old mister rat took a notion for wife

Subject: old mister rat took a notion for wife
From:
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 07:25 PM

Am looking for an Applachian folk song. The nonsense lyrics (I am writing them with some trepidation) begin as follows:

"Old mister rat took a notion for a wife. To my rat-trap a bottom-itchy Kai-m-bo.

He jumped on his horse and he rode for his life. To my rat trap a bottom-itch Kai-m-bo.

Chorus Karo, Karo, give to Flayro, Flaro Flaro, Flaaaa-rooooo.

Aaaaaany wink-ee flemm-ee doodle yellow bug to my rat-trap a bottom-itchy Kai-m-bo.

M.

Subject: RE: old mister rat took a notion for wife
From: raredance
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 10:48 PM

To venture a guess, I am thinking the song you are looking for is a derivative of "Frog Went A-courting" with a form of the "kimo" version of the refrain. Randolph in "Ozark Folksongs" has a text called "Uncle Rat's Courtship" in which it is Uncle Rat who is doing the courting but the rest of the song is a selection of the innumerable verses from the frog version. The frog song itself comes in two distinct forms. One has the hum refrain, while the other has a nonsense lyric refrain that often includes the word "kimo" or a sound-alike such as "Kaimbo" in the one you encountered.

Some examples of the nonsense refrain include:

Ki-mo, kemo, ki-mo, kee Way down yonder in a holler tree An owl and a bat and a bumblebee King kong kitchie kitchie ki-me-o

Subject: RE: old mister rat took a notion for wife
From: raredance
Date: 12 Jan 01 - 11:34 PM

That was real annoying. I wasn't anywhere near the send button and then I got booted off line on top. As I was trying to say about the nonsense refrains an example from the recorded "Anthology of American Folk Music" has the song called "King Kong Kitchie" and the refrain is:

Ki-mo, kemo, ki-mo, kee
Way down yonder in a holler tree
An owl and a bat and a bumblebee
King kong kitchie kitchie ki-me-o

The "King kong kitchie kitchie ki-me-o" line is also interpolated within the verses where the "uh huh" is in the other forms. Randolph lists some other nonsense lines including:
Turn-a-row tum a-tiddy natty day
and
Poom-a-latchey poom-a-latchey la

The Frank C Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore has several nonsense refrains.

A. Hello naro he's my caro,
Hello caro narrow,
Ring ting bottom ditty boat around
Ring ting bottom and a kymo

B. Kero kiro gilt and garo
Kero kiro karo
Rap jack pennywhinkle flammydoodle yellow buckle
Rain down bonny mish ki-me-oh

C. Tim a rang tang bottom tim a kimo come a nedro
Keep my caro rum a tum bum stumpy tum dido bodey
Round tim a rang tang bottom a my kimo.

You can see some of the sound elements of the version you remember in the version "B". The "kimo refrain may have had it's origin (or at least was popularized) on the minstrel circuit by the comic singer Sam Cowell. Once the nonsense lyrics slipped into oral transmission almost any combination of syllables and sounds became possible.

rich r

Subject: RE: old mister rat took a notion for wife
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 05 - 06:46 PM

I know that song. My mother is from VA and she used to sing it to me when I was a baby.

Old mister rat took a notion for a wife
To my rat trap a bottom itchy kaimbo
He jumped on his horse and he rode for his life
To my rat trap a bottom itchy kaimbo
Kayro Kayro Give it to flayro
Flayro Flayro Flayro
Anywinkieflemondoodleyellowbug
To my rat trap a bottom itchy kaimbo

He took miss mousie upon his knee
To my rat trap a bottom itchy kaimbo
He said "miss mousie will you marry me"
To my rat trap a bottom itchy kaimbo
Kayro Kayro give it to flayro
flayro flayro flayro
Anywinkieflemondoodleyellowbug
To my rat trap a bottom itchy kaimbo

Subject: RE: old mister rat took a notion for wife
From: GUEST,cokeyoungblood210
Date: 10 May 11 - 02:33 PM

Where can i find a recording of this?? I really need one bad for fathers day. My dad used to sing this to me and my sisters all the time. Pleeeeaseee help me find it recorded!!!!