Childhood songs and rhymes

Post by **AnneM** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:54 pm

Hi

A favourite skipping rhyme of ours in the early 60s went:

I've a laddie in America
I've a laddie in Dundee-ay-ee-ay-ee
I've a laddie in Australia
And he's the one that's going to marry-arry me
First he took me to the pictures
Then he took me on his knee-ay-ee-ay-ee
Then he ran away and left me
With three bonnie bairnies at my knee-ay-ee-ay-ee
One was sitting by the fireside
One was sitting on my knee-ay-ee-ay-ee
One was sitting on the doorstep
Crying Daddy, Daddy, Daddy come to me-ay-ee-ay-ee

Oh for the days when children were innocent of real life!!!!!!!

Then of course if you lived in Dunoon there was the 'Go As You Please'.

Every summer, on the stage in the Argyll Gardens, (now replaced by a fancy bandstand type thing with seating) there was something which vaguely resembled a talent contest (Where was Simon Cowell when he was most needed?) It was hosted by someone who I seem to remember was called Uncle Glen. Now the main aim of all the small boys who appeared in this was to sing the rudest song they knew, which, since their education at that stage had not included what the Engineer told me before he died or the exact nature of the festivities at Kirriemuir, (DWW and AP don't try to pretend you don't know them!) concerned the fate of Auntie Mary's canary.

What would happen was that some innocent looking little scrap with freckles, a face like a choirboy and a broad Glasgow accent would be asked "And what are you going to sing Johnny" to which he would respond with a completely spurious song title. The poor man would say puzzled "I don't think I know that one but off you go son" at which the sweet child would break into

"My Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg of her drawers....."

The unfortunate compere would then go. "That's fine son but I don't think we need to hear any more."

Endless entertainment for the local kids could be had by guessing how far down the verse the child would get. Well the only alternative was to go along to sing choruses with the seaside mission. There wasn't much going on in Dunoon in these days. Apart from a couple of weeks when Green's fair came to town that was as exciting as it got.

Anne

Moonwatcher · Post by **Moonwatcher** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:59 pm

Anne,

If this was a Glesca boy singing this rhyme it would sound like:

‘Auntie Merry hid a kinerry,
Up eh leg eh urr drawers.’

I’d give you the last two lines but sadly, I wouldn’t get away with it

Bob.

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:17 pm

The version I remember (in Fife) was:

Auntie Mary had a canary,
Up the leg o'her baggy drawers
She pulled a string to make it sing,
And oot cam Santa Claus

...which surely can't be the same ending you were thinking of???

Best wishes
Lesley

Moonwatcher · Post by **Moonwatcher** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:19 pm

Nope!

Post by **AndrewP** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:23 pm

A quick Google gives a number of variations. I take it you have in mind the one that departed...

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

Moonwatcher · Post by **Moonwatcher** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:28 pm

Well, that's one version... of many.

There's another that I'm racking my brain about. It started:
'It didnae cum doon tae the month eh June...'

Can't recall the last bit. Maybe someone out there remembers

Bob.

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:28 pm

I take it you have in mind the one that departed...

Ahhh...
Amazin'. You learn a lot on this forum.

I'd not seen that version before, We obviously led a very sheltered life in Fife!!

Best wishes
Lesley

Post by **AndrewP** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:35 pm

Moonwatcher wrote:Well, that's one version... of many.

There's another that I'm racking my brain about. It started:
'It didnae cum doon tae the month eh June...'

Can't recall the last bit. Maybe someone out there remembers

Bob.

Another version:

It wouldnae come doon
For half a croon
(some last line not known to me)

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

Post by **AnneM** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:39 pm

Goodness. I had no idea there were so many versions. The only one I knew involved the canary's departing.

Just thinking about the alleged innocence of children in times past reminded me of another skipping rhyme which my mother's generation favoured which went:

House to let apply within
Lady put out for drinking gin
Gin you know is a very bad thing
so out goes Jeanie and Jessie comes in.

I had a lot of time to listen to skipping rhymes because I have absolutely no co-ordination and was always out as soon as the people cawing the rope got any faster than 'salt' which was the slowest.

Anne

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:14 pm

I never knew the words tae Auntie Mary had a canary . Now I know why ..

My memories rubbish , I lived in Scotland till I was 21 , but I can't remember the songs..

What's the one that goes

Ally bally, Ally Bally Bee ..
and something about bawbees, knees and candy ?

My mother used to bounce me up and down on her knee to

Campbeltown Loch I wish ye were whisky
Campbeltown Loch och aye
Campbeltown Loch I wish ye were whisky
I wid drink ye dry ...

I am still doing that with my youngest ...

My granny used to roll her knuckles on the table and chant something that went like

"Peter Dumdick , when did you flit,
Yesterday morning .. "
-I can't remember any more - does that ring any bells - she was an Eddleston girl with Lesmahagoan ancestry.

But the Scottish song I remember best from childhood was not taught to me by my mother - when Western Ferries used to sail to Islay, they had this one on a loop ..

"Oh no no no no nooooo
Geordie Monroe
Oh no no no no nooo
my wee Laddie
I don't want to go
To Idaho
I"d rather stay here in Kirkcaldy "

On my annual drive to Islay, I still sing it ... I think my wee brother does too.

Fill me up someone ..

Sally