Lyr Req: Old Witch, Old Witch

Subject: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Kathy M.
Date: 10 Feb 98 - 09:41 PM

I think the recording I remember from childhood was by Burl Ives, but I can't find it in the remaining LPs in my possession. The lyrics I remember are:

Ch: Old Witch, Old Witch
She lives in a ditch
And combs her hair with a hick'ry switch
And as I said, she's very fat
And when she walks she jumps like a cat
Ooooh she jumps like a cat
Ooooh she jumps like a cat.

Chicken-my Chicken-my creamy-cregs
I went to the well to wash my legs
When I got there the water was dregs
What time is it Old Witch, Old Witch
What time is it Old Witch.

Some of the words change in each chorus and verse. I've searched the DT without any luck. Can you help?

Thanks in advance.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Benjamin Bodhra/nai
Date: 12 Feb 98 - 03:17 AM

Kathy,

This song was released on "The Lollipop Tree" (At least here in Australia). Yes it was Burl Ives. I know I had this but I will have to do a bit of a search. As I actually was thinking of doinhg a few of the songs off this album it will be a good excuse to pull my finger out. If I find it and no one else has come up with the goods I'll post the lyrics.

Sla/n

BB

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Benjamin Bodhra/nai
Date: 12 Feb 98 - 03:32 AM

Okey Dokey here it is

As you know the form of the song I'll just put in the important bits after the first verse.

Chicken my chicken my creamy crow
I went to the well to wash my toe
But when I got there the water was low
What time is it old witch old witch,
What time is it old Witch?

Old witch,Old witch, she lives in a ditch
And combs her hair with a hickry switch
She lives on snails and nails and flys
And if you go near her she'll wobble her eyes
Oh she'll wobble her eyes, Oh she'll wobble her eyes

crand; hand; sand,
She's as fat as a feather that's ---- in the middle (sorry couldn't pick the word)
And when she laughs she sounds like a fiddle

crace; face; lace
She sleeps on a bed of straw and corn
And when she snores she sounds like a horn

then Burl sings the verse and chorus you know, then instrumental, then the same verse and chorus.

Have fun!! Sla/n

BB

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Kathy M.
Date: 12 Feb 98 - 09:52 AM

Benjamin-- Thanks a million for your fast research! The Lollipop Tree title sounds familiar, so I think it was released here in the US under the same title and I'm sure we had it while I was growing up. It's lost the way things get lost when childhood ends. But now I can search the 2nd hand shops for it. Thanks again!

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 11:07 AM

DID anybody get that missing word?!?

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 11:24 AM

She's fat as a feather but TIGHT in the middle.

Subject: Lyr Add: OLD WITCH, OLD WITCH
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 12:24 PM

Lyr. Add: OLD WITCH, OLD WITCH

Chicken my chicken my creamy crow,
I went to the well to wash my toe,
When I got there the water was low,
What time is it, Old witch, Qld witch?
What time is it, Old Witch?

Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch
And combs her hair with a hickory switch.
She lives on nails and snails and flies
And if you go near she'll wobble her eyes.
Oh, she'll wobble her eyes, Oh, she'll wobble her eyes.

Chicken, my chicken my creamy cran,
I went to the well to wash my hand,
When I got there the water was sand,
What time is it, Old Witch, Old Witch?
What time is it Old Witch?
What time is it, Old Witch?

Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch
And combs her hair with a hickory switch.
She's fat as a feather but tight in the middle
And when she talks she sounds like a fiddle.
Oh, she sounds like a fiddle! Oh, she sounds like a fiddle!

Chicken my chicken my creamy crase,
I went to the well to wash my face,
But when I got there the water was lace.
What time is it, Old Witch, Old Witch?
What time is it Old Witch?

Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch,
And combs her hair with a hickory switch.
She sleeps on a bed with straw and corn
And when she snores she sounds like a horn.
Oh, she sounds like a horn! Oh, she sounds like a horn!

Chicken, my chicken my creamy cregs,
I went to the well to wash my legs,
And when I got there the water was dregs.
What time is it, Old Witch, Old Witch?
What time is it Old Witch?

Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch,
And combs her hair with a hickory switch.
And as I said she's very fat
And when she walks she jumps like a cat,
Oh, she jumps like a cat! Oh, she jumps like a cat!

"Traditional," but doubtfully so in this version. Author unknown.
Reproduced in full from a halloween folder to make harvesting easier, no data.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 06:06 PM

Anybody know source information or background information for this one? How about a tune?
-Joe Offer-

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Here's something from the Traditional Ballad Index:

Chickee Chickee Ma Craney Crow (Hawks and Chickens)

DESCRIPTION: "Chickee chickee ma craney crow, Went to the well to wash my big toe, When I got there one of my black-eyed chickens was gone, What time o' day is it, old witch?" The witch answers, and eventually is allowed to catch one of the chickens circling her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1903 (Newell)
KEYWORDS: witch playparty chickens
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph 570, "Chickee Chickee Ma Craney Crow" (3 texts)
Roud #7661
File: R570

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Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions

The Ballad Index Copyright 2003 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

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Also note this message:

Thread #39820   Message #569170
Posted By: kytrad
10-Oct-01 - 03:02 PM
Thread Name: Supernatural Ballads....??
Subject: RE: Supernatural Ballads....??

Guest-Nova Scotia's reference to, "Sharper than the thorn," reminded me of yet another of our family ones; we call it "The Devil's Nine Questions." And then there's also, "Still He Stood," the children's version of, "The False Knight on the Road."

There were games we played, too, tag games which had a beginning chant (no tune):

Chick-tumma-chick-tumma craney-crow,
Went to the well to wash her toe
When she got back, her blackeyed chicken was gone!
WHAT TIME IS IT, OLD WITCH?

Old Witch (tagger): SEVEN O'CLOCK!

This chanting by the group and answering by the witch keeps on until she yells, TWELVE O'CLOCK! when she chases and catches as many as she can, and takes them to her Den (circle on the ground)...last to be caught becomes Witch for the next round.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 06:19 PM

What time is it old witch

is like the

What's the time Mr Wolf - (Dinner Time!)

game we played in Aussie - at school with the teachers as part of "structured play exercise" - in the early 1950's

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 07:47 PM

The note in Randolph explains a little more. Thanks, Joe, for opening the name up.

From Randolph- "Newell (Games and Songs, 1903) gave several versions of this "Hawks and Chickens" game from different parts of the country." Versions are in Talley (Negro Folk Rhymes, 1922), Scarborough (On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs, 1925), and Cox (Southern Folklore Quarterly, 1942).

The verse given by Kytrad above (black-eyed chickens) is identical with the verse given by Randolph from a Miss Wilbur, Pineville, MO, 1920. The game is similar, but the first one caught becomes the next witch. One version was collected by Randolph in 1913; the singer claimed to have learned it in "the 80's."

"Hawk and Chickens," description of the childrens' game, collected in Florida in 1939, is heard on American Memory.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 08:43 PM

I remember "What's the time Mr Wolf" from South London in the late 1950s; whether we got it from teachers or other children I don't recall.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Nov 03 - 08:59 PM

"What's the Time, Mr Wolf?" version at What's the Time
The Game is described on the BBC: Mr Wolf

I am assuming that this is an English version of the game, so I have not put a stop (.) after Mr
One site claims the game for Italy and another for Australia. Perhaps the game traveled with the families of the Roman Legionaires.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 03 - 02:17 AM

Apparently, the game was in the movie The Song of the South.
In Games and Songs of American Children, William Wells Newell describes seven versions of the game. Most of the versions are a fairly elaborate play that children act out.

-Joe Offer-

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I found one description of the game here:

One girl was the witch; she sat on the ground while the others had a base. They would go skipping and singing
"Chicken, chicken, McCraney Crow,
I went to the well to wash my toe,
When I came along back, my black-eyed chicken was gone,
What time is it Old Witch?"
She would say "one" and we'd go back to base and repeat. The witch counted until the number she had written down. When she said it, she would jump up and chase us. If one was touched, she had to be the witch.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Nov 03 - 08:40 PM

According to AMG - All Music Guide, OLD WITCH OLD WITCH is included in Burl Ives' album, "A Twinkle in Your Eye," which is still available as a CD (Sony 63420, 1998).

It is attributed to "MacGimsey." This is apparently Robert MacGimsey (1898-1979) who also wrote "Sweet Little Jesus Boy." Evidently MacGimsey made use of traditional material.

Subject: RE: Lyr & Rec: Old Witch, Old Witch
From: GUEST,bobbie
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 03:59 PM

This game was taught me by my mother, who was born in 1898. She knew it from her childhood in Central Missouri. The family came from Virginia and were of French ancestry. I was glad to find the info, I had forgotten how it went. Thanks!