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O - If a query has come in to which there is no answer, as yet, that
songtitle will appear in _boldface, _and in red.
ODE TO THE LITTLE BROWN SHACK
OH DEAR, WHAT CAN THE MATTER BE
OH GRANNY SHE'S GOT THE FLIVER, SHE'S HEADING FOR THE RIVER
OLD BLUE
_OLD CY AND I TO THE CIRCUS DID GO_
OLD FAMILY TOOTHBRUSH
OLE DEVIL JUMPED OUT OF THE HAYMOW
ON THE FLOOR, A LITTLE BOY SITS, PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS (aka TELL ME WHY MY
DADDY WON'T COME HOME (see “T” page for lyrics)
ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI
ONE DAY IN LATE NOVEMBER (see THE PIG GOT UP AND SLOWLY WALKED AWAY on the
“P” page)
OUT UPON THE PRAIRIE (request also listed as “Grandmother’s Song on “G”
page)
Q: ODE TO THE LITTLE BROWN SHACK
Q. from Harold H. Do you have the music for the song called, "Ode to the
Little Brown Shack"? It's a song about a outhouse and the health department
saying they had to tear it down.
A: Here it is: Ode to the Little Brown Shack
(Billy Ed Wheeler)
They past (_sic_) an ordinance in the town
Said we'd have to tear it down
That little brown shack out back so dear to me
Though the health department said
It's day was over and dead
It will stand forever in my memory
Don't let 'em tear that little brown building down
Don't let 'em tear that little brown building down
Don't let 'em tear that little brown building down
There's not another like it in the country or the town
It was not too long ago
That I went tripping through the snow
Out to that house behind my old hound dog
Where I'd sit me down to rest
Like a snow bird on her nest
And read the Sears and Roebuck catalog
I would hum a happy tune
Peeping through the quarter moon
Just like my Pappy's kin had done before
It was in that quiet pot
Daily cares could be forgot
And it gave the same relief to rich and poor
It was not a castle fair
I could build my future there
Build castles to the yellow jacket's drone
I could orbit round the sun
Fight with General Washington
Or be a king upon his own throne
It wasn't fancy built at all
Had newspapers on the wall
It was air conditioned in the wintertime
It was just a humble hut
But it's door was never shut
And a man could get inside without a dime
Copyright Quartet Music, Inc. & Bexhill Music
from the singing of Ed Britt
OH DEAR WHAT CAN THE MATTER BE
From: Helena R 'Seven Old Ladies' (alt. title)
Hello! My grandmother & some of her friends had a version of
that song that I can't remember clearly either. I've checked the web for
anything, and found 'three old ladies,' but I remember a verse that isn't
listed there! Have you found out anything more, or remember more of the
lyrics to this song?
Thanks, Helena R.
_Ed Note: _(If you search on the ‘Net, there are many other verses in
varying degrees of the more “non-family-oriented” kind — ‘nuff said[:>)?
Oh, dear, what can the matter be
Seven old ladies got locked in the lavat'ry
They were there from Sunday 'till Saturday
Nobody knew they were there
The first to come in was the minister's daughter
(The first was the Bishop of Chichester's daughter)
She went in to pass some superfluous water
She pulled on the chain and the rising tide caught her
And nobody knew she was there
The next to come in was dear Mrs. Mason
The stalls were all full so she pissed in the basin
And that is the water that I washed my face in
And nobody knew she was there
The third old lady was Amelia Garpickle;
Her urge was sincere, her reaction was fickle.
She hurdled the door; she'd forgotten her nickel,
And nobody knew she was there
The fourth to come was old Mrs. Humphrey
She shifted and jiggled to get herself comfy
Then to her dismay, she could not get her bum free
And nobody knew she was there
The fifth to come in, it was old Mrs. Draper
She sat herself down, and then found there was no paper
She had to clean up with a plasterer's scraper
And nobody knew she was there
The sixth old lady was Emily Clancy;
She went there 'cause something tickled her fancy,
But when she got there it was ants in her pantsy
And nobody knew she was there
The seventh old lady was Elizabeth Bender;
She went there to repair a broken suspender.
(But how in the world she got a suspender)
It snapped up and ruined her feminine gender,
(Caught up in the site of the feminine gender)
And nobody knew she was there
( I 'aven't the slightest idea.)
The janitor came in the early morning.
He opened the door without any warning,
The seven old ladies their seats were adorning,
And nobody knew they were there.
Another: The _#_ old lady was Abigail Quimm
Who crossed her legs on a personal whim,
But her thigh got caught twixt the bowl and the rim
And nobody knew she was there.
OH GRANNY SHE'S GOT THE FLIVER, SHE'S HEADING FOR THE RIVER
Q. From Gary C.:I have an old song that my Father used to sing and I'm
trying to find it:
"OH GRANNY SHE'S GOT THE FLIVER, she's heading for the river,
Oh ain't that just like a man's mother in law for you"
[Gary adds: A Fliver was a Model A or T car so it had to be after about
1910.]
OH IT TOOK BELL TO MAKE THE TELEPHONE RING (see INVENTORS SONG on “I” page)
OLD BLUE
Q. from Linda H. Please help me find the lyrics to the song that goes like
this . . .(it was Hound Dog — see “H” page) Also: "I had an old dog and his
name was Blue, he was a good old dog and he was true."
Q2 OLD BLUE
From: Jim K: Can you help me find the lyrics to two songs ? the first one
is called
Peanut Butter (see “P” page) and the 2nd one is called A Dog Named Blue ?
A. Go to the following so-called "mirror" site of Mudcat
. [2] Type in "I had a dog and
his name was Blue and you'll find the lyrics to "Old Blue" as below. Also
you'll be able to listen to the tune.
I had a dog and his name was Blue
I had a dog and his name was Blue
I had a dog and his name was Blue
Betcha five dollars he's a good 'un too.
Here Blue, you good dog you.
Shouldered my gun and I tooted my horn
Gonna find a possum in the new ground corn
Old Blue barked and I went to see
Cornered a possum up in a tree.
Old Blue died and he died so hard
Shook the ground in my backyard
Dug his grave with a silver spade
Lowered him down with links of chain.
Every link I did call his name
Here Blue, you good dog you
Here Blue, I'm a-coming there too.
OLD CY AND I TO THE CIRCUS DID GO
From: Marty H: I'm looking for lyrics and titles to some songs my Grampa
used to sing. (One of them is)
Old Cy and I to the circus did go
We wanted to see the big tent show....
OLD FAMILY TOOTHBRUSH
From Mary: Hi, I was wondering if you have the chords to the "Old Family
Toothbrush".
There is a site that plays the music that I could sing to. But we have
an auto-harp or what ever you call it. My brother and my self are going to
sing some songs for our senior saint group at church.....and a dentist that
goes to our church is going to donate free toothbrushes. So if you have the
chords to this it would be great.
I don't want to order a full songbook...so how much would a copy of just
that song (if it has chords) cost.
Thanks, Mary
PS: We are singing songs with the word OLD in it...so this would be perfect!
[ED Note: We brushed up a bit (sorry!) on the song, and sent the chords to
Mary — no cost]
THE OLE DEVIL JUMPED OUT OF THE HAYMOW
From: Becky D: Have you ever heard of an old Scottish song called The Ole
Devil Jumped Out
of the Haymow? I would really like to know the tune to it.
Thank you.
Becky
ONE DAY IN LATE NOVEMBER (see THE PIG GOT UP AND SLOWLY WALKED AWAY on the
“P” page)
Q ON THE FLOOR, A LITTLE BOY SITS, PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS (see also TELL ME
WHY MY DADDY WON'T COME HOME on “T” page)
From Dawn: This song is about a little boy and his mother.... I believe the
first part goes something like "on the floor, a little boy, sits playing
with his toys," then he stops, drops his toys, and goes to his mother to ask
"mommy, when is daddy coming home"? (this is part of the chorus)
Then, near the end of the song, the mother gets a letter saying her husband
was killed in the war. The chorus is then repeated again, with the little
boy asking when his daddy is coming home.
A. from Cindy:Just discovered your website and I have the words to two of
the songs people were looking for. The first is for Dawn and was listed in
the "O" section. It read, "on the
floor, a little boy sits, playing with his toys". My mother had the lyrics
to this. (See TELL ME WHY MY DADDY WON'T COME HOME on “T” page for lyrics)
[Note: Interesting that in this version it’s a little girl sitting on the
floor. Cindy’s other song turns out to be the poem THE WRECK OF THE 'JULIE
PLANTE' : A LEGEND OF LAC ST. PIERRE — see on the “L” page]
TELL ME WHY MY DADDY WON'T COME HOME
A little tot sat playing one night upon the floor
Her mother sat and idly watched her little girl of four
When all at once she dropped her toys and tears began to shed
She climbed upon her mother's knee and this is what she said:
Chorus: Tell me why my daddy don't come home
I know that I am much too big to cry
Why don't he come and play with me again
Mamma why did Daddy say good-bye
Her mother's heart was troubled her thoughts were of other days
How could she tell her darling child of love she'd cast away
A hunger stole into her heart of hopeless thoughts but sweet
It almost broke her heart to hear the little one repeat: Chorus:
T'was just one week later a letter came to her
The letter's edge was trimmed in black her cold hands shook with fear
"Your husband's eyes are closed in death his earthly cares are done
Your little daughter's daddy can never more come home." Chorus:
ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI, sung to On Top of Old Smoky, written by Tom Glazer
From B.J.McN
On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table and onto the floor,
And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door.
It rolled through the garden and under a bush,
And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush.
Oh, the mush was as tasty as tasty can be,
And early that summer it grew into a tree.
The tree was all covered with beautiful moss.
It grew lovely meatballs with tomato sauce.
So, if you eat spaghetti, all covered with cheese,
Hang on to your meatballs, and don't ever sneeze.
ONE DAY IN LATE NOVEMBER A similar song
From digitrad listing
THE FAMOUS PIG SONG
(Clarke Van Ness, music by F. Henri Klickmann)
'Twas an evening in October, I'll confess I wasn't sober,
I was carting home a load with manly pride,
When my feet began to stutter and I fell into the gutter,
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.
Then I lay there in the gutter and my heart was all a-flutter,
Till a lady, passing by, did chance to say:
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,"
Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.
Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,"
Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.
Then I heard a gentle mooing, it was like a pigeon cooing,
As a home returning cow stopped in her stride,
And her eyes were big and gentle; her expression sentimental,
As she curtsied low and sat down by my side.
Then I saw her eyelids flutter and a tear fell in the gutter,
As the owner of the cow did loudly say:
"Leave that brute this moment, Sonja, or your milk will curdle on ya,"
Then the cow got up and slowly walked away.
Walked away, walked away,
She was really too particular to stay.
"Leave that brute this moment, Sonja, or your milk will curdle on ya,"
Then the cow got up and slowly walked away.
Then the moon began to shine in that old gutter I reclined in,
Thinking of the weakness of the human race,
When a dog sat down beside me, and I thought he came to chide me,
Till he gently licked the stubble on my face.
In the gutter, still reclining, I began "Sweet Adeline-ing,"
While the dog raised up his head to loudly bay;
Then his mistress said, "Come, Fido, that disgusting man may bite you,"
Then the dog got up and slowly walked away.
Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.
Then his mistress said, "Come, Fido, that disgusting man may bite you,"
Then the dog got up and slowly walked away.
Down the street there came a clatter, and a gentle pitter-patter,
As a pair of goats along the gutter ran;
And it seemed that Billy knew me, for he quickly drew up to me,
While his wife munched on an empty sardine can.
Then again my pulse did flutter, and my heart was soft as butter;
Till the Nanny goat, unto her mate, did say:
"William dear, your social status don't include men such as that is,"
Then the goat got up and slowly walked away.
Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.
"William dear, your social status don't include men such as that is,"
Then the goat got up and slowly walked away.
Then I started in to mutter and I rose up from the gutter,
Then I sadly went about my lonely way;
I was weary, sick and busted; I was really quite disgusted,
And I vowed to sign the pledge that very day.
For each humble, lowly creature, a great lesson he can teach ya,
Like the one learned while I in the gutter lay;
In the tavern, do not tarry, when you've got all you can carry,
But take up your load and slowly walk away.
Walk away, walk away,
For the "Horrors" is an awful price to pay,
In the tavern, do not tarry, when you've got all you can carry,
But take up your load and slowly walk away.
CODA
Now lately I've been thinking that I will quit my drinking.
I'm going to leave off whiskey, beer and grog,
For there's no consolation, but only aggravation,
You can't even find friendship with a hog.
(Alternate last stanza)
I began to scratch the gravel, on my all fours I did travel,
I rambled down the road the best I could.
When I awoke next morning, just as the day was dawning,
I was in a hog pen away out in the woods.
Then the hogs began to grumble, I started and I stumbled,
I fell right in their midst and there I lay.
Then one by one they started, till all the herd departed,
Yes, every hog got up and walked away.
Walked away, etc.
OUT UPON THE PRAIRIE: her Grandmother's Song request from Lynn Hathaway
I'm looking for a song my grandmother used to sing to me, it begins with,
Out upon the Prairie, wild and something and free....Help! thanks
Last revised: 28 October 2016. Conditions of Use.
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