Jean Ritchie -Topic, May 19, 2015
Provided to YouTube by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings What Will I Do with the Baby-O · Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson at Folk City ℗ 1990 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
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Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post showcases the American folk song "What'll I Do With The Baby-O" and the children's recreational rhyme "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" (also found as "Mama's Having A Baby"). In this post I suggest that the main idea (but not the actual lyrics or tune) for the recreational rhyme "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" (also found as "Mama's Having A Baby") comes from the folk song "What'll I Do With the Baby-O". A few versions of "What'll I Do With The Baby-O" and "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" (also found as "Mama's Having A Baby") are included in this pancocojams post. The content of this post is presented for folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson for their performance of "What Will I Do WIth The Baby-O" and thanks to all those who are also quoted in this post.
-snip- Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/12/fudge-fudge-call-judge-twins-triplets.html for a 2011 pancocojams post entitled "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" - Twins & Triplets In Playground Rhymes".
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/10/mamas-having-chocolate-baby-line-in.html for the 2013 pancocojams post entitled "Mama's Having A Chocolate Baby" Line In Fudge Fudge Call The Judge Rhymes.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE #1
I believe that the American folk song "What'll I Do With The Baby-O" is the main source for the idea (but not the lyrics or tune) for the children's rhyme "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" (also found as "Mama's Having A Baby").
These similarities are the reasons why I believe this:
1. The folk song and the recreational rhyme are about a baby.
2. The song and the rhyme refer to wrapping the baby in some kind of material (The song refers to wrapping the baby in calico or in a tablecloth. The rhyme refers to wrapping the baby in toilet paper or tissue paper).
3. The song and the rhyme refer to doing something violent to the baby.
-snip-
Some versions of this folk song and versions of this recreational rhyme may not include #2 and/or #3.
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SOME LYRIC VERSIONS OF "WHAT'LL I DO WITH THE BABY-O"
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:24 PM
..." The "Baby-O" tune, as it's often called, is a traditional tune with some trad and many borrowed verses. In our Kentucky mountain community, the fiddle often played the tune for running sets (now usually known as 'square dancing'). Whole families went to these weekend parties at each other's houses- from grandmas down to babies-in-arms. Babies as they fell asleep would be put on a big bed in a back room, and the womenfolk took time-about watching them. To amuse them the minder would bounce the bedsprings up and down with her hands, in time to the fiddle tune in the next room, and sing the verses she knew to the old tune. Many new verses got made up that way. My mother made up the one about, "give Old Blue your chickenbone" (at dinner, sometimes the baby would be playing underneath the table, and his Mom would hand him a drumstick bone to chew on to keep him-or her- quiet). I made up the verse "Dance him north, dance him south, Pour a little moonshine in his mouth," one time while I was taking my turn being a minder at a dance. Other verses I sing,in our family version, are mine, and I also added the line to the chorus, "He/she won't go to sleepy-O." This explains the copyright notice- it's only for the Ritchie Family version, the one I do on my recordings.
Another of my own verses is the one,
Pull her toes, tickle her chin (3 times)
Roll her up in the county-pin!
"County-pin" is the Kentucky pronounciation of, "Counterpane," which means a bedspread. End of lesson, Jean Ritchie
** 2. Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: WHATCHA GONNA DO WITH THE BABY?
From: Richie
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 07:54 PM
...."Here's some info with lyrics from Andrew Kuntz:
WHATCHA GONNA DO WITH THE BABY? Old-Time, Breakdown/song. USA; Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina. G Major. Standard. AB. The tune was even set as a New England style country dance by New York state fiddler Claudio Buchwald (1975). Source for notated version: Grayson and Whitter (Kentucky) [Kuntz].
***
The baby laughs, the baby cries,
Stuck my finger in the baby's eyes.
*** Refrain
Whatcha gonna do with the baby?
Whatcha gonna do with the baby?
***
Wrap it up in calico,
Send it back to Georg-i-o.
***
Wrap it up in a tablecloth,
Toss it up in a stable loft.
***
I love that pretty little thing,
Baby is a dandy;
I love that pretty little baby,
God bless its mammy.
**
3. Subject: Lyr Add: WHAT'LL I DO WITH THE BABY-O
From: Richie
Date: 18 Jan 07 - 09:08 PM
"The Jones Family lyrics are similar to the Kristin Hersh lyrics:
What'll I Do With the Baby-O
Tradtional lyrics arranged Jones Family on From Earth to Heaven.
What'll I do with the baby-o? What'll I do with the baby-o?
What'll I do with the baby-o? She won't go to sleepy-o.
Wrap her up in calico, Wrap her up in calico,
Wrap her up in calico, throw her out the window.
What'll I do with the baby-o? What'll I do with the baby?
What'll I do with the baby-o? She won't go to sleepy-o.
Wrap her up in a tablecloth, toss her up in the stable-loft.
What'll I do with the baby-o? She won't go to sleepy-o.
Dance her north, dance her south, pour a little moonshine in her mouth.
What'll I do with the baby-o? She won't go to sleepy-o.
Every time the baby cries, poke my finger in the baby's eyes.
That's what I'll do with the baby-o. That's what I'll do with the baby!"
-snip-
With regard to the word "mammy" in the examples of "What'll I Do With The Baby-O", it appears that, nowadays most people in the United States think that the word "mammy" only refers to Black woman (and a certain type of Black woman). However, here's a quote from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammy "Mammy" is a nickname for a mother, used in several English dialects, most notably in Ireland." That page gives the example of "Mammy yokum, a white hillbilly from the comic strip Li'l Abner."
The word "mammy" in certain American folk songs such as "What'll I Do With The Baby-O", and its related songs "Prettiest Girl In The County-O" and "Sugar In My Coffee-O" may refer to White mothers. That said, the word "mammy" in American folk songs could also have been used as a non-offensive referent or as an offensive referent for Black mothers.
-snip-
Read my comment in this post's comment section that provides some more history about the American folk song "What'll I Do WIth The Baby-O".
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE #2 "Fudge Fudge Call The Judge" rhymes were chanted while jumping rope (long rope with enders). However, as is the case with most jump rope rhymes in the United States, during the 1960s, performing partner hand clap routines (hand games) is the preferred performance activity for this recreational rhyme.
Also, I've noticed that in some contemporary versions of this rhyme don't include the "Fudge Fudge/ Call The Judge" line. Those versions begin with the line "Mama's Having A Baby".
**** A FEW TEXT (WORD ONLY) EXAMPLES OF "FUDGE FUDGE CALL THE JUDGE" Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. This rhyme was heard in Athol, MA in the 1950's:
Fudge, fudge, call the judge,
Mama's got a new-born baby
It's not a boy
It's not a girl
It's just an ordinary baby
Wrap it up in tissue paper,
Send it down the elevator,
First floor - Miss! [skipper to catch to rope between legs]
Second floor -Miss! [Continues until skipper fails]
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipping-rope_rhyme
fudge, fudge!
call the judge!
_______'s havin a baby,
_______'s goin crazy!
wrap it up in toilet paper,
send it down the elevator.
boy, girl, twins, triplets?
repeat until jumper screws up, and that is what she
supposidly had, lol!
-posted by lexy at June 24, 2005, Whee Blog (This blog is no longer active).
**** 3. Back in the 50s in Flint, MI. We chanted while jumping rope:Fudge, fudge. Call the judge.
Mama's gonna have a new born baby.
Wrap it up in tissue paper.
Send it down the elevator.
First floor - miss.
Second floor - miss.
Third floor - kick it out the door. (kicking motion)
That's the end of the baby (Run out from swinging rope)
- dulcimer42, , August 1,2013, http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=99131&messages=15 Lyr Req: Fudge, Fudge, Call the Judge
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4.Hey, had this rhyme just jump into my brain. I couldn't
remember how it started. I don't remember saying , "Fudge". I believe
we started it like this...
Momma's gonna have a baby
Is it gonna be twins just maybe
If it's a boy, give it a toy
If it's a girl give it a curl
Wrap it up in toilet paper
Send it down the esculator
First floor STOP. Second floor STOP
Third floor you better get off or you will get a POP.
I'm from Pittsburgh Pa. We sang this with the hand clap
game.
-GUEST,ABC, 21 Feb 19,
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5. I was in elementary school in the Bronx in the early 2000s.
We sang it like this:
Mama's having a baby
Papa's going crazy
If it's a boy, I'll give it a toy
If it's a girl, I'll give it a curl
Then wrap it up in toilet paper
Send it down the escalator
SECOND FLOOR!
Stop! Take it easy
FIRST FLOOR!
Stop! Take it easy
S-S (slap hands twice)
T-T(slap hands twice)
O-O(slap hands twice)
P-P(slap hands twice)
Spells STOP!
-E.CorreaFebruary
13, 2017, http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/12/fudge-fudge-call-judge-twins-triplets.html.Fudge Fudge Call The Judge: Twins And Triplets [comment]
Here's a comment that I wrote and added to the comment section of the pancocojams post entitled "Day O", "Sammy Dead O", "Mister Ram Goat O" And Other Titles Of Caribbean Folk Songs That End With An "O" Or The Word "Oh" https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/09/day-o-sammy-dead-o-mister-ram-goat-o.html
ReplyDelete"I'm aware of three American folk songs have titles and some lyric lines that end with the letter "o": "The Pretttiest Girl In The County-o", "Sugar In My Coffee-o", and "What Will We Do With The Baby-o".
All of these songs have their source in the mid 19th century minstrel song "Dandy Jim From Caroline".
From http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/dandy-jim-from-caroline-minstrel-lyrics.aspx
"NOTES: Dandy Jim of Caroline is the 1843 Minstrel song that spawned such fiddle songs as "Sugar in My Coffee-O," first recorded by by Crockett's Kentucky Mountaineers, and "What are You Going To Do With the Baby," the 1928 song by the Hodge Brothers. The first related version and title was "Prettiest Little Gal in the County" by Gid Tanner and Riley Puckett in 1924."...
-snip-
The chorus of "Dandy Jim From Caroline" is
"CHORUS
For my ole mama tole me,
I'm de best looking man in de county oh,
I look in de glass, as I found it so,
Just as massa tell me, oh."...
-snip-
The word "man" was originally "ni--ger" and is sometimes given as "fella".
-snip-
There's probably no way to find out at this late date, but I wonder if (in addition to its rhyming feature), the "o" ending for the titles/lines of these Southern/Appalachian American folk songs was influenced by the West African/Caribbean custom of ending sentences with "o" or using "o" as the end of some song titles.
Has any folklorist ever raised this as a possibility?
The American folk song "What'll I Do With The Baby-O" is considered to be from the Applachian region of the United States.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Wikipedia page on Appalachia "Appalachia typically refers only to the cultural region of the central and southern portions of the range, from the Catskill Mountains of New York southwest to the Blue Ridge Mountains which run southwest from southern Pennsylvania to northern Georgia, and the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina."...
However, it appears to me that many people in the United States mistakenly believe that "Appalachia" only refers to White people. For example, the image of the (pejorative term) "hillbillies" is thought to be White people who live in Appalachia. As such, people who believe that are unaware or prefer to discount the fact that there are lots of Black people who live in Appalachia.
Here's an excerpt from a Feb. 10, 2021 article "Black In Appalachia: Spreading The Black Historical Narrative" by Calista Boyd, Feb. 10, 2021
"The culture and history in Appalachia is inseparable from white culture and history. The differences we see are differences that come out of slavery and Jim Crow segregation. There were also vast differences between Black communities in the region, from county to county, depending on the economy of the county, what the dominant industries were and how repressive the bosses were,” Isom said. “... there was a shared Black experience that included living under the boot of slaveholders, slave catchers, hostile townspeople and through Jim Crow segregation.”
Because there were (and still are) lots of Black people in Appalachia, and because there was a lot of musical "cross pollination" between Black people and White people in 19th century United States, there's no way to tell whether the "What'll I Do With The Baby-O" folk song and other related folk songs first came from Black people or from White people.
Delete