Origins: Nickety, nackety, noo../Cooper of Fife

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Banjo-Flower
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 11:35 AM

nik nikki nik nak
nikki nakki noo
nik nikki nik nak
nak noo

Gerry

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 05:26 AM

Referring to Doddy ("Where's Me Shirt?", see above), I remember he used to have a sort of rhyme that went something like this:

Nicky, nocky, nick, nock
Nicky, nocky, noo
Nicky, nocky, nick, nock
Nank you!

(I think that was how it went - does anyone remember it who could confirm?)

Sounds suspiciously as though it may have been derived from the Wee Cooper of Fife.

Subject: Lyr Add: NIGGL'JY NAGGL'JY
From: Goose Gander
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 12:24 AM

NIGGL'JY NAGGL'JY

I bought my wife three milking cows
Niggl'jy naggl'jy now, now, now
And she milked them 'til they all went dry
Niggl'jy naggl'jy bengy bo riggl'jy
Ruffl'jy, ruffl'jy now, now, now.

She milked her milk in the old slop pail
Niggl'jy, etc.
She strained her milk through the child's old clout
Niggl'jy, etc.

She churned her milk in . . . .
Niggl'jy, etc.
She took up her butter with the old pot hooks
Niggl'jy, etc.

She had two eyes like two rotten pears
Niggl'jy, etc.
And she had two teeth like two wiry pins
Niggl'jy, etc.

From the singing of Janie Barnard Couch, who said "I think this has an Irish background also."

Source:
Byron Arnold, Folksongs of Alabama (University, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1950), p. 36

Subject: Lyr Add: I MARRIED ME A WIFE
From: Goose Gander
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 03:19 PM

Here's I Married Me A Wife sung by Bill Jackson in Arvin, California in 1941.


I MARRIED ME A WIFE

I married me a wife in the month of June.
    Risselty rasselty
    Hey John Dabbity
    Q-U-Ality
    Risk-ko-kality
    Risselty rasselty
    Now now now
Married me a wife in the month of June.
I carried her home by the light of the moon.
    That's risselty rasselty
    Now now now.

Married me a wife in the month of May.
I carried her home on a lead of hay.

Combed her hair Just once a year,
And called her comb her dearest dear.

Swept the floor just once a year,
And called her broom her dearest dear.

When she churned, she churned in a boot,
And for a dash she used her foot.

Butter come out all griddely gray.
It took legs and walked away.

Subject: ADD: I Married My Wife
From: GEST
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 02:30 PM

Here's the way I learned it from a recording made in 1941 by my own dearly departed father in one of those "Sing It Yourself" recording booths at Coney Island. :)

I Married My Wife

I married my wife in the month of June,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now;
I courted her home by the light of the moon,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now.

She combs her hair just once a year,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now;
But just the same I love the dear,
Nickety, nackety, everything's frolicky,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now.

She washes the kids in the kitchen sink,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now;
She makes the black ones all turn pink,
Nickety, nackety, willopy, wallopy,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now.

The bridle and saddle lie on the shelf,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now;
If you want any more you can sing it yourself,
Nickety, nackety, everything's frolicky,
Nickety, nackety, willopy, wallopy,
Nickety, nackety, now, now, now.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 10:34 AM

Thanks for posting, Scrump. I enjoyed that.

Subject: Lyr Add: WHERE'S ME SHIRT (Ken Dodd)
From: Scrump
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 07:10 AM

It reminded me of this song by Ken Dodd:

WHERE'S ME SHIRT ?

Well it all began in the year of one
When Adam was the first man
And a girl called Eve, so we believe
Was made to be his woman
She led him up the Garden of Eden, by a tree
Then she offered him her apple
And he cried out suddenly (eee-eeee-eeeee)

SPOKEN (Liverpool Accent):
Where's me shirt?
Where's me shirt?

I feel a proper twazzer without me shirt
I've got me tickling-tackle and me nicky-nocky-noo
But I must confess I feel undressed
Like this, in front of you

SPOKEN (Liverpool Accent):
Where's me shirt?
I can't find me shirt anywhere. It's twenty-five past five
in the Garden of Eden and I can't find me shirt. Fancy
leaving me in a garden with no shirt on, like this. Look
at all these creepy-crawly things here. Ooh, look, there's
a serpent. Go 'way. Go 'way you nasty old serpent. Go on,
shoo! Go on, shoo!

Since the days of old, we've all been told
Of men like Bonaparte
His great retreat and his first defeat
Was the thing that broke his heart
He stuck just outside Moscow and then made history
He stuck his hand inside his coat
And cried out bitterly (eee-eeee-eeeee)

SPOKEN (Liverpool Accent):
Where's me shirt?
Where's me shirt?

I can't go on like zis, wizout my shirt
I've had my tickle-tonic on my nicky-nocky-nee
But I just can't go through all this snow
Without a shirt on me

SPOKEN (Liverpool Accent):
Where's me shirt?
Oh, sacre blue. Sacre flippin' blue, where's me shirt? By
Jove, t'ain't 'alf frosty. Ooh, ooh, this tent isn't 'alf
drafty. I don't know where the draft's comin' from, but I
know where it's goin' to.

Back in eighty-one, in the mid-day sun
In Tombstone, one September
Wyatt Earp was due to go into
A gunfight he'd remember
The Clantons and McLourys started firin' suddenly
As the gunsmoke cleared and the twonsfolk cheered
Wyatt Earp said quietly (eee-eeee-eeeee)

SPOKEN (Liverpool Accent):
Where's me shirt?
Where's me shirt?

I feel a proper twit without me shirt
I've lost me ticklin'-tackle and me nicky-nocky-nee
But I feel a twerp, me Wyatt Earp
With my shirt shot off o' me

SPOKEN (Liverpool Accent):
Ere, where's me shirt?
Where's me gunfightin' shirt? Ooh, I say, here comes the
Indians. 'Ere, you be careful where you're shootin' those
arrows. Where's me shirt? Where's me shir... I can't find
me shirt anywhere. D'you know, I'm sure I had it when I
came out. Where's me shirt?

Note he uses the phrase "nicky-nocky-noo". Could there be a connection between this and the Wee Cooper of Fife?

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Jim Lad
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 02:41 AM

The Cories did a fine version. The song is well known in Scotland but not too many people sing it because wife-beating is frowned upon these days.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: GUEST,Shelley
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 11:52 PM

Interesting notes. My grandmother taught me a similar song that she learned from her aunt who raised her. In her version there was no mention of retribution against the wife for her rotten housekeeping.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Murray
Date: 09 Feb 98 - 03:09 AM

The copy of "The Wee Cooper o' Fife" in the DT is mine, & of course I think it's the best version. Child's own notes will fill you in on the background. The odd chorus has been interpreted as follows: "Nickety nackety" is the noise made by the cooper making his barrels. Willie Wallachy & John Dougall are former flames of the wife, maybe coming to her aid; and Rushety must be a neighbour who comes in to referee and says let her alone, you bully; or else you'll rue, rue rue the day. Make sense? I'm a Fifer myself, so this is one of my own favourite songs.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: PattyG
Date: 07 Feb 98 - 11:45 PM

(Bob Landry wrote) Every once in a while, this musical phrase "Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo..." pops into my head. It comes from way back in time, probably the 1950's or 1960's when I was growing up (and that process ain't over yet) in Cape Breton.

Can anyone identify this tune and point me to the lyrics?

////////////////The first thing that popped into *my* head was the song that the children were singing inside the schoolhouse as the black birds gathered outside in the movie, "THe Birds." This is probably a different thread.....but what the devil song were they singing? Now, I can't get that tune out of my head!! PattyG

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Susan of DT
Date: 07 Feb 98 - 10:33 AM

See #277 for four versions of the Cooper of Fife, including nickety nockety and risselty rosselty (whatever spelling). A search for [noo, noo*} would have found the song and from that the Child number to search for other versions.

Subject: Lyr Add: RISSELTY ROSSITY
From: Dale Rose
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 07:19 PM

This doesn't seem like the one I remember, but it certainly is an old one. I got it from a page entitled Songs Of and About Elizabethan Times:
http://www.renfaire.com/Language/songs.html

I also found a shorter, but similar version at:
http://www.stairway.org/kidsongs/r007.htm


RISSELTY ROSSITY

He married his wife in the month of June.
    Risselty-rossilty, now now now.
He carried her off in a silver spoon.
    Risselty-rossilty, hey bom-bossety
    Nickety-nackety, retrical quality
    Willaby-wallaby, now now now.

She combs her hair but once a year.
With every pull she sheds a tear.

She sweeps the floor but once a year.
She says her broom is much too dear.

She churns the butter in father's old boot,
And for a dasher she uses her foot.

The butter turned out a grisly gray.
The cheese grew legs and ran away.

The cheese still sits upon the shelf.
It you want any more, you can sing it yourself.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Dale Rose
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 06:39 PM

I meant older recording, but not necessarily an older song.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Dale Rose
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 06:34 PM

I do know the Burl Ives song~~in fact, I have it somewhere, but in my imperfect memory of the long ago and far away, there is also an image of a much older song from the 20s entitled (???) Nickety, Nackety, Now, Now, Now. This was a record in my great grandfather's collection that I loved to listen to about 50 years ago (he died in 1949)but I have not heard it since. It does not seem to me to have been the same song exactly. I do have a source who probably knows the song, singer, etc. I will check and report back in a couple of weeks, if I can find out anything.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Bruce O.
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 02:48 PM

Burl Ives' version was the 1st I ever heard.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Bob Landry
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 02:23 PM

Thanks, Bruce, what a guy! 34 minutes to get an answer. This forum is really amazing.

I've printed the words and from the notes on the bottom, what I probably heard was the Burl Ives version way back when.

Thanks again.

Subject: RE: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Bruce O.
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 02:11 PM

Wee Cooper of Fife, look in DT, its probalby there.

Subject: Req: Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo
From: Bob Landry
Date: 04 Feb 98 - 01:37 PM

Here's a poser that I'm sure one of you amazing Mudcatters can solve.

Every once in a while, this musical phrase "Nickety, nackety, noo, noo, noo..." pops into my head. It comes from way back in time, probably the 1950's or 1960's when I was growing up (and that process ain't over yet) in Cape Breton.

Can anyone identify this tune and point me to the lyrics?

Many thanks, Bob