Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about and comparisons between two versions of the singing game "Three Dukes A-Riding" and the only version of African American singing game "We're Riding Here To Get Married" that I know about.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/08/african-american-versions-of-english.html "We're Riding Here To Get Married" &
"Johnny Cuckoo" Are African American Versions Of The Scottish
Children's Singing Game "Three Dukes A Riding" for a previous pancocojams post on this subject.
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LYRICS AND NOTES - "THREE DUKES A RIDING" (Version #1)
(Duke:) Here come three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding,
Here come three dukes a-riding,
Ransam, tansam, tism, tee.
(Children:)
Pray what is your good will Sir, (etc)
(Duke:)
My will is for to marry, (etc)
(Children:)
Pray, whom will you marry? (etc)
(Duke:)
You're all too black and brown for me, (etc)
(Children:)
We're quite as white as you Sir, (etc)
(Duke:)
You're all as stiff as pokers, (etc)
(Children:)
We can bend as well as you, Sir (etc).
(Duke:)
Go through the kitchen and through the hall,
And take the fairest of them all.
The fairest one that I can see
Is [Jemima Spriggins] so come to me.
Source: Lucy Broadwood and J A Fuller Maitland. 1893, English County Songs, Leadenhall Press, London
Notes:
Lucy Broadwood wrote:
In this choosing game one child, representing the duke,
advances towards a line of children who hold hands and walk backwards and
forwards in front of him. He names the child he wishes for, who takes his hand
and joins him in his song. In most versions, the duke sings the "Go
through the kitchen," &c. to the tune of "Nancy Dawson,"
better known as "Here we go round the mulberry bush." The game goes
on until all the children and won over to the duke's side. The above tune is
that sung in many counties to these words a version is given in the Hon. E. M.
Plunket's Merrie Games in Rhyme. A very elaborate version of the game is
sent from Masham, Yorkshire, in which the whole thing is gone through, first
with one duke, then with two, and lastly with three. After choosing the child
by name, the dialogue, "I will buy thee a watch and chain" (See
"I will give you the keys of Heaven", Cheshire), is gone through, as
far as the offers are concerned, the chosen child replying "No" to
each."
Online source - http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/792.html
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*Notes for a version of "Three Dukes" from https://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Three_Dukes.htm
(1) Gomme II.245, from the West of Scotland [Folklore Record, IV.174]
(2) Gomme II.247, from Biggar;
(3) ibid., from Rosehearty, Pitsligo.
(4) Greig FSNE art. clii.2, from Sandwick, Orkney.
[Another instance of the tribal marriage imitated by children, for at least a thousand years. Gomme suggests that the chorus preserves an old slogan or war cry.]
(5) Rodger Lang Strang (1948), 32. Three boys play the dukes,
advancing and retiring with st. 1; the girls in a line take hands and advance
and retire with the second stanza, etc.
(6) Gomme & Sharp, Children's Singing Games I (1909), 20;
(7) Opies Singing Game (1985), 76 (no. 11), with refs.
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The adjectives "black and brown" in this song probably refers to White people with dark hair and/or darker complexions (compared to other White people).
The adjective "fair" ("fairest") in this song means "prettiest".
LYRICS AND NOTES - "TWO DUKES A RIDING" (Version #2)
(Jean Ritchie)
Here comes two dukes a riding riding
riding
Here comes two dukes a riding Ring tim a ding to my
johnnie o
Why do you riding here for, here for, here for?
Why do you riding here for? Ring tim a ding to my johnnie o
Riding here to get married, married, married
Riding here to get married Ring tim a ding to my
johnnie o
Do you want any of us sir, us sir, us si?r
Do you want any of us sir? Ring tim a ding to my
johnnie o
You’re all too dirty and greasy, greasy, greasy
You’re all too dirty and greasy. Ring tim a ding to my johnnie o
We just as good as you are, you are, you are
We just as good as you are. Ring tim a ding to my
johnnie o
Won’t have nobody but Mary, Mary, Mary.
Won’t have nobody but Mary. Ring tim a ding to my
johnnie o
Will you come? No!
Old dirty dish rag, she won’t come out, she won’t come out, she won’t come out.
Old dirty dish rag, she won’t come out. Ring tim a ding to my johnnie o
Will you come out? Yes!
Pretty little girl, she will come out, she will
come out, she will come out.
Pretty little girl, she will come out Ring
tim a ding to my johnnie o
Online Source - https://greatsong.net/PAROLES-JEAN-RITCHIE,TWO-DUKES-A-RIDING,102673666.html
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Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYrRaktgRAk for a YouTube sound file of Jean Ritchie singing "Two Dukes A Riding"
Here's some information about Jean Ritchie from her Wikipedia page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Ritchie
"Jean Ruth Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American) American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player,[1] called by
some the "Mother of Folk".[2] In her youth she learned hundreds of
folk songs in the traditional way (orally, from her family and community), many
of which were Appalachian variants of centuries old British and Irish songs,
including dozens of Child Ballads.[3][4] In adulthood, she shared these songs
with wide audiences,[5] as well as writing some of her own songs using
traditional foundations.[4]
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LYRICS AND NOTES - "WE'RE RIDING HERE TO GET MARRIED
Directions: The girls form a horizontal line and stand facing boys who have also formed a horizontal line. In the 1st part of this singing game, the girls sing and skip four steps for each phrase toward the boys and the boys sing while skipping four steps for each phrase toward the girls. The singing game turns into a chasing game at a specific part of the chant.
Girls:
We're riding here to get marriedMarried, Married
Riding here to get married.
Ah Rhythm Ah Diddee
Ah Diddee High Oh
Boys:
Who you gonna marry?
Marry, Marry
Who you gonna marry?
Ah Rhythm Ah Diddee
Ah Diddee High Oh
Girls:
We're gonna marry Johnny *
Johnny, Johnny
We're gonna marry Johnny
Johnny, Johnny
Ah Rhythm Ah Diddee
Ah Diddee High Oh
Boys:
How ya gonna get him?
Get Him, Get Him
How ya gonna get him
Ah Rhythm Ah Diddee
Ah Diddee High Oh
Girls:
We'll break the doors and windows
Windows, Windows
We'll break the doors and windows
Ah Rhythm Ah Diddee
A Diddee High Oh
Boys:
You'll get all dirty and greasy
Greasy, Greasy
You'll get all dirty and greasy
Ah Rhythm Ah Diddee
Ah Diddee High Oh
Girls:
We're not as greasy and you are
You are, You are
We're not as greasy as you are
Ah Rhythm A Diddee
A Diddee High Oh
Girls:
Are you coming? [Spoken loudly]
Boys:
NO! [Yelled]
* another boy's name can be substituted for "Johnny"
Part II:
When the boys yell "No!", the girls began to chase the boys. They are suppose to particularly focus on the boy whose name had been given in the chant. The boys run away. They are suppose to try to protect the boy whose name had been called from being caught by the girls. But, actually, when this game was played, the girls tried to catch any boy playing the game, and particularly focused on the boy/s who they liked.
-Barbara Ray, (African American woman), memories of growing up in the 1950s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; collected by Azizi Powell, 1997, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Visitor comments are welcome.
The African American children's singing game "Johnny Cuckoo" has floating verses from the "Three (or "Two") Dukes" songs and/or the "We're Riding Here To Get Married" song.
ReplyDeleteThe "Three ("Two") Dukes" song and the "We're Riding Here To Get Married" song have the same or similar tune as "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" and the "Johnny Cuckoo" song has a somewhat similar tune. All of these singing games have the same or similar performance activity. (I'm basing the performance activity of "We're Riding Here To Get Married" singing game on the performance and explanation of that game that I witnessed from Barbara Ray from whom I collected that song.
Here are the lyrics for "Johnny Cuckoo" from Bess Hawes Lomax: Step It Down: Games, Plays, Songs & Stories from the Afro-American Heritage.
[African American Georgia Sea Isle Children's Game Song]
Group:
Here comes one Johnny Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, Cuckoo.
Here comes one Johnny Cuckoo,
on a cold and stormy night.
Group:
What did you come for,
come for, come for?
What did you come for,
on a cold and stormy night?
Soloist #1:
I come to be a soldier,
soldier, soldier.
I come to be a soldier,
on a cold and stormy night.
Group:
You are too black and dirty,
dirty, dirty.
You are too black and dirty
on a cold and stormy night.
Soloist #1:
I'm just as good as you are
you are, you are.
I'm just as good as you are
on a cold and stormy night.
(repeat entire song with soloist #2 etc.)
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"Johnny Cuckoo" is a traditional game song from the Georgia Sea Isles. The song is included in a four CD collection of Southern folk songs (Alan Lomax, Sounds of the South Disc 4 Atlantic Recording Corp, 1993). The song is also included in Bess Hawes & Bess Lomax Hawes' book of Georgia Sea Isle rhymes Step It Down.
...In my opinion, "Johnny Cuckoo" used dramatic play to teach & reinforce self-esteem and self-confidence. Hopefully, the children internalized the affirmation that "I'm just a good as you are" for the times when they would experience put downs as children, teens, and adults.
I'm not certain if "Johnny Cuckoo" is still sung in Georgia or elsewhere. I have no knowledge of it from my childhood in New Jersey, and I haven't come across anyone who knows it in my adopted city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I shared the lyrics for "We're Riding Here To Get Married" and the lyrics for "Johnny Cuckoo" in at least two discussion threads on the Mudcat folk music forum. In those comments I suggested that both of those songs were variants of the "Dukes A Riding" songs. Here's an excerpt from a response to that opinion from another Mudcat member:
Deletehttps://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=34425&messages=26
Subject: RE: Help: johnny cockaroo
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 01:59 PM
"Azizi, you throw too wide a loop.
"Duke(s) a-riding" certainly is a forbear of the play song in the last part of your post; "Girls, we're riding here to get married ...." a typical match-making song.
"Here Comes One Johnny Cuckoo" (earlier post), sung by Joan Baez, and in your Cocojams, seems to be a combination of a soldier play song with the 'dirty' verses from "Duke(s)..." Floaters?
It does not mention match-making. On that basis I would separate them.
The "dark and stormy night" line is one I haven't found in other play songs.
Compare with "Here's a Soldier," another match-making song:
Here's a soldier, left all alone
Wants a wife and can't get none.
...........
What's your will, mu dilcy dulcy officer? (2x)
............
My will it is to marry, my dilcy dulcy officer
..........
You're all too old and ugly, my dilcy dulcy officer (2x
etc.
or:
I am an old soldier, I come from the war,
Come from the war;
I am an old soldier, I come from the war,
And my age it is sixty and three.
...........
Son, go choose a wife of your own,
etc.
You're all too old and ugly
................
Children seem to like the dirty, greasy, blowsy, ugly comparisons.
Neither seems to have any relation to the 'Conquerer root'...
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Q's reference to Cocojams was regarding my now no longer active cocojams.com cultural website which was a precursor to pancocojams.
Q's mention of the "Conqueror's root" is in response to my suggestion that the name "John the conqueroo" comes from the herbal root that was/is known as "John the conqueror".