Origins: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)

Subject: RE: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 03 - 04:40 PM

I think that the monk ran away with the priest and picked up some alter boys.

Subject: RE: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)
From: Schantieman
Date: 12 Dec 03 - 12:19 PM

I also used to sing this at Scout (and Cub) camp and am currently teaching it to my seven-year-old daughter. Exactly as Nigel says, except "I went..."

Steve

Subject: RE: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 12 Dec 03 - 05:42 AM

I'm almost with Guest,Mat here.The version I remember from numerous Scout camps was:

We went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there,
The gay baboon, by the light of the moon, was combing his auburn hair,
The monkey fell out if his bunk, (shouted "THUMP!")
Slid down the elephants trunk, ("WHEEE!")
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees,
But what became of the monkey monkey monkey monkey.......

at this point half the campfire circle start the verse again whilst the other half continue the two tone repetition of "monkey, monkey..." Although due to the emphasis it sounds more like "Ee-monk, eemonk...." (possibly why it has been transcribed elsewhere as "the monk")

CHEERS

Nigel

Subject: RE: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)
From: Amos
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 09:45 PM

An old family favorite -- but wasn't it also one of Arthur Godfrey's??

A

Subject: RE: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 08:41 PM

Used to be sung back in the good old days when I was in the Scouts !!

Subject: RE: what became of the monk? (Animal Fair)
From: GUEST,Mat
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 10:58 AM

I know it as:-

We went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there,
By the light of the moon the big baboon was combing his golden hair,
The monkey fell out if his bunk,
Slid down the elephants trunk,
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees,
But what became of the monkey monkey monkey monkey.......

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Gene
Date: 15 Oct 98 - 06:08 PM

Here's another version of THE ANIMAL FAIR
From an old Children's Songs LP

THE ANIMAL FAIR

I went to the animal fair
The birds and the beasts were there
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair.

The monkey, he got drunk
And sat on the elephant's trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell to his knees
And that was the end of the monk
The monk, the monk, the monk
The monk, the monk, the monk.

Said a flea to a fly in a flue
Said the flea: "Oh, what shall we do?"
Said the fly: "Let us flee!"
Said the flea: "Let us fly!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From:
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 08:56 PM

The version I knew always ended "And that was the end of the monk." It is a drunken monkey in my version too.

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: ANIMAL FAIR (from Carl Sandburg)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Oct 98 - 02:36 AM

Here's the Sandburg version, which agrees with Tiger. Sandburg says "all of the minstrels sang it," but that's all Sandburg says. I couldn't find any history on this song at all.

ANIMAL FAIR

I went to the animal fair
The birds and beasts were there
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey he got drunk
And sat on the elephant's trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees
And what became of the monk, the monk?
The monk, etc., ad nauseam

MIDI file: ANIMAL~1.MID

Timebase: 192

Name: Animal Fair
Text: By traditional minstrel song
Key: D
TimeSig: 6/8 24 8
Start
0000 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0224 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0224 1 74 110 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 73 110 0094 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 71 110 0046 0 71 000 0002 1 71 110 0046 0 71 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 73 110 0046 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0046 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0224 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0224 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0224 1 74 110 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 73 110 0046 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0046 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 73 110 0046 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0046 0 73 000 0002 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 66 110 0046 0 66 000 0002 1 66 110 0046 0 66 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Animal Fair
M:6/8
Q:1/4=120
K:D
FA2A/2A/2BB|FA5|FA2AB2|FA5|dc2cc2|B/2B/2c2c/2c/2c2|
BA2A/2A/2B2|FA5|FA2AB2|FA5|FA2A/2A/2BB|FA5|
dc2c/2c/2c2|Bc2c/2c/2c2|BA2AB2|F/2F/2A2AA||

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 05 Oct 98 - 10:31 PM

I remember....

The monkey, he got drunk,
And sat on the elephant's trunk,

....Tiger

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 Oct 98 - 06:37 PM

There's a version in Carl Sandberg's American Songbag, and a fragment in Spaeth's Read 'em and Weep.

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Bert
Date: 05 Oct 98 - 05:20 PM

Well, when you go back to the Fifties for your songs and jokes, what do you expect.

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From:
Date: 05 Oct 98 - 03:18 PM

G-R-O-A-N!!!

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Bert
Date: 05 Oct 98 - 02:23 PM

rich r,
Last I heard of him he was in partnership with the fish friar.

Bert.

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: rich r
Date: 03 Oct 98 - 09:21 PM

My recollection is that the monk got involved in the potato fixing end of a fish & chips business and became known as the chip monk.

rich r

Subject: Lyr Add: ANIMAL FAIR / MINSTREL SONG
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Oct 98 - 05:58 PM

there are two versions at KiDiddles. I hope I copied the HTML right, since my edit button isn't working and I can't fix my goofs.
-Joe Offer-

Minstrel Song
Written By: Unknown

I went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there,
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair,
The monkey bumped the skunk,
And sat on the elephant's trunk;
The elephant sneezed and fell to his knees,
And that was the end of the monk,
The monk, the monk, the monk,
The monk, the monk, the monk.

Minstrel Song
Written By: Unknown

I went to the animal fair
All the birds and the beasts were there
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair.
You should have seen the monk
He sat on the elephant's trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees
And what became of the monk,
The monk, the monk, the monk,
The monk, the monk, the monk?

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Rockaday Johnny
Date: 01 Oct 98 - 02:08 AM

For a great version find it on one of the old Jesse Fuller lps - (Animal Fair)!

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Barbara
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 10:12 PM

Yeah, I remember hearing it too, when I was a kid, I think it was on this kid's 78 we had that was yellow? Also had Sourwood mountain, and Big rock candy mountain, other songs...words were the same as bassens, except the last line was:
"What became of the monk, the monk, and what became of the monk?"
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Gene
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 07:43 PM

I think I have a version of that on a
Children's Songs LP....
S-o-m-e-w-h-e-r-e???

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Roger Himler
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 07:31 PM

Bassen,

I recall:

The funniest was the monk, Who climbed up the elephant's drunk.

Of course, this is oral tradition, folk process and all that stuff.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: what became of the monk?
From: Mo
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 07:04 PM

I know it here in Scotland too, but like you, know no more about it.

Subject: what became of the monk?
From: bassen
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 06:58 PM

Growing up in California in the 50s, we sang a song that went like this:

I went to the animal fair
The birds and the beasts were there
The old baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his amber hair
The monkey he got drunk
And fell on the elephant's trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees
And what became of the monk, the monk, the monk?

Anyone else remember this? I have a feeling that this song is/was pretty well known in the US, maybe even in songbooks, I no longer live there so I'm not sure. But where is it from, how old is it, does it have any deeper meaning beyond the spectacle of what became of the monk?

bassen