What Did Washington Say ....

Subject: RE: What Did Washington Say ....
From: GUEST,Rob Schehl
Date: 18 Jun 22 - 01:41 AM

One of the first songs i learned playing guitar from an older friend Bill Mazza in Ohio Have dusted it off periodically and its always a hit at parties. Bill also used the I m cold w. No long underwear translation, though if he knew the 3rd verse w the rowboats , he never taught it to me. I played it tonight at a music memorial for a friend and as usual it s infectious ridiculousness won the crowd. I m glad I googledit tonight to find it s performer. I never knew who wrote/ sang it. Now I have 4 verses

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Subject: RE: What Did Washington Say ....
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 22 - 05:31 AM

I think the second line is translated:
I am cold.I have no underwear.

Subject: RE: What Did Washington Say ....
From: GUEST,Joe
Date: 22 Apr 19 - 07:37 PM

I always heard it as "Mi faccio freddo, no tengo mutande," (but in the Calabrese (Calabrian) or Siciliano (Sicilian) dialect), meaning "I'm cold, I'm not wearing—or, "I don't have"—my (long) underwear. (I believe Lou Monte was Calabrese, as my family is.)

Subject: RE: What Did Washington Say ....
From: GUEST,jmelone277
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 09:18 AM

Oh, Martha, Martha, wish you were here tonight.
Oh, Martha, Martha, no pasta fazool-a tonight.

2. "Martha baked these pizza pies and now they're cold as ice.
We'll sell them to the Indians at only half the price.
Please row a little faster, boys. I got no time to kill.
Tonight I'm posing for my picture on the dollar bill.
...
...
Oh, Martha, Martha, don't wait up for me tonight.
Oh, Martha, Martha, no Tarantella tonight."

3. George stood up and told his men, "Keep going! Please don't stop.
These boats are only rented and we've got till six o'clock.
It's against the rules. We can't go rowing after dark.
We've got to get these rowboats back to good old Central Park.
...
...
Oh, Martha, Martha, I'm not coming home tonight.
Oh, Martha, Martha, there'll be no twisting tonight."

4. On the day of glory, that's what Georgie told his crew.
Some may doubt the story, but to those of you who do,
Just ask Giusepp' the barber while he trims and cuts your hair.
He'll tell you just what Georgie said when he crossed the Delaware:
...
...
Oh, Martha, Martha, no pasta fazool tonight.
Oh, Martha, Martha, I'm not coming home tonight."

SPOKEN: Hey George, you wanna buy a bridge?

Subject: RE: What Did Washington Say ....
From: Peace
Date: 13 Mar 05 - 08:21 PM

A piece of it anyway.

Subject: RE: What Did Washington Say ....
From: Peace
Date: 13 Mar 05 - 04:34 PM

Hear it here.

Subject: What Did Washington Say ....
From: Ferrara
Date: 13 Mar 05 - 02:41 AM

There was a request in the "Pepino the Italian Mouse" thread for "What Did Washington Say When he Crossed the Delaware?" Don't know if I can still find the record but here is the first verse and a (probably mangled) version of the chorus:

"Give me liberty or give me death," these words will never die,
"We have just begun to fight" is a famous battle cry,
But what I really want to know ain't written anywhere:
What did Washington say when he crossed the Delaware?
"Mme faccia 'nu fridd', mo tengo 'nu famm',
Mme faccia 'nu fridd', mo tengo 'nu dann'."
    [where "fridd'" is pronounced "freed" and is dialect for "freddo," or cold. Rough translation:"I'm freezing, I'm hungry, I'm freezing, I hurt all over..."]
"Oh, Martha, Martha, I'm no coming home tonight,
Martha, Martha, no tarantella tonight."

My aunt, a first generation immigrant, told me the joke originated with Italians in New Jersey but it was popular in the Washington area too. They were cold all winter long, and they would ask each other, "What did Washington say when he crossed the Delaware?" The answer, which is too rude to translate literally, was "Mme faccia 'nu cazzo fridd'" which, cleaned up, roughly means it's cold as heck out here.

Does anyone have the rest? I'll try to find the record.

Rita F