May 18. Story of the Day: My father he died

Today's story comes from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang, and you can also find it in all the standard nursery rhyme collections.

As a folktale type, this is ATU 1415 Trading Away One's Fortune. The folksong is classified as Roud 469. The Swapping Song (the popular American version of that song has different lyrics; I'll share those in another post).

For music, see Edward F. Rimbault's Nursery rhymes with the tunes to which they are still sung (1861), where he uses this title: The Search After Fortune. See the bottom of the page for the tune, plus another piece of sheet music which I found online.

Different versions give different refrains; in Wright's Specimens of Lyric Poetry (1841; online), for example, there is a version which goes: "With a wimmy lo! wommy lo! Jack Straw blazey boys! Wimmy lo! wommy lo! wob, wob, wob!" Here's a version which includes a pig and a hen in the chain:


Want more? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.



My father he died, but I can't tell you how;
He left me six horses to drive in my plough:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my six horses and I bought me a cow,
I'd fain have made a fortune but did not know how:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my cow, and I bought me a calf;
I'd fain have made a fortune, but lost the best half!
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my calf, and I bought me a cat;
A pretty thing she was, in my chimney corner sat:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.

I sold my cat, and bought me a mouse;
He carried fire in his tail, and burnt down my house:
    With my wing wang waddle oh,
    Jack sing saddle oh,
    Blowsey boys buble oh,
    Under the broom.





A different presentation of the music; author unknown:



CHAIN: horses - cow - calf - cat - mouse


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