Origin: Canoodle-Doodle + Somebody's Waiting

Subject: RE: Looking for origins of these music hall songs
From:
Date: 19 Jan 97 - 07:03 AM

Hello folks,

I am looking for some information on 2 songs currently in oral circulation in Newfoundland outport tradition.

CANOODLE-DOODLE: Sounds like a British Music Hall number. Goes like this:

I've never been so deep in love as what I am now
I haven't slept for weeks and weeks, I don't know what to do
It's Carrie MacIntosh the bonny wee lassie I adore...etc. etc.

The chorus goes:

I'm goin' to marry-arry
Sweet little Carrie-arrie
On the fifth, the twenty-fifth of Janu-anu-anuary
Once we canoodle-doodle
Right fol the doodle-oodle
On the fifth, the twenty-fifth of January-O.

The other one is called SOMEBODY'S WAITING. It's about a guy named Jack who is laughed at for leaving a pub too early--he takes his buddies back and shows them his "sweetheart" who is patiently waiting at home. It's his mother. The chorus goes:

There's somebody waiting for me
Someone who loves me I know
Someone who's wondering where I can be
Or what can be keeping me so
Somebody's heart is sad
Waiting so anxiously
There's a light burning bright in the window tonight
And there's somebody waiting for me.

I'd be grateful for any clues.

Subject: RE: Origin: Canoodle-Doodle + Somebody's Waiting
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 May 11 - 07:34 AM

The first song might be CANOODLE-OODLE-OO. The British Library has the sheet music, published in 1904 by Francis, Day & Hunter. The sheet music has the notation "Written by Swaff" but the catalogue entry says "by E D'hermann, pseud."

The second song is definitely SOMEBODY'S WAITING FOR ME by Andrew B. Sterling & Harry Von Tilzer. The lyrics have been posted in another thread, with a link to the sheet music.

Subject: RE: Origin: Canoodle-Doodle + Somebody's Waiting
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jul 20 - 12:38 AM

Needs work

Subject: RE: Origin: Canoodle-Doodle + Somebody's Waiting
From: GUEST,Rich Galloway
Date: 05 Jul 20 - 12:55 PM

Joe Offer asked me to post the lyrics to the Canoodle-Doodle song here. (I know this is a very old thread.) I got the song from a group of brothers (from Cape Breton?) at the Festival of American Folklife, held annually on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I believe this was in the early 1970's, but perhaps it was later.

I cannot remember the names of the performers or where they were from. I found a note that said they were from Cape Breton, but that was a guess made many years later. They were mainly an instrumental group, but they sang a few songs including this one. I checked program books from the Festival of American Folklife, but could not find anything helpful.

Anyway, here are the lyrics as I transcribed them:

Doodle Oodle
(Roud 26166; also called (Canoodle-oodle-oo)

I’ve never been so deep in love as what I am now
I haven’t slept in weeks and weeks I don’t know what to do.
That Carey Mackintosh, a bonnie lassie I adore,
I’ve never been so lonely over any lass before.

Chorus:
I’s gonna marry-arry-arry sweet little Carey-arey-arey
On the fifth, the twenty-fifth of Janu-anu-anuary
What we can doodle-oodle, right for the doodle-oodle
On the fifth, the twenty-fifth of January-O.

Last night was dark and stormy but they could not keep me in,
For when a man is deep in love he doesn’t give a pin.
I went down to Carey’s house where I had never been before.
I sang so loud and whistled through a key hole in the door.

Chorus

I had a dream the other night, I dreamt the war had passed
And everyone was happy and that peace had come at last
And all the flags in merry Scotland were flapping in breeze
And all the soldier boys were singing in 20 different keys:

Chorus

[Spoken]
Now love it is a funny thing.
The first time I met Carey, I had a deep respect for her.
Now, when I think of Carey, my heart goes pitter-patter
under my vest, cause...

Chorus

Subject: RE: Origin: Canoodle-Doodle + Somebody's Waiting
From: GUEST,Nfld
Date: 25 Jan 24 - 07:27 AM

Bristol’s Hope (a folk band from Newfoundland) has a recorded version of Canoodle-Doodle on YouTube and Spotify for anyone still looking.