives made famous. The only recording I know of this is by Mary O'Hara. She has been a big inspiration for me since the early 70's when I first found her record. She deserves larger fame. HTH Alice

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 21-Jul-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Bert Hansell
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 12:37 PM

Thanks Alice,

That's related to the version that I was supposed to have learned in school.

It went....With a Roly Poly gammon and spinach, Hey Ho says Anthony Roly....

Bert.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: LaMarca
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 05:41 PM

Okay, I'm going to try this link trick here. There's been a few threads about this same song family over the past three months; if interested, look here:
Froggy1(21 msg)
or here:
Froggy2(8 msg)
or here!:
Froggy3(2 msg)
Hope this worked...

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Alice
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 06:30 PM

Yes, LaMarca, it worked!! What a fun historical (hysterical?) ride we could go on with all the versions of the frog and mouse... until the redundance overwhelms us. Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Kiwi
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 06:45 PM

Alice - frog and mouse.. ehheh.. have you ever heard "The Mouse and the Tailor"?

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Alice
Date: 22 Jul 97 - 10:49 PM

Kiwi... I looked up "The Mouse and the Tailor" in the database. It reminds me of "Haigh Diddle Dum", a song in Gaelic about a cat and his mother who went to Galway riding on the back of a duck. Have you checked out "The Vicar and the Frog" in the database? ...very interesting. Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Wolfgang
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 03:33 AM

Thanks all of you,

the versions all seem to be very different. The version from Alice in MT is the first I have read which is very close to the version I knew, sung by the Clancy family.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Whippoorwill
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 11:55 AM

I learned a version of the "Kimo" refrain from an old man in western Kentucky in the '40s:

Kayro jayro, down in the land of Pharaoh, Pharaoh,
Come a rat trap, rattletrap, tommy-doodle, periwinkle,
Kitchie, kitchie, kie-me-oh,
Come a rat trap tommy-doodle oh.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Alice
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 12:34 PM

Wolfgang... further notes on this... the Mary O'Hara album that I have mentioned has notes written by Liam Clancy. For this song he writes," There Was A Frog Lived in the Well has been passed down through several generations of the Clancy family. I thought it was a family possession until we first got a radio and I heard Burl Ives sing "Frog went a Courtin'". I was amazed that someone else knew my mother's song. He didn't have my favorite verse, though: "The big duck came and gobobbled him up". The beautiful accompaniment is Mary's composition." This whole album is Mary singing solo accompanying herself on the Irish harp. Liam Clancy also writes (this is in the 1950's) that Mary O'Hara was one of the leading figures in the revival of the Irish harp and had "devoted much study in the method of playing used by the Irish bards". Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Kiwi
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 05:41 PM

Alice - no, I'll have to go look that song up. On the version of "The Mouse and the Tailor" that I have, done by Golden Bough, the woman actually made an error - "But the tailor ate.. - the mouse he ate the tailor's shoes" - it's hysterical! :)

Subject: Lyr Add: HERE'S TO CHESHIRE
From: wildlone
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 03:58 PM

While I was looking at Old Threads I found this
I tried the links but they did not work so I am posting this gem,it did not seem to be in the data base
Heres To Cheshire. A song I heard the Spinners sing many years ago.

HERE'S TO CHESHIRE

There was an old frog lived in a well,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
And a pretty little mouse lived in a mill,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

Chorus.

Here's to Cheshire and here's to cheese,
And here's to the pears and the apple trees,
Here's to the lovely strawberries,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

Froggy went a courting and he did 'rive,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells,
"Now Missy Mouse you must decide,"
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

"Oh I am rich and I am brave,"
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells,
"What better husband can you have?"
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
"Well I'll never take your word for that,"
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
"You'll have to satisfy Uncle Rat."
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

Says Uncle Rat, "I'm much afraid."
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells,
"If you don't marry Froggy, you'll die an old maid."
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
So the knot was secured sure and fast,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
She's off her uncles' hands at last.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

Open the oysters, still champagne,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells,
Never will there be such a feast again
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
Tune up the fiddles, let's have a square,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
Top couple must be the happy pair.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

But as they were going it hot and strong,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
A big grey cat came prowling along.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
She sprang in the window out of the yard,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
And she didn't bring any invitation card.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

Well Uncle Rat like a hero stood,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
And puss wet her whiskers in his blood,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
Little Missy Mouse made a dive for a crack,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
Puss made a pounce and broke her back.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

And where was the gallant frog this while?
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
. Well he just about broke the four minute mile.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
He came to a brook and he didn't stop to look,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
And the old Drake nabbed him in his crook,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

So that was the end of him and her.
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.
There won't be any tadpoles covered in fur,
Ding, dang, dong go the wedding bells.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Bruce O.
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 04:25 PM

"Froggy in the Well"; facsimile of oldest: SCA Minstrel website-Ravenscroft-Melismata-#21

"Tailor and Mouse" was originally tailor and louse. Old tradition had it that tailors were cowardly and couldn't fight anything bigger (7 tailors make a man. See also "Benjamin Bowmaneer" in DT) John Taylor capitalized on it with his ballad of the Tailor and the Louse, and it was revised a few times on other broadside ballads, and came down to us as a folksong. See ZN2168, ZN2449, and Zn2570 in the broadside ballad index on my website for the early versions. www.erols.com/olsonw

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Bruce O.
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 05:25 PM

Sorry, that should have been '9 tailors make a man' above.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: fulurum
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 06:31 PM

makem and clancy also recorded it. its on their "we've come a long way" album.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 03 Jan 00 - 04:37 PM

The version wildlone posted, 'Here's to Cheshire', is a rewrite of the older song by Cheshire fruit farmer Leslie Haworth. - Susanne

Subject: Lyr Add: THE FROG AND THE MOUSE
From: _gargoyle
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 04:26 PM

A recent search for Renaissance songs led to this version....similar beginning and then an abprut departure.

THE FROG AND THE MOUSE

There was a frog lived in a well.
Whipsee diddledee dandy dee.
There was mouse lived in a mill.
Whipsee diddledee dandy dee
This frog, he would a wooing ride
With sword and budkler by his side.
With a harum,scarum diddledum darum,
Whipsee diddledee dandy dee.

Refrain between lines

He rode till he came to Mouse's Hall
Where he most tenderly did call
O Mistress mouse, are you at home?
And if you are, will you please come down?

My uncle rat is not at home;
I dare not for my life come down
Then uncle rat he soon comes home;
And whoe's been here since I've been gone?

He's been a fine young gentleman,
Who swers he'll have me if he can.
And uncle rat gave his consent,
And made a handsome settlement.

Four partidge pies with season made,
Two potted larks and marmalade,
Four woodcocks and a venison pie.
I would that at thatfeast were I.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: Bruce O.
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 05:21 PM

That's looks like a very recent literary version.

Subject: RE: Lyr? Frog in the well
From: _gargoyle
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 10:16 PM

Thanks Bruce, I needed a collaborating peer

Personally, I am not familiar with several that the director has presented. This one was from a CD given to me:

The Wraggle Taggle Gypies
Folk Songs and Ballads of Elizabethan England
Fantasies For Consort of Recorders
Alfred Deller
Desmond Dupre. The Taylor Recorder Consort

Now, on this CD every single song had its own, VERY peculiar twist. When I questioned the songs, the director said, "That is because yours came later. These are the original." HOWEVER, NOWHERE on the CD is any historical reference given to texts.

In my opinion Alfred Deller is a charlatan. His credits read, "The renowned Alfred Deller (1912-1979) was one of the first musicians to popularize the current practice of authentic early music performance."

The director is "insisting" on non-anachronogical music and yet her recommendations are suspect.