Nursery rhymes, English; Oral tradition -- England
[The music to the following song, with different words, is
given in 'Melismata,' 4to, Lond. 1611. See also the 'Pills to
Purge Melancholy,' 1719, vol. i, p. 14. The well-known song,
'A frog he would a wooing go,' appears to have been borrowed
from this. See Dauney's 'Ancient Scottish Melodies,' 1838, p.
53. The story is of old date, and in 1580 there was licensed
'A most strange weddinge of the frogge and the mouse,' as
appears from the books of the Stationers' Company, quoted in
Warton's Hist. Engl, Poet., ed. 1840, vol. iii, p. 360.]
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, and I!
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
And a farce[*] mouse in a mill, [*merry
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone, and I.
This frog he would a wooing ride,
Kitty alone, &c.
This frog he would a wooing ride,
And on a snail he got astride,
Cock me cary, &c.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
Kitty alone, &c.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
And there he did both knock and call,
Cock me cary, &c.
Quoth he, Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
Kitty alone, &c.
Quoth he, Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
To see if thou canst fancy me,
Cock me cary, &c.
Quoth she, answer I'll give you none,
Kitty alone, &c.
Quoth she, answer I'll give you none,
Until my uncle Rat come home,
Cock me cary, &c.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Kitty alone, &c.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Who's been here since I've been gone?
Cock me cary, &c.
Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
Kitty alone, &c.
Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
That's been here since you've been gone,
Cock me cary, &c.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
Kitty alone, &c.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
And there he met with a dainty duck,
Cock me cary, &c.
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
So there's an end of my history book.
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone and I.
CLXXIV.
There was a man in our toone, in our toone, in our toone,
There was a man in our toone, and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old razor,
And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.
And his hat it was made of the good roast beef, the good roast beef,
the good roast beef,
And his hat it was made of the good roast beef,
and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.
And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe,
the good fat tripe,
And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe,
and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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