An Austrian went yodeling

I have found a ton of versions to this song and from those I have pieced together when I remember from how I used to sing this song.

An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a cuckoo bird interrupting his cry
Oh, lay-dee
Yo-de-lay-he
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo
Yo-de-lay-he-who
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo
Yo-de-lay-he-who oh-ley

An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came an avalanche interrupting his cry
Oh, lay-dee
Yo-de-lay-he
Yo-de-lay-he who cuckoo swish-swish
Yo-de-lay-he-who
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish
Yo-de-lay-he-who oh-ley

An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a grizzly bear interrupting his cry

Oh, lay-dee
Yo-de-lay-he
Yo-de-lay-he who cuckoo swish-swish grrr
Yo-de-lay-he-who
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr
Yo-de-lay-he-who oh-ley

An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a maiden interrupting his cry

Oh, lay-dee
Yo-de-lay-he
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr kiss-kiss
Yo-de-lay-he-who
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr kiss-kiss
Yo-de-lay-he-who oh-ley

An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a St. Bernard interrupting his cry

Oh, lay-dee
Yo-de-lay-he
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr kiss-kiss arf-arf
Yo-de-lay-he-who
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr kiss-kiss arf-arf
Yo-de-lay-he-who oh-ley

An Austrian went yodeling on a mountain so high
When along came a milk cow interrupting his cry

Oh, lay-dee
Yo-de-lay-he
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr kiss-kiss arf-arf tiss-tiss
Yo-de-lay-he-who
Yo-de-lay-he-who cuckoo swish-swish grrr kiss-kiss arf-arf tiss-tiss
Yo-de-lay-he-who oh-ley

And so it goes from there with additional interruptions added on. I don’t know how the song ever ended.

There are hand motions too throughout the song but I don’t recall what they are.

Here are some of the other interruptions (that I have found on the Internet today) along with the sounds they make.

Skier (wooosh (or swooosh))
Ski jumper (swoosh)
Milking Maid (tsss tsss)
Pretty Girl (smack smack (like a kissing sound))
Puppy Dog (pant-pant)
Pussy Cat (meow-meow)
Jersey cow (squirt-squirt)
His Sweetheart (kiss-kiss)
Her Father (bang-bang (like a gun))
Volkswagen (beep beep)
Leader (quiet! (or be quiet))
Boy Scout (I don’t wanna.)
Scoutmaster (Do it anyway!)
Girl Scout (COOO-KIES (or Cookies Anyone?)
Mother-in-law (bang)
St. Peter (flutter-flutter)
Two Cuckoo Birds (action: two finger snaps)
Three Cuckoo Birds (action: three finger snaps)
Saint Bernard (alternate: pant, pant)

The yodeling itself varies greatly. To show a few…

Source: Kididdles Songs

Ho-li-ah Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah-cuckoo
(Rumble, rumble)

Source: Wee Sing

Ho-li-ah, ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah cuckoo (“rumble, rumble”),
Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah cuckoo (“rumble, rumble”),
Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah cuckoo (“rumble, rumble”),
Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah-ho.

Source: GS Music

Ho-li-ah, ho-li-ah cu-ki-ah, ho-li-ah cuc-koo ( rumble, rumble)
Ho-li-ah, cu-ki-ah, ho-li-ah cuc-koo ( rumble, rumble)
Ho-li-ah, cu-ki-ah, ho-li-ah cuc-koo ( rumble, rumble)
Ho-li-ah, cu-ki-ah, ho.

Source: Lyrics Time

Ho-li-ah, ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah cuckoo (“rumble, rumble”),
Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah cuckoo (“rumble, rumble”),
Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah
Ho-le-rah cuckoo (“rumble, rumble”),
Ho-le-rah-hi-hi-ah-ho.

Source: UK Songs

Yo -oh -oh…..
Yo – del – ay – dee,
Yo – del – ay – dee (ssh-ssh)
Yo – del – ay – dee,
Yo – del – ay – dee (ssh-ssh)
Yo – del – ay – dee,
Yo – del – ay – dee – Yo!

Source: Silly Songs
Source: Scountorama

Yoooo-de-yo
Yodel-lay-hee-hoo, Yodel-lay-hee-swoosh, GRRRRR (3X)
Yodel lay-hee-hoo, yoooooooo.

Source: Sing Along With Me

Yo -oh -oh…..
Yo – del – ay – dee,
Yo – del – ay – dee (ssh-ssh)
Yo – del – ay – dee,
Yo – del – ay – dee (ssh-ssh)
Yo – del – ay – dee,
Yo – del – ay – dee – Yo!

Source: April Valley

Yo – Le – Ah …
Yo-de-le-ah ke-kea, yodeleah koo-koo;
Yo-de-le-ah ke-kea, yodeleah koo-koo;
Yo-de-le-ah ke-kea, yodeleah koo-koo;
Yo-de-le-ah ke-kea, ah yo.

Source: Troop 1440

Yo-delayyy, keeee….
Yo-delayy ki ki, you-delayy ki koo (swish!)
Yo-delayy ki ki, you-delayy ki koo (swish!)
Yo-delayy ki ki, you-delayy ki koo (swish!)
Yo-delayy ki ki, yo!

Source: Songs Skits and Yells

Oh, dear-ie, O-der-rock-ke-keery
O-der-reock-ke-kee (Shoo.. sound of avalanche)
O-der-rock-ke-keery
O-der-reock-ke-kee (Shoo.. sound of avalanche)
O-der-rock-ke-keery
O-der-reock-ke-kee (Shoo.. sound of avalanche)
O-der-rock-ke-keery -O

Oh lady,
O la ra ka kiri, o la ra cuckoo-cuckoo
O la ra ka kiri, o la ra cuckoo-cuckoo
O la ra ka kiri, o la ra cuckoo-cuckoo
O la ra ka kiri-o

I found this Austrian Went Yodelling AOL video of it that is pretty good.

Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips

When I was a little kid see I never liked to eat.
Mama put things on my plate; I’d dump them on her feet. But then one day she made this soup, I ate it all in bed. I asked her what she put in it and this is what she said:

Oh Chicken lips and lizard hips and alligator eyes. Yeah
Monkey legs and buzzard eggs and salamander thighs.
Well Rabbit ears and camel rears and tasty toe-nail pies.
Stir them all together, and its mama’s soup surprise.

Well I went into the bathroom and stood beside the sink. I said I’m feeling slightly ill, and I think I’d like a drink. Mama said, “I’ve just the thing, I’ll get it in a wink
It’s full of lots of protein, and vitamins I think.”

It was chicken lips and lizard hips and alligator eyes. Yeah monkey legs and buzzard eggs and salamander thighs. Rabbit ears and camel rears and tasty toe-nail pies. Stir them all together, and its mama’s soup surprise.

Here is Springsteen singing this song. 🙂

Five Little Speckled Frogs

It took me reading the words out loud of this song to remember the tune of this song. What fun. 🙂

Source Lantern Tree:

Five Green and speckled frogs,
Sitting on a hollow log,
Eating some most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
One frog jumped in the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are only four speckled frogs,
Glub, glub.

Four Green and speckled frogs,
Sitting on a hollow log,
Eating some most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
One frog jumped in the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are only three speckled frogs,
Glub, glub.

Three Green and speckled frogs,
Sitting on a hollow log,
Eating some most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
One frog jumped in the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are only two speckled frogs,
Glub, glub.

Two Green and speckled frogs,
Sitting on a hollow log,
Eating some most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
One frog jumped in the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there is only one speckled frog,
Glub, glub.

One Green and speckled frog,
Sitting on a hollow log,
Eating some most delicious bugs,
Yum, Yum.
One frog jumped in the pool,
Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are no speckled frogs,
Glub, glub.

Cute video by Cullen:

Old MacDonald

According to Wikipedia and my memory too, this is the version that we sing today of this song:

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had a [animal name], E-I-E-I-O,
With a [animal noise twice] here and a [animal noise twice] there
Here a [animal noise], there a [animal noise], everywhere a [animal noise twice]
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

Here is an example of a verse using a cow as an animal, and moo as the cow’s sound would be:

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O.
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there
Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

Mairzy Doats

We have all heard this part I think:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?

But this end part makes this song make much more sense.

If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey,
Sing “Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.”

Wikipedia goes into the history of this song – in that it was composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.

Omma nomma queue manomma

Update 02-10-09: I was on Cocojams Children’s Parodies and the editor of that site mentions that there is a version of Calomine Calomine Calomine Lotion (like I was saying before) that goes:

flea (flea)
fly (fly)
flea fly flew (ditto)
coomalata coomalata coomalata beestay
no no no no not the beestay

————————

I wanted to share a comment with you all from a reader if Miss Lucy’s. She is trying to figure out a song from her childhood. I’m at a loss. Please comment if you know what this one is.

October 18th, 2008 at 3:07 pm

I am trying to learn the lyrics to a a clapping song I remember my classmates doing on the playground in the late 60s. They were nonsense lyrics, with a complicated clapping routine that I never did learn. I always thought the lyrics went something like this:

Omma nomma queue manomma
Queue manomma feast day
Omma nomma queue manomma
Queue manomma feast day
Oh, no, no, no, no, feast day
Oh, no, no, no, no, feast day
Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini
Itsy bitsy teeny weeny, I mean you!
Oh, no, no, no, no, feast day
Oh, no, no, no, no feast day

In the 1980s an alternative rock band called Guadalcanal Diary had a variation of this song on one of its albums. The group called the song “Vista” and pronounced it “vees-tah.” All of the nonsense words were slightly different from what I remember.

What I want to know is, what is this song called? Does it have “correct” lyrics? As an adult, I have wondered if perhaps the song was originally sung in a language other than English, which is why the words just would have all sounded to me as a little girl as just nonsense. Last but not least, how did the clapping routine go?

Thank you,
Mary

Can any one help her? I’m wondering if part of it is in Spanish.

Omma nomma queue manomma

Like maybe the line is:

Oh Mamma, que mamma.

Like “what mamma?”

I’m also thinking feast day is all saints day, right?

In looking up the rock band, I found this link to a video of the song.

http://blip.tv/file/414314

And oh my, after watching it, I think I’ve heard it before. I’m sure. Darn, I still have no idea though.

When I think about the tune that they are singing it, it reminds me of the Itchy itchy scratchy scratchy, ooh I got one down my backy calamine lotion song.

I found this too, Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Oooo Bop Bop Bikini. I don’t think that is it though.

First Published on: Oct 19, 2008

They All Went to Heaven in a Little Row Boat

My husband suggested this one. He is from Virginia and grew up about 8 years earlier then me. When I heard it, I thought for sure it was a UB40 song. Turns out according to Wikipedia, that UB40 borrowed some of this for their song.

Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat

In looking around I found another version.

Source: Wikipedia (under Rhymes from the Fifties)

Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the telephone line
The line, it broke
The goose got choked
And they all went to heaven in a small rowboat

Here is another fun version.

Source: Mudcat

Once upon a time
A goose drank wine
And a monkey chewed tobacco
On a trolley car line

The trolley car broke.
The monkey choked.
And they all went to heaven
On a billy goat.

Here is the UB40 Video:

Rigabamboo

This is a repeat song. The children echo the leader.

Source: Songs For Camp

The Princess Pat,
Lived in a tree,
She sailed across,
The seven seas,
She sailed across,
The Channel Two,
And she took with her,
A Rigabamboo.

A Rigabamboo,
Now what is that?
It’s something made,
By the Princess Pat,
It’s red and gold,
And purple too,
Thats why it’s called,
A Rigabamboo.

Now Captain Jack,
Had a mighty fine crew,
He sailed across,
The Channel Two,
But his ship sank,
And yours will too,
If you don’t take,
A Rigabamboo.

A Rigabamboo,
Now what is that?
It’s something made,
By the Princess Pat,
It’s red and gold,
And purple too,
Thats why it’s called,
A Rigabamboo.

Now Captian Kurk,
He was no jerk,
And Mr. Spock,
He was no jock,
But their ship flew,
And yours will too,
If you just take,
A Rigabamboo.

A Rigabamboo,
Now what is that?
It’s something made,
By the Princess Pat,
It’s red and gold,
And purple too,
Thats why it’s caaaaalled,
A Rigabamboo.

I found another version of this song – on GS Music – where they say Ric-A-Dam-Doo.

Polly Wolly Doodle

Source: Boy Scout Trail

Oh, I went down south for to see my Sal
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day
Oh, my Sal she is a spunky girl
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day.

Chorus:
Fare thee well, fare thee well
Fare thee well my fairy fay.
For I’m goin’ to Louisiana for to see my Susy-anna
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day.

Oh, my Sal she is a maiden fair
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day
With curly eyes and laughing hair
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day.

I came to a river and couldn’t get across
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day
I jumped on a gator and thought he was a hoss
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day.

A grasshopper sitting on a railroad track
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day
A picking his teeth with a carpet tack
Sing Polly wolly doodle all the day.

I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly

Source: Timmy Abell

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a bird,
How absurd to swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a cat,
Imagine that, to swallow a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.
I know an old lady who swallowed a dog,
My, what a hog, to swallow a dog!
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a goat,
Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a cow,
I wonder how she swallowed a cow?!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed the fly,
I guess she’ll die.

I know an old lady who swallowed a horse,
She’s dead, of course!!

It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More

Oh, it ain’t gonna rain no more, no more
It ain’t gonna rain no more.

How in the heck am I going to wash my neck
if it ain’t gonna rain no more?

I Came Upon a Billboard and Much to My Dismay

Two versions of this song. The 2nd one is the one I know.

Source: Boy Scout Trail

As I was walking down the street a billboard caught my eye.
The advertising that was there would make you laugh or cry.
The wind and rain had almost washed that old billboard away.
But the advertising painted there would have that billboard say:

Have a smoke of Coca-Cola. Chew catsup cigarette’s.
Watch Lillian Russell wrestle with a box of oysterettes.
Pork and beans will meet tonight in a finish fight.
Hear Chauncey DePeeuw speak upon sapolio tonight.

Bay rum is good for horses; it is the best in town.
Castoria cures the measles, if you pay ten dollars down.
Teeth extracted without pain, a nickel or half a dime.
Ingersolls are selling now, a little behind the times.

Chew Wrigleys for that headache. Eat Campbells for that cough.
There’s going to be a swimming bee at the village watering trough.
Buy a case of ginger-ale, it makes the best of broth.
Shinola’s good to curl the hair, it will not rub it off!

Version 2

As I was walking down the street one dark and gloomy day
I came upon a billboard and much to my dismay
The sign was torn and tattered from the storm the night before
The wind and rain had done it’s work and this is what I saw:

Smoke Coca-Cola cigarettes, chew Wrigley’s Spearmint beer,
Ken-L Ration Dog Food keeps your wife’s complexion clear
Simonize your baby with a Hershey’s candy bar
And Texaco’s the beauty cream that’s used by all the stars.

So take your next vacation in a brand new Frigidaire
Learn to play the piano in your winter underwear
Doctors say that babies should smoke until they’re three
And people over 65 should bathe in Lipton Tea.