ID: 435
Date: 1928 - 2006
Title: A boy stood on the burning deck
Gender: Male and Female 
Classification: Parody 
Rhyme: 

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Picking his nose like mad.
He rolled it up in little balls,
And threw them at his dad.

(Oxford, 1928; Christchurch, 1930s; Tauranga, 1940s; Otahuhu, 1950s: Auckland, 1960s; Hawarden, 1980s; Rotorua, 2002;  Ashburton, 2006)

--

A boy stood on the burning deck,
His pocket full of crackers,
One fell down his trousers,
And blew off both his knackers!

(Rotorua, 2002)

--

The boy stood on the burning deck,
His knickers were made of cotton.
The flames went up his hairy legs,
And burnt his great big bottom.

(Christchurch, 2003)

--

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Confused with all his blisters,
But what he failed to understand,
They should have been his sister's.

(Auckland, 1930s)

--

The boy stood on the burning deck,
His feet were all in blisters.
His underpants fell round his knees,
And now he wears his sister's.

(Porirua, 1950s)

--

The boy stood on the burning deck,
His bum was full of blisters,
The flames came up and burned his pants,
And now he wears his sister's.

(Blenheim, 1990s)

--

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Playing a game of cricket.
The ball went up his trouser leg,
And hit the middle wicket.

(Dunedin, 1990s)

--
 
Background Info: Original version known as Casabianca (The boy stood on the burning deck - Battle of the Nile - Lord Nelson) beginning:

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead.

(Felicia Hemans,1793-1835)

==

Factor, 1988:116 records from an autograph album in 1896:

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Picking his nose like mad.
Rolling it up in little balls,
And throwing it at his dad.

==

Variations in Opie, 1967:93:

The boy stood on the burning deck,
His legs all covered with blisters.
His father was in the public house,
With beer all down his whiskers.

(Opie, 1959)

==

Opie, 2000:55 records this parody:

The boy stood in the supper-room
Whence all but he had fled;
He'd eaten seven pots of jam
And he was gorged with bread.
"Oh, one more crust before I bust!"
He cried in accents wild;
He licked the plates, he sucked the spoons -
He was a vulgar child.
There came a hideous thunder-clap
The boy, oh, where was he?
Ask of the maid who mopped him up,
The bread-crumbs and the tea.

==

Lowenstein, 1974:13 records:

The boy stood on the burning deck
His back against the mast
He knew if Mr [X] passed
He'd ram it up his arse.
But Mr [X]  he was cunning,
He threw the boy a plum
And when he bent to pick it up
He rammed it up his bum.
But this boy he was cunning
He'd learnt a trick at school
He turned a double somersault
And broke off his tool.
Now Mr [X]  has a new one
Made of bright and shining brass
God help any poor bastard 
Who gets that up his arse!

(Newcastle, 1950s)

==

Botkin, 1944:  784, records this version from USA:

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Eating peanuts by the peck.
A girl stood by all dressed in blue,
And said, "I'll guess I'll have some too."

==

Further variations in Turner, 1978:130 include

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Playing a game of cricket;
The ball went up his left leg
And hit the middle wicket.

(Melbourne, c. 1950)

==

Withers, 1948:40 records

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Peeling potatoes by the peck.
When all but he had fled,
He looked around and said,
"Say, father, say,
Can I throw the peels away?"

==
 
Keywords: bawdy, scatological, topical 
Location: Various NZ 
Group size: 2 
Incidence: 14