Two Little Boys Lyrics

1. Down in the Diving Bell
2. Benjie Met the Bear
3. Shoes and Leggings
4. Wallabug
5. Pat Do This
6. Strike the Bell
7. C-H-I-C-K-E-N
8. Squirrel
9. Noah Built the Ark
10. The Farmer’s Curst Wife
11. Foolish Boy
12. Factory Girls
13. Fod
14. The Tree in the Woods
15. A Frog He Went A-Courting
16. Ida Red
17. Bill Mason
18. Shiloh
19. When We Were Two Little Boys
20. Tommy

Down in the Diving Bell

Once I was a sailor lad, some tales to you I tell
About the wonders of the deep while down in a diving bell;
When I was far across the sea, the captain challenged me
I’d not the pluck to go and see the mermaids in the sea.

Chorus:
Oh, down in the diving bell at the bottom of the sea,
There are the prettiest sights that you shall ever see.
Down in the diving bell at the bottom of the sea,
Those nice little mermaids, pretty little mermaids, all come courting me.

When I got only half way down, the mermaids came to me,
And danced around to greet me at the bottom of the sea;
I clasped a mermaid in my arms, to kiss her was my wish,
But like an eel she slipped away, you cannot kiss a fish.

Her mother brought her back to me and whispered unto me,
That if we would, we could be married there beneath the sea;
We were married in a chapel made out of oyster shells,
The parson wore his bathing gown and the goldfish rang the bells.

Benjie Met the Bear

Benjie met the bear,
The bear met Benjie,
The bear was bulgy,
The bulge was Benjie.

Shoes and Leggings

A man who was old came a-courtin’ one day,
All three girls wouldn’t have him;
He come down the lane on a walkin’ cane
With his old shoes on and his leggings.

Mother told me to hang up his hat,
All three girls wouldn’t have him;
I hung up his hat and he kicked at the cat
With his old shoes on and his leggings.

Mother told me to give him some meat,
All three girls wouldn’t have him;
I gave him some meat and, oh, how he did eat,
With his old shoes on and his leggings.

Mother told me to show him the saw,
All three girls wouldn’t have him;
I showed him the saw and he danced “Rye Straw,”
With his old shoes on and his leggings.

Mother told me to show him to bed,
All three girls wouldn’t have him;
I showed him to bed and he stood on his head,
With his old shoes on and his leggings.

Mother told me to send him away,
All three girls wouldn’t have him;
I sent him away and he left to stay,
With his old shoes on and his leggings.

Wallabug

I bought a cow from Farmer Jones,
She were nothing but skin and bones,
I fattened her up just as fine as silk,
She jumped the fence and she skimmed her milk.

Chorus:
Wallabug, wallabug, you can’t fool me,
I’ll be as good as good can be,
If you see a wallabug night or day,
Make a noise like a wallabug and roll away.

There was an old woman from Oisocket,
She put her false teeth all in her pocket,
She put the pipe up on the shelf,
She sat right down and she bit herself.

One little flea and two little mice,
Sat out in the road a-shooting dice,
Along came a horse and stepped on the flea,
“Ouch,” said the flea, “There’s a horse on me!”

The moon is high and the stars are bright,
There must be a whippoorwill out tonight,
The whippoorwill is a friend to man,
Eats all the wallabugs that he can.

Pat Do This

Pat do this, Pat do that,
Without our shoes, without our hat,
Nothing in the world but an old straw hat,
To work all on the railroad.

Chorus:
Ruby sugar roo, sugar rugar roo,
Sugar in the cream jar, how do you do?
I’m just on the railroad, falla falla ray,
Johnny comes picking on the banjo.

Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Two,
I didn’t know what I should do,
I sailed across the ocean blue,
To work all on the railroad.

Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Three,
I sailed out across the sea,
I didn’t expect to see poor me,
Working on the railroad.

Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Four,
I landed on the foreign shore,
I didn’t expect to see me more,
Working on the railroad.

Railroad done, we’ll take a ride,
Here we go, side by side,
Here we go, side by side,
Working on the railroad.

Strike the Bell

Out on the quarterdeck and walking about,
There’s the second mate, so steady and so stout,
What he is a-thinking of he doesn’t know himself,
We wish that he would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Chorus:
Strike the bell, second mate, let us go below,
Look well to wind’ard, you can see it’s going to blow,
Look at the glass, you can see that it is fell,
We wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Down on the main deck and working at the pumps,
There’s the starboard watch a-longing for their bunks,
Look out to wind’ard and see a great swell,
We wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Aft at the wheel, poor Anderson stands,
Grasping at the spokes with his cold, mittened hands,
He looks at the compass and the course he can tell,
We wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Forward at the fo’c’sle head and keeping sharp lookout,
Yonder John is standing ready for to shout,
Lights are burning bright, sir, and everything is well,
We wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Out on the poop deck, the gallant captain stands,
Looking out to sea with a spyglass in his hands,
What he is a-thinking of we know very well,
He’s thinking more of shortening sail than striking the bell.

C-H-I-C-K-E-N

In a little country schoolhouse where the children used to go,
There was a little fellow, his name was Ragtime Joe.
One day the teacher called on the class to spell a certain kind of word,
And the kind of bird was a chicken but they could not spell the word.
So the teacher called on Ragtime Joe to spell that word for them,
He did not hesitate a bit, this is the way he began:

Chorus:
C (That’s the way to begin)
H (That’s the second letter in)
I (I am the third)
C (Such a sweet little bird)
K (Filling it in)
E (Getting near the end)
C-H-I-C-K-E-N!
That is the way to spell chicken.

Parson Johnson had a concert at the old schoolhouse one night,
He hired lots of talent who could sing and could recite.
But as soon as they pulled the curtain, everything went wrong, you know,
Until a fellow loudly cried, “Let’s hear it from Ragtime Joe!”
So he sang them a ragtime jukin’ tune, but it did not go so well,
He said, “It went across that time, I guess I’ll have to spell.”

Squirrel

When I was a little girl, fifteen inches high,
Thought I heard that jay bird say, “I’ll marry you bye and bye.”

Squirrel he is a pretty thing, carries a pretty tail,
He steals all the farmer’s corn and husks it on the rail.

The partridge is a pretty bird, carries a pretty breast,
She steals all the farmer’s corn and carries it to her nest.

The hawk he is a scheming bird, schemes all in the sky,
Schemes all in my chicken house, makes my roost hens fly.

Raccoon is a mighty man, rambles in the dark,
Ought to see him hunt his den when he hears my little dogs bark.

Noah Built the Ark

Chorus:
Sitting by the river on the levee,
Waiting ‘til the steamboat come down,
Them cotton bales are rolling mighty heavy,
Miles and miles around.
I thought I heard the steamboat when she landed,
Landed on the levee below,
I’m sitting by the river on the levee,
Waiting ‘til the steamboat come down.

Noah, Noah, what a foolish man,
Built the ark on the sandy land.

Refrain:
I said, who built the ark?
Brother Noah, Noah,
Who built the ark?
Brother Noah, Noah,
Brother Noah built the ark.

Matthew stood by the Red Sea shore,
Smotin’ at the water with a two-by-four.

Matthew, Martha, Luke and John,
All them sinners is a-dead and gone.

Matthew, Martha sitting in the shade,
Thinking about the money that I ain’t made.

The Farmer’s Curst Wife

There was an old man by the foot of the hill,
If he ain’t moved away he’s a-living there still.

Chorus:
Hi did-a-lie, did-a-lie fie,
Did-a-lie, did-a-lie day.

Hitched up his horse and he went out to plow,
But how to get around, he didn’t know how.

The devil come to his house one day,
Said, “One of your family I’m gonna take away.”

“Take her on, take her on with the joy of my heart,
I hope, by golly, that you’ll never part!”

The devil put the woman all in a sack,
And the old man said, “Don’t you ever bring her back!”

The devil come to the fork in the road,
Said, “Old woman, you’re a terrible load!”

And when the devil come to the gates of hell,
He said, “Punch up the fire and we’ll scorch her well!”

In come a little devil, a-dragging of a chain,
She upped with her hatchet and split out his brain.

Then another little devil come over the door,
She upped with her hatchet, killed ninety-nine more.

Then another little devil went a-climbing up the wall,
Said, “Take her home daddy, she’s a-murdering us all!”

Now the old man’s peeping out of a crack,
When he saw the devil, dragging her back.

She found the old man sick in his bed,
And she upped with the butter stick and paddled on his head.

All this goes to show what the women can do,
They can outdo the devil and their old man, too.

And this proves that the women, better than the men,
They can go down to hell and come back again.

Foolish Boy

When I was a little boy, I lived by myself,
All the bread and cheese I got, I put it on the shelf.

Chorus:
To my wing wong waddle, to my jack straw straddle,
To John far faddle, to my long way home.

The rats and the mice, they led me such a life,
I had to go to London to get myself a wife.

The road was so slick and the lane so narrow,
I had to put my wife in an old wheelbarrow.

I sold my wheelbarrow and I got me a calf,
And in that trade I just learned half.

I sold that calf, I got me a cow,
And in that trade I just learned how.

I sold my cow, I got me a horse,
I run that horse from course to course.

I sold my horse, I got me a mule,
I rode that mule like a gol-durned fool.

I sold that mule, I got me a goat,
I went to the election and I sold my vote.

I sold that goat, I got me a rat,
I put it in the haystack to run the cat.

When I was a little boy, I lived by myself,
All the bread and cheese I got I put it on the shelf.

Factory Girls

The factory bell begins to ring,
And we must all obey,
And to our old employment go,
Or else be turned away.

Chorus:
Pity me, I say, pity me, I pray,
Pity me, my darling, and take me far away.

No more I’ll work the factory,
To greasy up my clothes,
No more I’ll work the factory,
With splinters in my toes.

I’ll bid you factory girls farewell,
Come see me when you can,
I’ll bid this factory work adieu,
And marry a nice young man.

No more I’ll hear that roaring,
That roaring over my head,
While you poor girls are hard at work,
I’ll be home in my bed.

No more I’ll eat cold pudding,
No more I’ll eat hard bread,
No more I’ll eat those half-baked beans,
I swear they’re killing me dead.

Fod

As I went down to the mowing field,
Hoo-rie, too-rie, fod-a-linky-di-doe,
As I went down to the mowing field,
Fod.
As I went down to the mowing field,
Big black snake took me by the heel,
Too-rolly-day.

I fell down upon the ground,
Hoo-rie, too-rie, fod-a-linky-di-doe,
I fell down upon the ground,
Fod.
I fell down upon the ground,
Closed my eyes and looked all around,
Too-rolly-day.

Climbed upon a stump to take my rest...
Looked like a woodchuck sitting on his nest.

Woodchuck grinned the banjo song...
Along came a skunk with his britches on.

Woodchuck and skunk got into a fight...
Fumes so high, they put out the light.

The Tree in the Woods

Away down in the valley, away down in the valley.

And in that wood there was a tree,
A very nice and a handsome tree,
And the tree in the wood, in the woods,
Away down in the valley, away down in the valley.

And on that tree there was a limb,
A very nice and a handsome limb,
And the limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood, in the woods,
Away down in the valley, away down in the valley.

And on that limb there was a branch,
A very nice and a handsome branch,
And the branch on the limb, and the limb on the tree, and the tree in the wood, in the woods,
Away down in the valley, away down in the valley.

And on that branch there was a twig, etc.

And on that twig there was a nest, etc.

And in that nest there was an egg, etc.

And on that egg there was a bird, etc.

And on that bird there was a feather, etc.

A Frog He Went A-Courting

Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride,
Chow willie, chow willie,
Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride,
Chow willie wee.
Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride,
Sword and a pistol by his side.

Chorus:
Come-a-ring-tum-tiddle, come-a-ring-tum-tee,
Chow willie wee.

He rode up to Miss Mousy’s door,
And he made it rattle and he made it roar.

Miss Mousy come down and let him in,
And the way they courted it was a sin.

He took Miss Mousy on his knee,
And he said, “Miss Mousy, will you marry me?”

“Not without my Uncle Rat’s consent,
Would I marry the president.”

Where will the wedding supper be?
Down in the hollow of an old oak tree.

And how shall we make the wedding gown?
Piece of a hide of an old white hound.

Ida Red

Long as the meat’s been a-layin’ on the shelf,
I been sitting here by myself.

Chorus:
Ida Red, Ida Red,
I’m getting tired of eatin’ that shortenin’ bread.

Long as the grass grows in the field,
Gotta cook old John a solid meal.

Ain’t but one man that I do fear,
Big Jack Johnson, and he ain’t allowed here.

Going down town ain’t a-gonna stay long,
Might as well put on your bonnet and gown.

Captain, oh Captain, has my money come?
Be here today or tomorrow one.

Big old boat comin’ ‘round the bend,
Ain’t doing nothing but killing men.

Bill Mason

Bill Mason was an engineer, he’d been on the road all of his life,
I’ll never forget the morning he married himself a wife,
Bill hadn’t been married but an hour, when up came the message from the bridge,
And ordered Bill to come down and bring up the night express.

Now, Maggie sat by the window a-waiting for the night express,
And if she hadn’t a-done so she’d a-been a widow, I guess,
She heard some drunken rascals that come down by the ridge,
That come down by the railroad and tore up the rails from the bridge.

Now, Maggie heard them working, “I guess there’s something wrong,”
In less than fifteen minutes, Bill’s train would be along.
She couldn’t come near to tell it, somehow it wouldn’t a-done,
She just picked up the lantern and made for the bridge alone.

Bill Mason saw the signal and stopped the night express,
He found his Maggie crying on the tracks in her wedding dress,
A-crying and a-laughing for joy, still holding on to the light,
He come around the curve a-flying, Bill Mason’s on time tonight!

Shiloh

Scraping up sand at the bottom of the sea,
Shiloh, Shiloh,
Scraping up sand at the bottom of the sea,
Shiloh, Liza Jane.

Chorus:
Oh, how I love her, oh, Liza Jane,
Oh, how I love her, goodbye Liza Jane.

Black those shoes and make them shine.

Hump-back mule I’m bound to ride.

Up jumped a chicken and she flew upstairs.

When We Were Two Little Boys

Two little boys had two little toys, each was a wooden horse,
Dearly they played each summer day, warriors both, of course.
One little chap, he had a mishap, he broke off his horse’s head,
He wept for his toy, but cried for joy when his young comrade said:

Do you think I would leave you crying, when there’s room on my horse for two?
Climb up here, Joe, and don’t be sighing, he can go just as fast with two.
When we grow up we’ll both be soldiers, our horses will not be toys,
And maybe we will remember when we were two little boys.

Long years had passed, the war came at last, gaily they marched away,
Cannons roared loud among the mad crowd, a wounded and dying Jack lay.
Loud rang the cry, the horseman dashed by from out of the ranks of blue,
He galloped away to where Jack lay, and his voice came brave and true:

Do you think I would leave you dying when there’s room on my horse for you?
Climb up here, Jack, we’ll soon be flying to the ranks of the boys in blue.
Do you see, Jack, I’m all of a-tremble? Well, perhaps it’s the battle noise,
Or maybe it’s I remember when we were two little boys.

Tommy

Tommy came to see me,
Tommy came last night,
Tommy asked me to marry him,
Of course I said all right.

Tommy went asked Mama,
Mama came out to see,
Mama went back with a tear in her eye,
Said Tommy had asked for me.

Tommy went asked Papa,
Papa came out to see,
Papa went back with a smile on his face,
Said he’s glad to be rid of me.

Tommy owns a speedboat,
Tommy owns a store,
Tommy’s going to carry me away,
And we’ll live forevermore.

Two Little Boys ©1994 Jeff Warner & Jeff Davis
www.jeffwarner.com