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Frog Went A Courting

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Published
  
1548

"Frog Went A-Courtin'" (Roud 16, see alternative titles) is an English language folk song. Its first known appearance is in Wedderburn's Complaynt of Scotland (1548) under the name "The frog came to the myl dur", though this is in Scots rather than English. There is a reference in the London Company of Stationers' Register of 1580 to "A Moste Strange Weddinge of the Frogge and the Mouse." There are many texts of the ballad; however the oldest known musical version is in Thomas Ravenscroft's Melismata in 1611.

Contents

Summary

Frog rides to ask Miss Mouse to marry him. She is willing but must ask permission of Uncle Rat. In other versions such as "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O" by Chubby Parker, Frog fights and kills Miss Mouse's other suitors (an owl, bat and bumblebee) after they interrupt his proposal. Uncle Rat's permission received, the two work out details of the wedding. Some versions end with a cat, snake or other creature devouring the couple and wedding guests. Sometimes Frog gets away, but is later swallowed by a duck. See "Frog Went A-Courting" at Wikisource for one version of the lyrics.

Usually, the final verse states that there's a piece of food on the shelf, and that if the listener wants to hear more verses, they have to sing it themselves.

The notes on this song in Cazden et al. (pp. 524–532) constitute probably the best succinct summary available on variants of this piece.

Origin

Spaeth has a note claiming that the original version of this was supposed to refer to François, Duke of Anjou's wooing of Elizabeth I of England, however, this was in 1579 and the original Scottish version was already published. If the second known version (1611, in Melismata, also reprinted in Chappell) were the oldest, this might be possible — there are seeming political references to "Gib, our cat" and "Dick, our Drake." But the Wedderburn text, which at least anticipates the song, predates the reign of Queen Elizabeth by nine years, and Queen Mary by four. If it refers to any queen at all, it would seemingly have to be Mary Stuart. Evelyn K. Wells, however, in the liner notes to the LP Brave Boys; New England traditions in folk music (New World Records 239, 1977), suggests that the original may have been satirically altered in 1580 when it was recorded in the register of the London Company of Stationers, as this would have been at the height of the unpopular courtship.

According to Albert Jack in his book "Pop Goes the Weasel, The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes" (pp. 33–37, copyright 2008), the earliest known version of the song was published in 1549 as "The Frog Came to the Myl Dur" in Robert Wedderburn's "Complaynt of Scotland". He states that in 1547 the Scottish Queen Consort, Mary of Guise, under attack from Henry VIII, sought to marry her daughter Princess Mary (later Mary Queen of Scots), "Mrs. Mouse to the 3 year old French Prince Louis, the "frog". The song resurfaced a few years later, with changes, when another French (frog) wooing caused concern—that of the Duke of Anjou and Queen Elizabeth I in 1579. Elizabeth even nicknamed Anjou, her favorite suitor, "the frog".

Another theory traces the song to Suffolk: "Roley, Poley, Gammon and Spinach" refer to four families of Suffolk notables, Rowley, Poley, Bacon and Green.

The song has been heard by many people (as "Froggie Went A-Courtin'") in the 1955 Tom and Jerry cartoon Pecos Pest, which uses a version arranged and performed by Shug Fisher, in character as "Uncle Pecos." In Pecos Pest, Jerry's Uncle Pecos stays with him while getting ready for a television appearance, and continues to pluck Tom's whiskers to use as guitar strings throughout the cartoon. It is an improvised version with many lyrics that are unintelligible, and many changed. For example, he stutters and gives up when he tries to say "hickory tree" and says "way down yonder by the--," stammers out the names of several types of trees, finally settling (ironically) on "eucalyptus". He also mentions while continuing the music "That's the hard part right in there, n-n-n-n-nephew!" and "there's a yodel in thar somewhar, but it's a little too high f'r me."

Some refer to this song as "Crambone" as it is repeated at the end of many lines and said more clearly than the other words in this version. For example, the line is "Froggie went a-courtin' he did ride/Crambone." Fisher, in character as Pecos, delivers the coda with a glottal stutter on the letter c. Woody Guthrie's version used "Hey-hey," and Bob Dylan's version used "uh-huh" in the same way after several lines.

Other examples in film and TV include:

  • Keith (played by Roger Sloman) plays a version on banjo before being distracted by a 'lovely robin' in Mike Leigh's Nuts in May.
  • In "The Muppets Valentine Show" (a 1973 pilot version of The Muppet Show), Kermit the Frog going a-courtin' Miss Mousey.
  • A 1977 animated version of the folk tune features a happier ending for Froggie and Miss Mousie: they honeymoon around the world and give birth to two frog/mouse combination children and complete the song with "If you want more, you've got to sing it yourself!"
  • Ethan Hawke's character Troy Dyer is singing the song on his guitar at the end of the film Reality Bites when Winona Ryder's character Lelaina Pierce comes and tackles him on the couch.
  • Danny Tanner briefly sings the song while giving his oldest daughter D.J. guitar lessons in the sitcom Full House, in the episode "The Seven Month Inch (Part 2)".
  • Thomas Raith hums the song during a standoff with the Denarians in Jim Butcher's Small Favor, a novel of the Dresden Files.
  • The Dexter's Laboratory episode "Hamhocks and Armlocks" begins with the titular Dexter and his family signing the song on a road trip.
  • Bender sings a version of the song in the Futurama episode "Bendin' in the Wind".
  • Bobby Hill is heard to sing the opening verse on an episode of King of the Hill.
  • It has also been used in the episode of The Colbert Report that aired on May 23, 2007. This version was sung by Burl Ives. Colbert also sung a portion of the song on the June 18, 2007 episode, during an interview with Toby Keith.
  • The song was performed on The Fast Show by the character Bob Fleming as one of 'Bob Fleming's Country Favourites'.
  • An explicit remixed version of this song, named "What Do You Say" by Mickey Avalon, was on the soundtrack of the 2009 film The Hangover.
  • Mike Oldfield covered as a B side of Mike Oldfield's Single.
  • In Six Feet Under Season 4, Episode 3 "Parallel Play", Russell Corwin played by Ben Foster, sings the chorus over and over on a stage at a party.
  • The song is frequently sung in The Return of Peter Grimm, an RKO film released in 1935, and the second screen adaptation of David Belasco's Broadway hit. The film starred Lionel Barrymore.
  • In 1941, the German composer Paul Hindemith wrote a series of variations "Frog He Went a Courting" for Cello and Piano.

    Recordings

    The song has been recorded by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and many others. Folk singer Burl Ives performed perhaps the most well-known and kid-friendly version, in which Frog and Miss Mousie are wed.

  • Elvis Presley version rehearsal jam
  • Thomas Ravenscroft version (1611)
  • "T. Ravenscroft: Songs, Rounds and Catches," Consort of Musicke, Rooley
  • "Cakes and Ale - Catches and Partsongs", Pro Cantione Antiqua, Mark Brown
  • Albert Beale, "A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go" (on "Folk Songs of Britain, Vol. X: Animal Songs")
  • Brothers Four, "Frogg" (Columbia Records single, 1961), US #32; also sequel, "Frogg No. 2" on LP The Brothers Four Song Book (Columbia, 1961)
  • Blind Willie McTell, "Hillbilly Willie's Blues", uses the tune of "Frog".
  • Anne, Zeke, and Judy Canova (as "Juliet Canova"), "Frog Went A-Courtin'" (Brunswick 264, 1928; on "The Story that the Crow Told Me, Vol. 2" (2000))
  • Elizabeth Cronin, "Uncle Rat Went Out to Ride" (on "Folk Songs of Britain, Vol. X: Animal Songs")
  • Drusilla Davis, "Frog Went A-Courting" (AFS 347 B, 1935)
  • Danny Dell And The Trends, "Froggy Went A Courting" (Rockin' RR160 single, 1960)
  • Excepter "Knock Knock" (or "KK") on the Carrots single.
  • Flat Duo Jets, "Frog Went A Courtin'" on "Go Go Harlem Baby" (1991)
  • Otis High & Flarrie Griffin, "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" (on "Hand-Me-Down Music -- Old Songs, Old Friends: 1 -- Traditional Music of Union County, North Carolina" (1979))
  • Tom Glazer: Froggie went a courting"
  • Bradley Kincaid, "Froggie Went A Courting" (Silvertone 5188, 1927; Supertone 9209, 1928)
  • Adolphus Le Ruez,"The Frog and the Mouse" (on "Folk Songs of Britain, Vol. X: Animal Songs")
  • Pleaz Mobley, "Froggie Went A-Courting" (AFS; on LC12)
  • Chubby Parker, "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O" (Columbia 15296D, 1928; on Anthology of American Folk Music, CrowTold01) (Supertone 9731, 1930) (Conqueror 7889, 1931)
  • Annie Paterson, "The Frog and the Mouse" (on "Folk Songs of Britain, Vol. X: Animal Songs")
  • Unknown artist(s), "A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go" (Harper-Columbia 1162, c. 1919)
  • John Jacob Niles, "The Frog Went Courting" (on "American Folk & Gambling Songs", 1956)
  • Dorothy Olsen (the Singing Schoolteacher), "Frog Went A-Courtin'" (children's record, RCA/Bluebird WBY-54)(1956)
  • Packie Manus Byrne (Various – Songs From Ulster), "The Frog's Wedding" (Mulligan – LUNA 001 )(Recorded between 1955 and 1962, published in 1977)
  • Shug Fisher, "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" (In MGM "Tom and Jerry" cartoon "Pecos Pest", 1955)
  • Tom Tall, "Froggy Went A-Courting" (1958)
  • Elvis Presley, "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" (on "Walk a Mile in My Shoes - The Essential 70's Masters", 1970)
  • Tex Ritter, "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" (on "American Legend", 1973)
  • Romina Power, "Paolino maialino" (with Italian lyrics written by Paolo Limiti, released as single in 1974)
  • The Wiggles, "A Froggy He Would A-Wooing Goo" (on "The Wiggles", 1991)
  • Bob Dylan, "Froggie Went a Courtin'" (on Good as I Been to You, 1992)
  • Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O," B-side to the single "Henry Lee" (1996)
  • Laurie Berkner, "Froggie Went a-Courtin'" on Victor Vito (1999)
  • Dan Zanes, "King Kong Kitchie" (Festival Five Records, 2000)
  • Mike Oldfield, "Froggy Went A-Courting" (on Mike Oldfield's Single, UK edition, 1974)
  • Altan, "Uncle Rat" (on The Blue Idol) (2002)
  • The Can Kickers, "Froggy Went A Courtin'" on Mountain Dudes (2003)
  • James Reyne, And the Horse You Rode in On, (2005)
  • Bruce Springsteen, "Froggie Went a Courtin'" (on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, 2006)
  • Marc Gunn, "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" (on "A Tribute to Love", 2008)
  • Laura Veirs, "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O" (on "Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children", 2011)
  • Over 150 recorded versions are listed on the "Seeger Sessions" website
  • Tom Scott, "Froggie Went A Courtin" Signature record number 15098 78 RPM
  • French adaptation by Claude François : "Monsieur Crapaud" (Mister Toad) (1975)
  • Suzy Bogguss, "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" (on "American Folk Songbook", 2011)
  • Elizabeth Mitchell, "Froggie Went A-Courtin' on Blue Clouds 2012
  • Careful, "Frog Went a'Courting" (on "Because I Am Always Talking", 2012)
  • Adaptation of subject matter to a different tune and meter by John McCutcheon on his children's album Howjadoo
  • Alfred Deller and The Deller Consort
  • Gerhard Schöne, "Frosch und Maus", german re-working of the song (on "Kinderlieder aus aller Welt", 1986)
  • Alternative titles

  • "Crambone"
  • "Die Padda wou gaan opsit" (Afrikaans version in South Africa)
  • "Frog in the Well"
  • "Froggie Went A-Courtin'"
  • "Froggy Would A-Wooing Go"
  • "The Frog's Wooing"
  • "A Frog Went A-Walkin'"
  • "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O"
  • "There Lived a Puddie in the Well"
  • "There Was a Puggie in a Well"
  • "Y Broga Bach" (Welsh)
  • "Yo para ser feliz quiero un camión"
  • References

    Frog Went A-Courting Wikipedia