Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake

Subject: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From:
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 07:28 PM

This is just the first part of the song. i hear there is alot more but none of my family know it.

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Email address dead in 2017. -Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From: Peace
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 11:04 PM

Any chance you could get a bit more descriptive about the song? Anything else you can recall?

Kids' song? Genre? Where you heard it? Occasion on which it is used? Like that, SVP. Because otherwise it becomes a waste of time for ppeople trying to help, OK?

Thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From: Flash Company
Date: 28 Dec 04 - 10:15 AM

Is this Pete Seeger's song?

Way down south in the yanketty yank
A bull-frog jumped from bank to bank
Just because he'd nothing better for to do.
Stubbed his toe and fell in the water
You could hear him holler for a mile and a quarter
Just because he'd nothing better for to do.

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Dec 04 - 06:39 PM

Not really Pete Seeger's, though his version (as "Foolish Frog") sure is catchy. It originated back around the turn of the (19th-20th) century as "May Irwin's Frog Song," one of several of this massively built entertainer's hits— others included "Lulu" and "Bully of the Town." She had a knack of picking up song material from black sources, so it's not impossible that hers are rewrites of even earlier stuff. Irwin repays study; I only wish she'd recorded so we could hear the voice that tickled thousands in vaudeville days. --Bob Coltman

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From: GUEST,Songster Bob
Date: 28 Dec 04 - 11:05 PM

I thought that was May Irwin's Coon Song, not Frog Song.


As for the requested lyric, I can't think of anything that comes to mind.

Bob

Subject: Lyr Add: MAY IRWIN'S FROG SONG
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jan 05 - 03:49 PM

This is the song mentioned above, but it probably isn't the song littledaddy1803 wanted.

The sheet music for MAY IRWIN'S FROG SONG may be found at The Library of Congress American Memory Collection. May Irwin (1862-1938) was the performer, not the songwriter.

MAY IRWIN'S FROG SONG
Charles E. Trevathan, 1896

1. Away down a-yonder in Yankety Yank,
A bullfrog jumped from bank to bank
'Cause there wasn't nothin' else to do.
He stubbed his toe an' in he fell,
An' de neighbors all say dat he went to well,
'Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do.

CHORUS: An' jus' lots uv folks is like dis foolish frog uv mine,
A-runnin' into trouble jus' to pass de time,
An' de devil's allus loafin' 'round heah jus' to grab de kind
Dat nevah hasn't nothin' else to do.

2. When dey buried dat frog, de preacher said,
"De reason why dis young frog is dead,
'Cause there wasn't nothin' else to do.
An' all you frogs jus' a-listen to me:
Yo' bettah stay at home wid yo' family,
When you haven't nothin' else to do."

3. Some frogs I know is pow'ful fond
Uv spendin' dey time in 'nother frog's pond
'Cause dey hasn't nothin' else to do.
But dis consolation de good book brings:
De frog uv dem habits won't wear no wings
'Cause he hasn't nothin' else to do.

4. Now all uv yo' people dat heah dis song,
Yo' knows shy dis po' frog went wrong:
Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do.
You'd bettah keep busy on any kind of pay,
Till de big horn blow on de judgment day.
Den you will hab somethin' else to do.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From: Azizi
Date: 01 Jan 05 - 04:21 PM

Little Daddy, I don't know if this is the rhyme you were thinking of, but I believe that this song is the source of a "family" of children's rhymes that mention a bullfrog and feature the phrase "hanky panky."

In 2004 I collected one fragment of this rhyme from an African American young woman in Pittsburgh, Pa. I also have found several others from a website called Wheee! Blog- www.octopuseschaoticinsanity.com . I first learned about website from another Mudcat thread on children's rhymes.

Here are two examples of "The Hanky Panky rhyme" as they were written on the Wheee! Blog forum:

1. down by the lake with the hanky panky
   where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank
   singing fee fi fo fum
   ure momma looks like king kong
   didley dong i went to school with nothing on
   i asked the teacher what to wear
   polka dotted underwear
   not too big not too small
   just the size of dadeland mall (or w/e mall u choose)

2. Down by the bay with a hanky panky,Where the bullfrogs jump from
   bank to banky with a hip-hop, hippity hop, shooby-dooby-dooby-
   dooby ker plop.

Both of these rhymes were posted to that site on September 18, 2003. I have no information about the race,age, or location of these "informants". No name was given for the first example and the second one was posted by a person named "Jenniy".

I don't think I recited this rhyme when I was a child. Is it familiar to anyone and, if so, was it used for handclap rhymes or jumprope?

Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: a big bullfrog jumped into the lake
From: GUEST,Ms. Eason
Date: 27 Oct 17 - 03:08 PM

Mr. Cirillo teacher (1964) from Roosevelt School in Englewood, NJ taught us:

Way down yonder and a yankety yank,
a bullfrog jumped from bank to bank
just because of having nothing for to do.
He jumped and stumbled and fell in the water.
You could hear him holler for a mile and a quarter,
just because there's nothing for to do.

Well there's a lot of foolish folks just like that frog of mine.
Get themselves in trouble just to pass the time.
There's a lot of foolish folks just like that frog of mine,
just because there's nothing for to do.