Another one that works both ways for me is Wynken, Blynken and Nod. My mother was a lousy mom, but she had a good voice, and when she sang that song it was the closest I could get to what it must be like to have a good mom. I also liked Little Man You've Had a busy Day and That Sly Old Gentleman from featherbed Lane, both Bing Crosby songs, I think. And a song about an organgrinder who played for a little girl...who eventually died ("Please sir, dont cry...she's going to die...Come sing her last serenade"). Kids not only like gore, they like bathos!

Scarlet Ribbons (really my fav!) On the Good Ship Lollipop (& whatever else Shirley Temple sang) Puss n Boots The Three Little Kittens I've Been Working On The Railroad (especially Re:"Dinah" Camptown Races O Susannah!

I loved old time music: It's Only A Shanty In Old Shanty Town Pennies From Heaven Somewhere Over The Rainbow

I loved certain hymns: Sunlight, Sunlight in my soul today (& other hymns about light) Jesus Loves Me Precious Lord, Take my Hand

I was quite impressed with the early Beatles: And I love Her I'll Follow the Sun Mr. Moonlight

some opera: "Three Little Maids From School" from The Mikado

Other favourites we sang in the car were Inchworm and Thumbelina, as sung by Danny Kay in Hans Christian Andersen. I sing those now with my toddler.

Allie

Chorus: Mable Kadabale
Feefifofable
Oken-kaboken was her name!

She had two hairs on her head.
One was black, and the other was red, oh -

(Chorus)

She had to eyes in her face.
One wasn't there so the other took its place, oh -

(Chorus)

She had two pimples on her nose.
One wore socks and the other, panty hose, oh --

(Chorus)

...

And so on, moving down the body, from head to toe, making up outlandish, rhyming differences for each pair of body parts (teeth in mouth pointed north and south; arms on chest wore coat and vest, etc.). I think it was this open-endedness of the song that appealed to me most -- almost like a game -- along with the tongue-twistery chorus.

Heck, a lot of these I still sing.

Elaine

Go Tell Aunt Rhody I don't even know how to spell, I just sang it as a very early song.
The Fox (. . . is on the town tonight, pray to the moon to give him light)
Frozen Logger
Eddystone Light,
Horse Named Bill
Golden Vanity
The Mermaid and the Fisherman (by Stan James)
Old Settler Song
Housewife's Lament
My Sweetheart's a Mule in the Mine
Amphioxis On Top of Spaghetti
The Cat Came Back
anything Tom Lehrer ever wrote,
and, of course, from the radio Sixteen Tons!

Eclectic, eh?

SRS

Re: Mable Kadadable. The lyrics that I have I put into the post above. After the "nose" verse came:

She had two teeth in her mouth.
One pointed north and the other pointed south

and:

She had two arms on her chest.
One wore a coat, and the other wore a vest.

After that, it was a free-for-all, and I just made up words as I went along.

As I said above, I've only heard sung by my friend (For all I know, she could have made it up). I've never seen a score for it...

If anybody else out there knows this song, please raise your hand !! ;-)

Cap't Bob