Lyr Req: That's My Paw

Subject: That's My Paw
From: GUEST,Don
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 10:17 AM

I have some rather sparse memories of this song, which actually got some air time on what was called "Top 40 radio" back in the 60's (in the Washington DC area, at any rate.) The song had something of a "country" sound, but was also an example of what was called a "novelty song". The first few lines, as I recall, went something like this:

Well, back in the country, where I was born

'twas on a little old hillside farm

my paw raised six kids, and one of 'em was me


There was a nonsense vocal accompaniment that sounded in between the verses. It sounded something like "hoop bobba dooba wabba, hoop bobba dooba wahba".

The song went on to describe how the father (i.e. the "paw" of the title) would take the cotton crop to town, and how they could tell when he was returning in the evening because "He'd rear (?) back and he'd sound off something like this." This was followed by some hollering and laughing that was almost but not quite entirely unlike yodeling.

Does anyone remember this song?

Subject: RE: That's My Paw
From: Amos
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 10:23 AM

I sure remember that line about six kids 'and one of them was me'. But they're awful faint memories, Don. Sorry I can't be more help!

A

Subject: RE: That's My Paw
From: GUEST,Gern
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 10:27 AM

Yes I do, master of useless information that I am. I believe it was recorded by Sheb Wooley, country singer and brief regular on the original Hee-Haw TV show. History files his name next to the novelty hit "Flying Purple People Eater." He sometimes recorded comedy material under the name of Ben Colder, and there are some great drunken parodies of country hits like "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Skip a Rope" under that name. But I think "That's My Paw" is listed under Sheb Wooley's name. That laughin yodel of his on this song reminds me of the Fendermen's version of "Muleskinner Blues." Perhaps the oracle of Masato can provide more details. By the way, Guest Don, I congratulate your sucessful transcription of "Hoop bobba dooba wahba." The Japanese could have used you in World War II to crack the Navy's Navaho code.

Subject: RE: That's My Paw
From: 53
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 10:41 AM

I downloaded the song from Napster, but I don't have the words. Maybe if you could download the song from somewhere you could write down the words.

Subject: RE: That's My Paw
From: GUEST,Don
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 01:01 PM

Thanks, Gern! I certainly remember "One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater", but I didn't know it was by the same guy. In looking up Sheb Wooley on a website, I discovered that he recorded (as Ben Colder) another song that I remember: "Don't Go Near the Eskimoes", which I recall had the line "She's got the coldest nose in Alaska".

Thanks again to all who posted.

Subject: RE: That's My Paw
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 01:24 PM

Sheb Wooley co-starred with Gary Cooper in High Noon as
the Notorious Ben Miller

aka Ben Colder, Sheb recorded HELLO WALLS #2,
one of the funniest songs-videos i ever heard-saw...

I have a TON of videos recorded off of TV thru the years I
would like to convert to MPEGs?

Have heard different stories on what is required/needed
to do that...

Subject: RE: That's My Paw
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Oct 02 - 07:27 PM

You can find a recording of Sheb Wooley singing "That's My Pa" here (click). Anybody want to volunteer to transcribe it?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: THAT'S MY PA (Sheb Wooley)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Oct 02 - 01:53 PM

Here's my transcription of the sound file Joe linked to:

THAT'S MY PA
(Sheb Wooley)

Now, back in the country where I was born,
It was on a little old hillside farm,
My pa raised six kids and one of them was me.*
In the fall of the year when the fields got white,
We'd start picking cotton about daylight.
On Saturday, Pa'd take it on to town.*
Then along about dark when ever'thing was still,
We could tell it was Pa coming down the hill,
'Cause he'd rear back and he'd sound off something like this:*
"Hoo-oo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-ha-ha-ha!
Hoo-oo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-ha-ha-ha!"

We'd go out to meet him with a lantern light,
'Cause the roads got crooked on Saturday night,
And he'd come on down the hill and he'd stop in the yard.*
He'd sit up there on that wagon seat,
And he'd say, "Boys, I'm hard to beat,
Two hundred pounds of steel and twice as hard.*
'Cause I'm wild and woolly and full of fleas
And I never been curried below the knees."
And he'd rear back and bellow out a chorus or two:*
"Hoo-oo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-ha-ha-ha!
Hoo-oo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-ha-ha-ha!"
That's my pa.

Said, "I'm rough and ready and I'm 'bout half wild,
And I can whip anybody in a half a mile."
'Course, there wasn't anybody else there 'cept me and little Skeet.*
Said, "I'm just as tough as a hickory briar
And I can dive deeper and come up drier."
And he did it, too, right off that wagon seat.*
It shook him up when he hit the ground.
Pa got up and looked around,
And then reared back and let us have it again:*
"Hoo-oo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-ha-ha-ha!
Hoo-oo-oo-hoo-oo-oo-ah-ha-ha-ha!"

[As recorded by Sheb Wooley, 1962.

I have marked with an asterisk the points where the bass background vocal goes, as I hear it, "Yoop-poppa-toopa-toppa, yoop-poppa-toopa-toppa, yoop."

Rear: "1. To rise on the hind legs, as a horse. 2. To rise high in the air; tower." (Pronounced "rare" in dialect, and in this song.)

Maybe a horse expert can explain "curried below the knees", and maybe a botanist can explain "hickory briar."]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: That's My Paw
From: 53
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 01:03 PM

I have the orignal 45 bought in 1962.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: That's My Paw
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 01:32 AM

Curry \Cur"ry\ (k?r"r?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curried (-r?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Currying.] [OE. curraien, curreien, OF. cunreer, correier, to prepare, arrange, furnish, curry (a horse), F. corroyer to curry (leather) (cf. OF. conrei, conroi, order, arrangement, LL. conredium); cor- (L. com-) + roi, rei, arrangement, order; prob. of German origin, and akin to E. ready. See Ready, Greith, and cf. Corody, Array.] 1. To dress or prepare for use by a process of scraping, cleansing, beating, smoothing, and coloring; -- said of leather.

2. To dress the hair or coat of (a horse, ox, or the like) with a currycomb and brush; to comb, as a horse, in order to make clean.