"John Brown's Baby Has A Cold Upon His Chest" & "John Brown's Baby Has A Pimple On His Nose" (Sound File, Article Excerpt, Comments, & Lyrics)

John Buchanan, May 21, 2020

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on songs that are sung to the tune that is best known now as "Glory Glory Hallelujah".

This post presents a YouTube video sound file of the children's parody song "John Brown's Baby". The lyrics for "John Brown's Baby" are included in this post along with an article excerpt and comments about that song.

An example of another version of this song entitled "John Brown's Baby Has A Pimple On His Nose" is also included in this pancocojams post. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/08/say-brothers-will-you-meet-us-christian.html
for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents a YouTube sound file of the Christian song "Say Brothers, Will You Meet Us?". Information and comments about this song are also included in this post along with a few versions of its lyrics. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/08/john-browns-body-civil-war-marching.html
for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents a YouTube sound file of the Civil War marching song "John Brown's Body".  Information and comments about that song are also included in this post along with a few versions of its lyrics..

The content of this post is presented for cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unverified composer/s of this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the producers and publisher of the YouTube sound file that is embedded in this post.  

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LYRICS AND ACTIONS: "JOHN BROWN'S BABY"
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW09agXpdeI  "JOHN BROWN'S BABY had a cold upon his chest children game"...SZABO MUSIC, May 29, 2018mA

John Brown's baby had a cold upon his chest John Brown's baby had a cold upon his chest John Brown's baby had a cold upon his chest And they rubbed it with camphorated oil. John Brown's ---- had a cold upon his chest John Brown's ---- had a cold upon his chest John Brown's ---- had a cold upon his chest And they rubbed it with camphorated oil. Verse 2: Omit word "baby" throughout and do motion Verse 3: Omit "baby" and "cold" and do motions Verse 4: Omit "baby", "cold" and "chest" and do motions Verse 5: Omit "baby", "cold", "chest" and "rubbed" and do motions Verse 6: Omit "baby", "cold", "chest", "rubbed" and "camphorated oil" and do motions MOTIONS (after Verse 1): baby - rock baby in arms cold - sneeze chest - hit chest rubbed - rub chest camphorated oil - hold nose & [make] a face* -snip- *Make the facial expression that people have when something stinks (something or someone has a strong, unpleasant smell) 
-snip-
Here are similar directions and motions for "John Brown's Baby" from  https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2015/03/john-browns-baby.html 

Repeat the same lyrics, but remove a word each time you sing another verse, and replace it with its corresponding motion.

"John Brown = salute (I skip this one with younger students)
baby = motion of rocking baby in arms
cold = pretend to cough
chest = pat chest
rubbed = rub chest
camphorated oil = hold nose and make sour face"

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ARTICLE EXCERPT WITH SELECTED COMMENTS
From https://mistressofmusic.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/the-always-changing-john-browns-body-how-the-hell-did-a-song-about-an-abolitionist-morph-into-a-song-about-a-sick-kid/ "The always changing “John Brown’s Body” – How the hell did a song about an abolitionist morph into a song about a sick kid?, published by Mistress of Music, February  9, 2014

…."If there’s ever been a kid’s song that confused me so much as an adult, it’s this one: “John Brown’s Body”……..or is it “John Brown’s Baby”?  Or is it “Battle Hymn of the Republic”?  One melody, three different sets of lyrics, but they all keep the same chorus for some reason.

Let’s all take a deep breath and look at this one.  We’ll start with “John Brown’s Body”, because, if Wikipedia’s correct, this was the original.  The tune itself grew out of oral folk music tradition and hymn singing back in early 1800s America, so there really isn’t a single person who wrote it.  Same goes for the lyrics, which were thrown together by a group of Union soldiers; I think Wikipedia said it was the 2nd Infantry “Tiger” Battalion of the Massachusetts militia, according to an account from 1890.  It’s a marching song, so my guess is these soldiers started singing any words that came to mind, to a tune that most of them knew, to keep in time with the marching.

[lyrics inserted]

 So yeah, the lyrics are about the famed pre-Civil War abolitionist, John Brown.  This was the guy who wanted to combat slavery in Kansas by armed combat and violence.  Of course, he was eventually caught and hanged when his raid on Harper’s Ferry failed.  That’s the short version of it.  Go ask your US History teacher about the rest.

Let’s look at “Battle Hymn” next

[lyrics inserted]

The lyrics were written by Julia Ward Howe, and first published in 1862.  She was asked to write new lyrics after hearing the original tune sung by the aforementioned Tiger Battalion.  In this version, it seems as if Howe was linking up the Civil War with the biblical Judgment Day.  Needless to say, it’s become a very popular patriotic song.

I was introduced to this tune by way of a sillier version – “John Brown’s Baby”.  Here’s the lyrics to that one:

John Brown’s baby had a cold upon his chest,
John Brown’s baby had a cold upon his chest,
John Brown’s baby had a cold upon his chest,
And they rubbed it with camphorated oil.

There were body motions that went along with it too, and this one verse was repeated over and over, but different words were omitted and replaced with a silly body motion.  I was taught THIS in school!

Compared to the ones above, this one is beyond lame.  My guess is that my uptight teachers didn’t think we could handle the heady subjects of slavery and the Civil War and extremely religious patriotic songs (I went to public school), and I’m very sure they didn’t want us singing about anyone’s body lying “a-mouldering in the grave”.  But then again, we were young kids – maybe “John Brown’s Baby” was age-appropriate, and the teachers didn’t want any parents getting upset....

But I have to ask, what the hell is camphorated oil anyway?"
-snip-
Here are a few comments from this article's discussion thread. Numbers aer added for referencing purposes only. Comments 3& 5 are two other children's rhymes that have the same tune as "John Brown's Baby" ("Glory Glory Hallelujah".

1. carolgrover on September 8, 2015 at 6:26 pm said:
"My granny was born in 1885 in Scotland and travelled the world with her diplomat father. She sang me to sleepat night. Her version was

John Brown’s babty had a fly upon its ear

Ditto

Ditto

And he flicked it so it flew away." 

I also heard the Battle Hymn later. I never heard the baby with a cold version.

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2. Courtney on July 12, 2016 at 8:43 pm said:
"I was private schooled and we sang John Brown’s baby nearly every day! Camphor oil is just Vick’s vapor rub 🙂"

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3. Ann Francis on August 28, 2016 at 5:48 pm said:

"At got scout camp I learned:

I wear my pink pajamas in the summer when it’s hot.
I wear my flannel nighty in the winter when it’s not.
And sometimes in the springtime and sometimes in the fall, I jump into the covers with nothin’ on at all.

Glory glory hallelujah.
Glory glory what’s it to ya?
Balmy breezes blowin’ through ya
With nothin’ on at all."

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Reply
4. rdpblue on August 29, 2016 at 10:21 am said:

"That’s a good one! I read it while singing the tune to myself…

 It’s a pretty versatile melody; I guess you can put any words you want, as long as it fits the rhythm."

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5. Jack Kent on June 17, 2018 at 9:04 am said:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the school
We have tortured every teacher – we have broken every rule
We plan to hang the principal and secretary too
Our troops are marching on!

Glory, glory, hallelujah
Teacher hit me with a ruler
The ruler turned red, and the teacher dropped dead
And she ain’t my teacher no more!"

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6. Betty Sue Agado on July 2, 2018 at 7:08 pm said:
"Fyi camphorated oil is really nothing more than Vicks vapor rub. But before Vicks marketed it as such."

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A VERSION OF "JOHN BROWN'S BABY HAS A PIMPLE ON HIS NOSE"
From https://www.volksliederarchiv.de/john-browns-baby-has-a-pimble-on-his-nose/  
"John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose (1942)

Volkslieder » Scherzlieder » 1933-1945 Nationalsozialismus"

John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose
John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose
John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose
and we go march in the long

Glori Glori Glori Gloria
Schön sind die Mädchen von Batavia
Glori Glori Glori Gloria
Schöne Mädchen gibt es da

Das Lied wird 8 mal wiederholt. Bei jeder Wiederholung wird von dem Satz „John Brown’s Baby has a pimble on his nose“ der Reihe nach ein Wort nach dem andern ausgeschlossen, so dass zuletzt nur das Wort „nose“ gesungen wird. Die Pausen müssen genau ausgehalten werden.

Text: Verfasser unbekannt – Parodie auf „John Browns Body lies a mouldring in his grave“

„John Browns Baby hat einen Pickel auf der Nase….“
-snip-
Google translate from German to English:

John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose
John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose
John Brown’s Baby has a pimple on his nose
and we go march in the long [Pancocojams Editor's Note: alternative transcription: "As we go marching along"]

Glori Glori Glori Gloria
The girls from Batavia are beautiful
Glori Glori Glori Gloria
There are beautiful girls there

The song is repeated 8 times. With each repetition, the phrase "John Brown's Baby has a pimple on his nose" is eliminated one word at a time, so that only the word "nose" is sung at the end. The pauses must be endured precisely.

Text: Author unknown - parody of "John Brown's body lies a moldring in his grave"

"John Brown's baby has a pimple on his nose...."

Music: Civil War song about the abolition of slavery

in Der Pott (1942 "a pimble") - also in: The Kilometer Stone (1934 "a pimpel") - similarity to "Auf der Mauer auf der Lauer"....

Musik: Lied aus dem amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg um die Abschaffung der Sklaverei

in Der Pott (1942 „a pimble“) – auch in : Der Kilometerstein (1934 „a pimpel“) – Ähnlichkeit zu „Auf der Mauer auf der Lauer“….
-snip-
This song is probably found in other languages and may have originated in the United States.

 The Glory Glory Hallelujah" chorus that is found in "John Brown's Baby Has A Cold Upon His Chest" can replace the words that are used for the chorus of this German version of "John Brown's Baby Has A Pimple On His Nose".  

That post doesn't give any directions for the motions that are used for this song. However, singers can touch their nose for that word and march around on those words.

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This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.

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