FROGGIE WENT A COURTIN'

M. Frog went a courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh
M. Frog went a courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh
Froggie went a courtin' and he did ride
A sword and pistol by his side, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

He went down to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh
He went down to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh
He went down to Miss Mousie's door
Where he had often been before, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

He took miss Mouse up on his knee, uh-huh
Said, "Miss Mouse, will you marry me", uh-huh
"Without my Uncle Rat's consent
I wouldn't marry the President", uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Well, Uncle Rat, he gave his consent, uh-huh
Uncle Rat, he gave his consent, uh-huh
Now Uncle Rat, he gave his consent
And the weasel wrote the publishment, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Well now, where will the wedding supper be, uh-huh
Where will the wedding supper be, uh-huh
Well, where will the wedding supper be
Way down yonder in a hollow tree, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

The first come in was a flying moth, uh-huh
First come in was a flying moth, uh-huh
First come in was a flying moth
Who laid out the tablecloth, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Well, the next to come in was a junie bug, uh-huh
The next to come in was a junie bug, uh-huh
Next to come in was a junie bug
She brought the whiskey in a water jug, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next come in was a big black snake, uh-huh
Nexte to come in was a big black snake, uh-huh
Next to come in was a big black snake
Chased them all into the lake, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Little piece of cornbread laying on the shelf, uh-huh
Little piece of cornbread laying on the shelf, uh-huh
Little piece of cornbread laying on the shelf
If you want any more, you can sing it yourself, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

NOTES

La chanson Froggie Went a-Courtin' été enregistrée le 19 mars 2005, à Thrill Hill East (Colt's Neck, NJ).
 

"La chanson la plus vieille de l'album. La première version mentionnée provient de bergers écossais, dans un livre publié en 1549.

Froggie se trouve parfois sous des noms d'emprunt : dans le livre The Anthology of American Folk Music, elle figure sous une version de Chubby Parker, de 1928, sous le titre King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O. (Doc Watson chante aussi cette version, mais la nomme Froggie. Nick Cave titre sa version King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O.) Et elle apparait dans des endroits les plus improbables : un épisode de Tom & Jerry, par exemple. Mais cependant, comme un contributeur du groupe de discussion sur la folk music, Mudcat Café, a écrit, "C'est la chanson pour enfant parfaite. Elle parle de sexe bizarre, de nourriture dégoutante et a un final sanglant" (Bruce a généreusement enlevé le final sanglant et les trucs bizarres sur le têtard à fourrure, résultat d'un mariage entre espèces).

Bob Dylan a enregistré Froggie. Il y a une version d'Elvis, tirée d'une répétition absurde sur Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential ‘70s Masters. Elle a été également enregistrée par Hylo Brown, Woody Guthrie avec Sonny Terry et Cisco Houston, Jim Nollman avec 300 dindons, Roy Rogers et les Sons of the Pioneers, Spider John Koerner, Tex Ritter, Jean Ritchie, Burl Ives et le Mormon Tabernacle Choir (qui, bien évidemment, chantaient la version "Kemo-Kimo").

Pete Seeger a chanté trois versions différentes de Froggie. Elles se trouvent sur les albums American Folk Songs for Children; American Folk, Game and Activity Songs for Children; Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes, Little and Big; American Favorite Ballads, Volume 2, et Stories and Songs for Children".

-Dave Marsh, 2006-