Lyr Req: Mama, Will You Buy Me a Banana?

Subject: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: GUEST,Norbert and Gesa
Date: 06 Apr 02 - 07:10 PM

There is an irish children song we are searching for. we know, that the Sands family sang it in the seventys. The first line is: Mama will you buy me a, will you buy me a, will you buy me a, Mama will you buy me a, will you buy me a Banana.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From:
Date: 06 Apr 02 - 07:32 PM

Ma, Ma, Will you buy me a banana?

Ma, Ma, will you buy me a,
will you buy me a,
will you buy me a?
Ma, Ma, will you buy me a,
will you buy me a banana?
 
Ma, Ma, will you peel the skin,
will you peel the skin
will you peel the skin?
Yes, yes, I'll peel the skin,
the skin on your banana.
 
Ma, Ma, do you want a bite,
do you want a bite,
do you want a bite?
Yes, yes, I'll have a bite,
a bite of your banana.
 
Ma, Ma, you greedy thing,
you greedy thing,
you greedy thing.
Ma, Ma, you greedy thing,
you've eaten my banana.
 
Ma, Ma, will you buy me a,
will you buy me a,
will you buy me a?
Ma, Ma, will you buy me a,
will you buy me a banana?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 06 Apr 02 - 07:40 PM

I'm typing this from memory late at night (always a bad combination) but here goes. I learned this from singing it in the car on the way home from sessions - we used to get some awesome harmonies (at least they sounded awesome to my alcohol-sodden ears)(I wasn't driving). But the guys I learned it from sang "Man, man" not "Mama". If I've left anything out, someone jump in and correct me. Anyway:

Man, man, will you buy me a
Buy me a
Buy me a
Man, man will you buy me a
Buy me a banana?

Yes my child, I'll buy you one...
I'll buy you a banana

Man, man, will you peel the skin...
The skin of my banana

Yes my child, I'll peel the skin...
The skin of your banana

Man, man, do you want a bite...
A bite of my banana

Yes my child, I'll have a bite...
A bite of your banana

Man, man, you're a greedy guts...
You've eaten my banana

[Repeat 1st verse]

(Well, ya hadda HEAR it...)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 07 Apr 02 - 07:11 AM

The "ma, ma" one I know has the same response ("yes my son I'll buy you a") as Bonnie's, but the last verse is:

Ma, ma you ate the lot
ate the lot,
ate the lot
Ma, ma, you ate the lot
You ate all my banana

(or, in Norn Iron dialect:
"Ma, ma, ye et the lat...
ye'et all may bawnawnaw")

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: GUEST,WeeWillie
Date: 07 Apr 02 - 07:19 AM

A McPeake Family recording from the early 60s. Wee Willie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:38 AM

I've heard a version that has a punch line not given above.

In the second-to-last verse, the child asks, for the second time:
"Mama, would you buy me a, buy me a, buy me a,
Mama, would you buy me a, buy me a banana?"

And the mother answers:
"You didn't eat the other one, the other one, the other one.
You didn't eat the other one. You'll get no more bananas!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: GUEST,skin-the-goat
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 08:40 AM

I was one of Bonnie's choir and it may be our strong accents but we always sang
" Ma Ma will you buy me a"
etc

Subject: Lyr Add: MAMA, WILL YOU BUY ME A BANANA?
From: vectis
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 06:06 PM

This is the version I got from Barnbrack

MA, MA, WILL YOU BUY ME A BANANA?

Ma, Ma, will you buy me a? Will you buy me a? Will you buy me a?
Ma, Ma, will you buy me a? Will you buy me a banana?

Yes my child I'll buy you a. I'll buy you a. I'll buy you a.
Yes my child I'll buy you a, I'll buy you a banana.

Ma, Ma, will you peel the skin? Will you peel the skin? Will you peel the skin?
Ma, Ma will you peel the skin, the skin of my banana?

Yes my child I'll peel the skin. I'll peel the skin. I'll peel the skin.
Yes my child I'll peel the skin, the skin of your banana.

Ma! Ma! Would you like a bit? Would you like a bit? Would you like a bit?
Ma! Ma! Would you like a bit, a bit of my banana?

Yes my child I'll take a bite. I'll take a bite. I'll take a bite.
Yes my child I'll take a bite, a bite of your banana

Ma! Ma! You've took too much! You've took too much! You've took too much!
Ma! Ma! You've took too much, too much of my banana!

Ma! Ma! You're a greedy guts! You're a greedy guts! You're a greedy guts!
Ma! Ma! You're a greedy guts, you've ate all my banana!

Ma! Ma! Will you buy me a? Will you buy me a? Will you buy me a?
Ma! Ma! Will you buy me a? Will you buy me a banana?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mama, will you buy me a Banana
From: Bluesmike
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 06:15 PM

My dear Friend David O'Connor recorded the song during the 70's and had a cute second verse which my son and every other child loved.

the second verse- Mama would you buy me an orange- pronounced as a five year old would- a noringe.
next time round there was a single line of would you buy me a watermelon- sung only once- was immediately followed by a loud 'NO'.

David has been living and working in Mongolia for the last few years - why not say Hi.
[e-mail]

Kind thoughts
Michael