Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for C360 returned 331 results.
OLD MRS. WITCH - SONG
OLD MRS. WITCH. OLD MRS. WITCH
TELL ME HOW YOU FLY. TELL ME HOW YOU FLY.
I FLY UPON MY BROOMSTICK, WAY UP TO THE SKY.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ROYAL OAK
James Callow Keyword(s): DIALOGUE
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00-00-1985
SEE SEE MY PLAYMATE
THIS SONG WAS SUNG WHILE PLAYING A GAME:
SEE SEE MY PLAYMATE
COME OUT AND PLAY WITH ME
AND BRING YOUR DOLLY SWEET
CLIMB UP MY APPLE TREE
SLIDE DOWN MY RAINBOW
INTO MY CELLAR DOOR
AND WE'LL BE JOLLY FRIENDS
FOR EVER MORE, MORE, MORE.
Submitter comment: SHE LEARNED THE SONG WHILE SHE WAS A CHILD.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Sterling Heights ; WHILE GROWING UP
Keyword(s): PLAYMATE
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001970'S
BABY BUMBLEBEE
I'M BRING HOME MY BABY BUMBLEBEE, WON'T MY MOMMY BE
SO PROUD OF ME. I'M BRINGING HOME MY BABY BUMBLEBEE,
OW, IT STUNG ME. I SMUSHING UP MY BABY BUMBLEBEE,
WON'T MY MOMMY BE SO PROUD OF ME, I'M SMUSHING UP MY
BABY BUMBLEBEE, UGH WHAT A MESS! I'M LICKING UP MY
BABY BUMBLEBEE, WON'T MY MOMMY BE SO PROUD OF ME.
I'M SMUSHING UP MY BABY BUMBLEBEE, OH, TUMMY ACHE!
I'M BARFING UP MY BABY BUMBLEBEE, WON'T MY MOMMY BE SO
SO PROUD OF ME. I'M BARFING UP BABY BUMBLEBEE,
ALL BETTER!
Submitter comment: WHEN SMUSHING THE BEE PUT HANDS TOGETHER AND PRETEND TO SMUSH.
Where learned: ILLINOIS ; RIVERSIDE
Keyword(s): HUMOR
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001970S ; 00001970S
THE OTHER DAY
I SAW A BEAR
OUT IN THE WOODS
A WAY OUT THERE
HE LOOKED AT ME
I LOOKED AT HIM
HE SIZED UP ME
I SIZED UP HIM
HE SAID TO ME
WHY DON'T YOU RUN
CUZ I SEE YOU AIN'T
GOT ANY GUN
AND SO I RAN
RIGHT OUTTA THERE
BUT AFTER ME
CAME THAT BIG BEAR
AHEAD OF ME
I SAW A TREE
OH LUCKY ME
TO SEE A TREE
THE NEAREST BRANCH
WAS TEN FEET UP
I'D HAVE TO JUMP
AND TRUST MY LUCK
AND SO I JUMPED
INTO THE AIR
BUT I MISSED THAT BRANCH
A WAY UP THERE
NOW DON'T YOU FRET
AND DON'T YOU FROWN
CUZ I CAUGHT THAT BRANCH
ON THE WAY BACK DOWN
Submitter comment:
THE INFORMANT LEARNED THIS AS A GIRL SCOUT. THE LEADER SINGS EACH
LINE AND THE REST OF THE GROUP REPEATS IT. THEN EACH SET OF FOUR
LINES IS SUNG TOGETHER BY THE WHOLE GROUP.
Date learned: 00-00-1977 ; 11-00-1987
MISS SUZI HAD A TUGBOAT.
THE TUGBOAT HAD A BELL.
MISS SUZI WENT TO HEAVEN
THE TUGBOAT WENT TO
HELLO OPERATOR. GIVE ME #9
AND IF YOU DISCONNECT ME,
I'LL KICK YOU RIGHT
BEHIND THE FRIGERATOR THERE WAS A PIECE OF GLASS.
MISS SUZI FELL UPON IT
AND BROKE HER LITTLE
ASK ME NO MORE QUESTIONS.
TELL ME NO MORE LIES.
MISS SUZI TOLD ME ALL OF THIS
THE DAY BEFORE SHE
DYED HER HAIR ALL PURPLE
SHE DYED HER HAIR ALL BLUE.
SHE DYED HER HAIR ALL POLKA DOTS
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT GREW.
Submitter comment:
THIS SONG IS SUNG QUICKLY RUNNING THE WORDS AT THE END OF THE LINE
ALL TOGETHER.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
James Callow Keyword(s): COMIC RHYMES
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00-00-1976 ; 11-00-1987
MISS SUZI HAD A TUGBOAT.
THE TUGBOAT HAD A BELL.
MISS SUZI WENT TO HEAVEN.
THE TUGBOAT WENT TO
HELLO OPERATOR. GIVE ME #9.
AND IF YOU DISCONNECT ME
I'LL KICK YOU RIGHT
BEHIND THE FRIGERATOR THERE WAS A PIECE A GLASS.
MISS SUZI FELL UPON IT
AND BROKE HER LITTLE
ASK ME NO MORE QUESTIONS.
TELL ME NO MORE LIES.
MISS SUZI TOLD ME ALL OF THIS
THE DAY BEFORE SHE
DYED HER HAIR ALL PINK AND WASHED IT DOWN THE SINK, SINK,....
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; CASEVILLE
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00-00-1975 ; 11-00-1987
ON THE LAND OF MARS
WHERE THE BABIES SMOKE CIGARS
EVERY PUFF THEY TAKE
IS ENOUGH TO KILL A SNAKE
WHEN THE SNAKES ARE DEAD
THEY PUT ROSES IN THEIR HEADS
WHEN THE ROSES DIE
THEY PUT DIAMONDS IN THEIR EYES
WHEN THE DIAMONDS BREAK
THAT'S THE END OF 1948
Submitter comment: THE INFORMANT WAS TOLD THIS RHYME/SONG BY HER GRADE SCHOOL SISTER.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
| Subject headings: | 730 Lyrical Verse Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 11-00-1987 ; 11-00-1987
Horsey and a Flea
Horsey and a flea and three blind mice,
Sitting on the curbstone shooting dice.
Horsey slipped and fell on the flea,
And the flea said "Oppsy there's a horsey on me."
Boom Boom, oh it's great to be crazy,
Boom Boom, oh it's great to be crazy.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001950S
THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN
THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN ALL SKIN AND BONES, OHH, OHH, OHH,
SHE LIVED DOWN BY THE OLD GRAVE YARD, OHH, OHH, OHH, OHH
ONE NIGHT SHE THOUGHT SHE'D TAKE A WALK, OHH, OHH, OHH.
SHE WALKED DOWN BY THE OLD GRAVE YARD, OHH, OHH, OHH, OHH.
SHE SAW THE BONES ALL LAYING AROUND, OHH, OHH, OHH, OHH.
SHE WENT TO THE CLOSET TO GET A BROOM, OHH, OHH, OHH, OHH.
SHE OPENED THE DOOR AND BOO!
Submitter comment: THIS IS A CHILDREN'S HALLOWEEN SONG.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; LINCOLN PARK
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- October 31 Halloween |
Date learned: 10-00-1972
"Nobody Likes Me"
Nobody likes me
Everybody hates me
I'm gonna eat some worms. MM
Big ones little ones
Ooshy gooshy wooshy ones
Ones that wriggle and squirm. MM
Nobody knows how much I like them
All three meals a day.
And in between.
Submitter comment:
This was a song that I learned when I was a child.
It was sung in a sarcastic manner to anyone who complained
of being "picked on," or to anyone who was pouting.
Where learned: OHIO ; CINCINNATI
Keyword(s): SARCASM
James Callow Keyword(s): FUNCTION
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001950S
(sung to a funeral dirge)
The worms crawl in
The worms crawl out
The worms play pinochle on your snout.
(spoken in a hushed and fearful tone)
When you see a hearse go by
You may be the next to die.
They wrap you up in a big white sheet
And drop you down a couple of feet.
(sung)
They eat out your eyes
They eat out your nose
They eat out the dirt that's between your toes.
Submitter comment:
When I hummed the melody of the dirge in this song and
asked Elinor if she had learned a children's song with
this same tune, she knew exactly the one I was referring
to, and repeated the one that I had learned, word for word.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; FRASER
Keyword(s): Death, Burial, Decomposition, Gore
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001950S
"Great Green Gobs"
(sung to the tune of "The Old Gray Mare")
Great green gobs of greasy, grimy, gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Dirty little birdies' feet
French fried eyeballs lying in a pool of blood,
And I forgot my spoon!
Submitter comment:
This "classic" children's parody of the "The Old Gray Mare"
was learned by Terry in Ohio during the 50's. It is still
being sung in much the same manner by children in the Detroit
area, as well as children in the Chicago area. Probably
versions of it are sung throughout the United States.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ALLEN PARK
Keyword(s): mock horror, cannibalism, humor, gore
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001950S
(sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic")
Glory, glory, halleluia
Teacher hit me with a ruler.
So I hit her in the bean
With a rotten tangerine
And that's the end of school!
Submitter comment:
I learned this same song in Cincinnati, Ohio during the
1950's, and when I asked people to recall the silly
school songs of their youth, this was usually the first one
they would sing.
Where learned: ILLINOIS ; SKOKIE
Keyword(s): parody, humor, mock violence
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001950S
"WAY DOWN YONDER IN THE PAWPAW PATCH"
Where oh where is dear little _______?
Where oh where is dear little _______?
Where oh where is dear little _______?
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch! MM
Come on girls (boys), let's go find him.
Come on girls (boys), let's go find him.
Come on girls (boys), let's go find him.
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch. MM
Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket.
Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket.
Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket.
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.
Submitter comment:
The blank lines in the first stanza are to be filled in
with the name of the person (usually a child) to whom you
are singing. This is reported to be an old southern song
which Carmen learned when she moved from New York to
Kentucky. Also, the sex of the girls/boys referred to
in the second stanza should be adjusted so that it is the
opposite of the person being sung to (i.e. girls find boys,
boys find girls). "Pawpaws" (sometimes spelled papaws) is
a colloquial term for "papaya."
Where learned: KENTUCKY ; LEXINGTON
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001930S
(sung to the tune of "Deck the Halls")
Deck the halls with gasoline.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Light a match and watch it gleam.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Watch the school burn down to ashes.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Aren't you glad we played with matches?
Fa la la la la la la la la
Submitter comment:
This song is an obvious favorite with the grade school
children during the holidays, especially the boys.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ALLEN PARK
Keyword(s): Parody, humor, arson, Christmas
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
(sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells")
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
Batmobile lost a wheel,
And Joker got away. MM
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Fifty miles away.
He blows his nose in cheerios,
And eats them right away!
Submitter comment:
This is only one of many such "gross" songs that the
elementary school boys love to sing.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ALLEN PARK
Keyword(s): Parody, Cartoon character, humor, Christmas
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Date learned: 00001987ca
(sung to the tune "Colonel Bogey March" theme from
the movie "Bridge on the River Kwaii")
Comet, it makes your teeth turn green.
Comet, it tastes like gasoline.
Comet, it makes you vomit.
So drink some Comet, and vomit, today!
Submitter comment:
Matthew only recently learned this song, and thought is
was new. When he tried to teach it to his older cousin,
Joshua, who lives in the Chicago area, Josh had already heard
of it.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ALLEN PARK
Keyword(s): Parody, commercial, humor
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
Pictures of counselors, dead on the floor,
Killed by the campers, one and all.
Blood on their shoulders,
Blood on their shirts,
Great big globs of blood on the dirt. MM
When counselors die
When counselors die
Don't bury their bones
Don't bury their bones
Just leave them lie
Just leave them lie
Among the stones
Among the stones
And paint a sign
And paint a sign
In letters green
In letters green
Here lie the bones of the losing team!
Here lie the bones of the losing team!
Submitter comment:
The repeating lines in the second stanza are sung
by two groups who alternate singing. Maryann states
that she was taught this song by her counselors while
attending Maskokie Day Camp in 1967.
Where learned: ILLINOIS ; SKOKIE
Keyword(s): death, decomposition, humor
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children |
"RUN RABBIT RUN"
Run rabbit
Run rabbit
Run, run, run.
Run rabbit
Run rabbit
Run, run, run.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Goes the farmer's gun.
So run rabbit
Run rabbit
Run, run, run.
Submitter comment:
This was a song that we sung as a family, usually
while driving on long trips. It is a "round" song
which is sung in the same manner as "ROW, ROW, ROW
YOUR BOAT." My mother states that this is a song
which she learned while growing up in Lexington, Kentucky.
Where learned: OHIO ; CINCINNATI
Keyword(s): HUNTING
James Callow Keyword(s): ONOMATOPOEIA
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children SPEECH -- Onomatopoeia |
Date learned: 00001950S
"I'm bringin' home a baby bumble bee,
Won't my mommy be surprised at me,
I'm bringin' home a baby bumble bee.
Ouch, it stung me!
I'm smooshin' up my baby bumble bee,
Won't my mommy be surprised at me,
I'm smooshin' up my baby bumble bee.
Yuck, what a mess!
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee,
Won't my mommy be surprised at me,
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee.
Eew, that was horrible!
I'm throwin' up my baby bumble bee,
Won't my mommy be surprised at me,
I'm throwin' up my baby bumble bee.
Submitter comment: This is a song with gestures.
Where learned: NEW YORK ; Kenmore
James Callow Keyword(s): GORE ; Nausea
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ballad, Song, Verse Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Children SPEECH -- Gesture |
Date learned: 00001977 ca.