July 1. Story of the Day: Kid Do Go

This item comes from The Passover Song of the Kid and an Equivalent from New England by William Wells Newell (and for the Passover song referred to in the title, see this post: Chad Gadya - One Goat).

This is another example of ATU 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig, with a stubborn little goat instead of a pig. Newell details his source in the note below, dating back to around the year 1800 (or older, of course).

For audio, see the bottom of the post, and for more stories, here are the previous Stories-of-the-Day.

KID DO GO

Old London Bridge in 1745 by J.J. Dodd

As I was going over London Bridge,
I found a penny ha'penny, and bought me a kid.
Kid, do go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found a stick.
Stick, do beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found fire.
Fire, do burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found water.
Water, do quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found ox.
Ox, do drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found butcher.
Butcher, do kill ox,
Ox won't drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Went a little further, and found rope.
Rope, do hang butcher,
Butcher won't kill ox,
Ox won't drink water,
Water won't quench fire,
Fire won't burn stick,
Stick won't beat kid,
Kid won't go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

Rope began to hang butcher,
Butcher began to kill ox,
Ox began to drink water,
Water began to quench fire,
Fire began to burn stick,
Stick began to beat kid,
Kid began to go.
Know by the moonlight it's almost midnight,
Time kid and I were home an hour and a half ago.

NOTES

I now print for the first time a version obtained by myself, many years ago, from the recitation of Miss Lydia R. Nichols of Salem, Mass., at the time aged 88 years, who retained the words as a reminiscence of her earliest infancy; the date of the rhyme therefore goes back to about 1800.

~ ~ ~

Here's an audio recording by yours truly :-)