Chinook Breeze, April 27, 2017 -snip- The lyrics to this version of "Cooties and Bed Bugs" are given below.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part 2024 pancocojams series about the song "I Woke Up Sunday Morning" (also given as "Roaches and Bedbugs, "Cooties and Bedbugs", "Whipper Whooper" and other similar titles.
This post showcases five additional YouTube examples of that song along with transcriptions of their lyrics.
This post focuses on some of the different lyrics, tunes, and tempos that are used for this song. This post also presents some examples of the different ways this song is performed.
That post showcases five other YouTube examples of that song along with transcriptions of their lyrics.
That post focuses on some of the different lyrics, tunes, and tempos that are used for this song. This post also presents some examples of the different ways this song is performed.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown composers of these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos/sound files on YouTube. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/references-to-fbi-in-childrens-rhymes.html for the 2017 pancocojams post entitled " "I Woke Up Sunday Morning" (Roaches & Bedbugs Playing Basketball) Rhymes & Other References To "The FBI" In Children's Rhymes BEFORE The "I Believe I Can Fly I Got Shot By The FBI" Parodies"
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE The mission of this pancocojams blog is to showcase the cultures of African Americans and of other Black people throughout the world. However, this pancocojams series isn't meant to imply that this song originated from or was/is only sung by Black people. As indicated above, I'm showcasing these examples for folkloric, historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.
**** LYRICS FOR EXAMPLE #1 OF THIS SONG These lyrics are given in the summary statement for the video that is given at the top of this pancocojams post.
"I woke up Sunday morning I looked up on the wall The skeeters and the bedbugs Were havin’ a game of ball The score was 4 to 7 The skeeters were ahead The bedbugs hit a home run And knocked me outta bed
Singin’ eeny meeny meeny miny mo Catch a tigger tigger by the toe If he hollers hollers let him go Singin’ eeny meeny meeny miny mo
______________________________________
Repeat: get progressively faster"
-snip- These lyrics are given in that video's summary statement.
**** ADDITIONAL VIDEOS & LYRICS These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube.
EXAMPLE #2 - Skeeters and Bedbugs
Butch Bost, Aug 16, 2010
http://BanjoButch.blogspot.com . Johnny Eubanks sings a song he learned long,
long ago. This was on 8/16/2010 at the
home of Frank Sox. Free instructional
videos at http://BanjoButch.blogspot.com for guitar and banjo.
Here are the words:
I woke up this morning and looked up on the wall
The skeeters and the bedbugs were having a game of ball.
The score was two to nothing. The skeeters were ahead.
The bed bugs hit a home run and knocked me out my bed **** EXAMPLE #3 - The Beetles & The Bedbugs
Camp Kateri Tekakwa
Featuring Oak & Astro, Jul 4, 2018 -snip- Here's the lyrics to this version of this song from that video's English auto-generated transcript (given without time stamps, but corrected with the beginning word for each line of the song, and my corrections of some of those auto-generated lyrics).
Additions and corrections are welcome.
"I woke up Sunday morning And looked up on the wall The beetles and the bedbugs Were playing a game a ball
Singin eeny meenie and ah miney moe Hey! Catch a whiffer whiffer whooper By the toe And if he hollers, hollers, hollers Well then let him go Singing eeny meenie and ah miney mo
The score was six to nothing The bedbugs were ahead. The beetles did a homer And knocked me out of bed
Singin eeny meenie and ah miney moe Hey! Catch a whiffer whiffer whooper By the toe And if he hollers, hollers, hollers Well then let him go Singing eeny meenie and ah miney mo
They threw me in the sewer And that is how I died They didn’t call it murder They called it sewer- side
Singin eeny meenie and ah miney moe Hey! Catch a whiffer whiffer whooper By the toe And if he hollers, hollers, hollers Well then let him go Singing eeny meenie and ah miney mo"
[Each iteration of the chorus is sung faster and more enthusiastically than the preceding ones.]
****
EXAMPLE #4 -Bedbug Song
Tracy Pond, Sep 5, 2019
Bedbug Song 09-05-2019 from the CC camps from the Depression
1929 -snip- Here's information about the CC camps in the United States during the 1920s "Great Depression": From https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/civilian-conservation-corps "The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a work relief
program that gave millions of young men employment on environmental projects
during the Great Depression. Considered by many to be one of the most
successful of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, the CCC planted more than three
billion trees and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks
nationwide during its nine years of existence. The CCC helped to shape the
modern national and state park systems we enjoy today." -snip- This song is sung in unison with a few accompanying motions such as one man mimicking swinging a baseball bat when they sang "The roaches hit a home run." and mimicking drinking coffee when they sang the words "The coffee was like tobacco juice".
Here's the lyrics to this version of "Bed Bugs And Skeeters" from that video's English auto-generated transcript (given without time stamps, but corrected with the beginning word for each line of the song, and my corrections of some of those auto-generated lyrics).
Additions and corrections are welcome.
"I woke up in the morning and I gazed upon the wall The roaches and the bedbugs Were having a game of ball
Now the score was 19-20
And the bedbugs were ahead
The roaches hit a home run
And knocked me out of bed
So I went down to my breakfast
The toast was hard and stale
That coffee was like tobacco juice The kind you get in jail.
So I went down to the market- The free and public place But the darn old market Was certainly out of place.
Then we went down to the __ It had automated cheese Indian rubber beefsteak And double- jointed beans.
Well, the beans took a flip-flop And landed in the soup Then we all had the jib jab From eating Martin's soup.
It's the summer's day of winter And the snow is falling fast. A barefoot boy with shoes on Was sittin in the grass
While the organ peeled potatoes A song was rendered by the choir The sexton rang the dish rag And set the church on fire
The preacher shouted "Holy smoke!" The sexton lost his hair And now his head resembles Our dear departing mayor
Now maybe you don't believe me And maybe you think I lied But if you got to Darby town They'll tell you the same as I
I wish I were an elephant And you a bale of hay I'd pick you up in my rubber trunk And carry you away" **** EXAMPLE #5 - Beetles And Bedbugs
GSESC Troop 740, Sep 22, 2019
I woke up Monday morning,
I looked up on the wall,
The beetles and the bed bugs
Were having a game of ball.
The score was six to two
The beetles were ahead
The bed bugs hit a home run
And knocked me out of bed.
Singing eenie meanie and a minee moe
Catch a whipper whopper by the toe
And if he hollers, hollers, hollers
Don’t let him go
Singing eenie meanie and minee moe"
**** This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
Major William Clarke sings one of his "inspirational
songs". -snip- The caption in this sound file reads "Mayor William Clark my dad used to entertain us with this song". -end of quote- The lyrics to this version of "Cooties and Bed Bugs" are given below.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part 2024 pancocojams series about the song "I Woke Up Sunday Morning" (also given as "Roaches and Bedbugs, "Cooties and Bedbugs", "Whipper Whooper" and other similar titles.
This post showcases five YouTube examples of that song along with transcriptions of their lyrics.
This post focuses on some of the different lyrics, tunes, and tempos that are used for this song. This post also presents some examples of the different ways this song is performed.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/04/five-additional-youtube-examples-of.html for Part II of the 2024 pancocojams series about the song "I Woke Up Sunday Morning" (also given as "Roaches and Bedbugs, "Cooties and Bedbugs", "Whipper Whooper" and other similar titles. That post focuses on some of the different lyrics, tunes, and tempos that are used for this song. This post also presents some examples of the different ways this song is performed.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown composers of these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos/sound files on YouTube. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/references-to-fbi-in-childrens-rhymes.html for the 2017 pancocojams post entitled " "I Woke Up Sunday Morning" (Roaches & Bedbugs Playing Basketball) Rhymes & Other References To "The FBI" In Children's Rhymes BEFORE The "I Believe I Can Fly I Got Shot By The FBI" Parodies"
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE The mission of this pancocojams blog is to showcase the cultures of African Americans and of other Black people throughout the world. However, this pancocojams series isn't meant to imply that this song originated from or was/is only sung by Black people. As indicated above, I'm showcasing these examples for folkloric, historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.
**** LYRICS FOR EXAMPLE #1 OF THIS SONG* (from the video that is given at the top of this post)
*This is my transcription of this recording. It corrects the auto-generated English transcription without time stamps that accompanies this YouTube sound file.
[Spoken introduction] "Hello. Here's a song that we use in schools, ah, and other venues for boys and girls. Some of them would snigger*. I hope you enjoy them.
First of all we have the rather sad story about a fellow who was standing on the corner of a street and the next thing he knew he got picked up a vagrancy charge and landed up in the county hoosegow.** Here's the tale:
[singing begins at .23 in this video.]
So, I was standin' on the corner. I wasn't doin any harm. Along came a policeman And he took me by the arm.
he took me to a little box And there he rang the bell. Well, along they came in a police patrol And took me to my cell.
Well, that next day I gazed upon the wall Well, the cooties and the bedbugs Were havin a game of ball,
The score was 19 to 20 The bedbugs was ahead. The cooties knocked a home run And they knocked me out of bed.
When I went in to breakfast The toast was hard and stale The coffee tasted very bad The kind you get in jail.
The Indian Rubber beef steak, The disconnected cheese The sausage took a flip-flop And it landed in the peas.
[end of song] -snip- *snigger =giggle/small laughs
**hoosegow=jail
**** ADDITIONAL VIDEOS & LYRICS These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube.
EXAMPLE #2 - Bed Bugs And Skitters Song
Brott1994, Jan 28, 2012
Papa sings Bed Bugs and Skeeters for his grandkids! Thanks,
Papa! -snip- "Skeeters" is an informal abbreviation of the English word "mosquitos". -snip- Here's the lyrics to this version of "Bed Bugs And Skeeters" from that video's English auto-generated transcript (given without time stamps, but corrected with the beginning word for each line of the song:
"i woke up in the morning And looked upon the wall the bedbugs and the mosquitoes Were having a game of ball
The score was two to one The bedbugs were ahead And this is about the time That i got out of bed
Oh everybody
[The song ends without singing the chorus and any other verses of that song.]
**** EXAMPLE #3 - The Cooties and the bedbugs :)
@Mickei2001, 2016 -snip- No date is given for this YouTube short video. 2016 is the oldest of the dates for the two comments that have been posted for this YouTube short] -snip- Cooties = a body louse (lice)
A "YouTube short" is a video that is looped [constantly repeats itself]. -snip- Here are the lyrics for this example:
I woke up this morning And looked upon the wall The cooties and the bedbugs Were having a game of ball
The score was nine to nothing The cooties were ahead The bedbugs got a home run And knocked me out of bed
I went down to my breakfast The toast was hard and stale The coffee was like tobacco juice That you can get in the county jail
The Indian Rubber beef steak, The syncopated cheese The weiner did a flip-flop And it landed right in my peas.
Oh, the ? has a baby They named him Tiny Tim They threw itin the river To teach it how to swim
He swam on down the river He came back up again Then they threw it in the bathtub To teach it how to swim
He swam all day and all night He kept the neighbors up The neighbors had a meeting To tear the baby up
The tore it up to pieces It made the preacher sad If you don't believe a word of this You can blame it on my dad -snip This is my transcription of that video. The words in italics mean that I'm not certain of that transcription. Additions and corrections are welcome. -snip- *Here are the only comments for this YouTube short (as of April 19, 2024 at 9:30 AM ET]. 1. @PeggySeeger, 2016 "love it" -snip- Peggy Seeger is an American folk singer and songwriter.
** 2. @Whiteout7547, 2018 "Love this. Floods me with memories of one of my favorite
people."
Troop62462 Girl Scouts, Sep 14, 2019 -snip- This video can't be embedded outside of YouTube. The video summary includes these lyrics:
"Whipper Whopper*
I woke up sunday morning I looked up on the wall The beatles and the bed bugs were having a game of ball
The score was six to nothing the beatles were ahead The bed bugs scored a home run And knocked me out of bed
(chorus)
I’m singing Enemy and a miney mo mo mo mo Catch a whipper whopper by the toe And if he hollers hollers hollers let him go I’m singing enemy and a miny mo
I went downstairs to breakfast I ordered ham and eggs I ate so many eggs they all ran down my leg
(chorus)
I went outside to play I looked up in the sky I saw a little blue bird Who poo-pooed in my eye
(chorus)
My mother is a banker My father is a spy And I’m the little big mouth who told the FBI
(chorus)
I made myself a snowball as perfect as can be I thought I’d keep it as a pet And let it sleep with me
I made him some pajamas A pillow for his head But then last night it ran away But first it wet the bed
(chorus)
I have myself a turtle His name is Tiny Tim I put him in the
bathtub To see if he could swim
He drank up all water He ate up all the soap He tried to eat the bathtub So I showed it down his throat
(chorus)" -snip- These lyrics are given as they were written in that video summary. -snip- "Whipper Whopper" is the title for this song and isn't sung.
"Whipper whopper" is a nonsense word with no assigned meaning, although "whopper" means something big. "Whipper Whooper appears to only be used in this "camp song".
**** EXAMPLE #5 - Bedbugs And Skeeters
Lambton Centre, May 1, 2020
This is a high energy song -snip- Here's my transcription of the lyrics to this version of that song (Additions and corrections are welcome)
"I woke up in the morning And looked upon the wall The bedbugs and the skeeters Were having a game of ball
The score was four to seven The skeeters were ahead The bedbugs hit a home run And knocked me out of bed
Singing eeny meeny meeny Miney moe Catch a ticker ticker by the toe And if he hollers hollers hollers Let him go Singing eeny meeny meeny Miney moe"
**** This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.
This pancocojams post documents a few online examples of “I Woke
Up Sunday Morning"/ "Roaches & Bedbugs" and other titles from this large family of rhymes/songs whose contributors included some demographic information.
This post begins with a YouTube video entitled "Skeeters & Bedbugs" and the lyrics of that version from that video's summary. I'm including this video in case people aren't familiar with that song/rhyme. However, although the tune is probably the same for all of these examples, the way this song is performed probably differs within the same or different populations during the same period of time and in different periods of time.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric,
cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to the singer/publisher of this showcase video. -snip- For the folkloric record, please add to this compilation in the comment section below. Don't forget to add
demographic information (particularly when (the decade) and where (the city & state and the country, if outside of the United States.). Thanks! -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/08/what-whipper-whopper-means-in-i-woke-up.html for Part I of a two part pancocojams series entitled "What "Whipper Whopper" Means In "I Woke Up Sunday Morning" ("Roaches & Bedbugs") Songs/Rhymes".
Click the tags below for other related pancocojams posts.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
Although the pancocojams blog focuses on Black cultures in the United States and elsewhere around the world, all of the examples of children's rhymes, songs, and cheers may not have originated with Black people.
I focus on children's recreational rhymes, songs, and cheers because I enjoy those compositions and I want to document, share, and study those compositions.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO- Skeeters and Bedbugs
Chinook Breeze, April 27, 2017
I woke up Sunday morning
I looked up on the wall
The skeeters and the bedbugs
Were havin’ a game of ball
The score was 4 to 7
The skeeters were ahead
The bedbugs hit a home run
And knocked me outta bed
Singin’ eeny meeny meeny miny mo
Catch a tigger tigger by the toe
If he hollers hollers let him go
Singin’ eeny meeny meeny miny mo
______________________________________
Repeat: get progressively faster
**** SOME EXAMPLES OF " I WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING"/"ROACHES & BEDBUGS" OR OTHER TITLES (WITH DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION)
All of these examples are from the United States.
The online sources for these examples are given in no particular order. These examples are numbered for referencing purposes only.
SOURCE #1: from http://rolandanderson.se/bedbugs.php 1. "I WAS STANDIN' ON THE CORNER... This ditty is similar to the initial verses of the "Wiffer Woffer" version above. It's reference to a "lizzy" likely places it in the era of the Model T Ford (1908-1927) which was called a "Lizzy" or "Tin Lizzy". Notably, the only "Bennett county" in the United States is in South Dakota.
I was standin' on the corner, not doin' any harm Along came a policeman and took me by the arm He took me to a little house and rang a tiny bell Along came a lizzie and took me to the jail
I woke up in the mornin' and looked up on the wall The skeeters and the bedbugs were havin' a game of ball The score was four to nothing, the skeeters were ahead The bedbugs knocked a homerun and knocked me out of bed
I went downstairs to breakfast The bread was hard and stale Coffee tastes like tobacco juice At the Bennett County jail"
** 2. "BEDBUG SONG
This version was sung among the residents of Beech Bluff, Tennessee in the 1920's and 30's, as recalled by Franklin Mainord and recorded by Judy Mainord-Malone
Woke up this morning, Looked upon the wall 'Skeeter' and the bedbug Having a game of ball Score was one to nothin' The Skeeter was ahead Bedbug knocked a homerun And I rolled out of bed
Ain't gonna rain Ain't gonna rain Ain't gonna rain no more How in the world can the old folks tell? It ain't gonna rain no more How in the heck Can I wash my neck, If it ain't gonna rain no more?
Bullfrog sitting on a lilly pad, Looked up in the sky The lilly pad broke, The frog fell in Got water in his eyes
I wished I was a bar of soap In Mary's bathtub EVERYTIME Mary took a bath - O where I'd get to rub!
Ain't gonna rain Ain't gonna rain Ain't gonna rain no more How in the world can the old folks tell? It ain't gonna rain no more How in the heck can I wash my neck, If it ain't gonna rain no more?"
** 3. "I DON'T WANT NO MORE OF THIS ARMY LIFE This version was popular during World War II
Five o'clock in the morning and I glanced up on the wall Bedbugs and the roaches were having a game of ball
Score was six to nothing and the bedbugs were ahead The roaches hit a homer and knocked me outta bed
I don't want no more of this army life Gee, Mom, I wanna go home No, I don't want to more of this army life Gee, Mom, I wanna go... Oh boy, do I wanna go... Gee, Mom, I wanna go home"
** 4. "THE BEETLES AND THE BEDBUGS This song version evidently comes from Oregon. The secret
agent occurring in a verse in "Bedbugs and Skeeters" above, has here
become a german and hints at a WWII origin
I woke up Sunday morning and looked up on the wall the beetles and the bed bugs were playing a game of ball
The score was seven-nothing The beetles were ahead The beetles hit a home run and knocked me out of bed
I'm singing eenie-meenie and a minie moe (oh oh oh) catch a whipper-whopper by the toe (oh oh oh) and if he hollers hollers hollers let him go (oh oh oh) eenie-meenie and a minie moe
I went downstairs to breakfast I ordered ham and eggs I ate so many eggs The ham rolled down my legs!
I'm singing eenie-meenie and a minie moe (oh oh oh) catch a whipper-whopper by the toe (oh oh oh) and if he hollers hollers hollers let him go (oh oh oh) eenie-meenie and a minie moe
My mother was a German My father was a spy And if you don't believe me Just call the FBI
I'm singing eenie-meenie and a minie moe (oh oh oh) catch a whipper-whopper by the toe (oh oh oh) and if he hollers hollers hollers let him go (oh oh oh) eenie-meenie and a minie moe
I fell into the sewer That's where I plan to die Some people call it murder I call it sewer-cide
I'm singing eenie-meenie and a minie moe (oh oh oh) catch a whipper-whopper by the toe (oh oh oh) and if he hollers hollers hollers let him go (oh oh oh) eenie-meenie and a minie moe
Someone, likely wanting to keep the song up-to-date during
the 1950's, replaced the German spy verse above with the following:
My mother is a Russian my father is a spy And if you don't believe me, just ask the FBI"
I was standing on the corner not doing any harm When along came a copper and he took me by the arm. He took me round the corner and rang a little bell. Along came the ding-dong a-driving like hell.
Seven o'clock in the morning, I looked upon the wall. The roaches and the bedbugs were having a game of ball. The score was seven to nothing and the roaches were ahead, When the bedbugs hit a hone run that knocked me out of bed.
Eight o'clock in the morning, the jailer comes around And brings you bread and butter that weighs half a pound. The coffee's like tobacco juice. The bread is hard and
stale; And that's the way they treat the bums at the Whaley Avenue
jail.
I learned this about 1936 in New Haven, CT which accounts
for the line Whaley Avenue jail. This is where the town jail still is. There
appeared to be several variations of this song all over the country."...
** 2.-Sandy Paton, 01 Jun 00, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=312, "Roaches and Bedbugs?" "Bedbugs and cooties verse was sung as part of "Portland
County Jail" by the fellow I learned it from in the Kansas wheat fields,
about 1945. He sang it thusly:
I woke up the other night And there upon the wall, The bedbugs and the cooties Were having a game of ball. The score was one to nothing, The cooties were ahead, When a bedbug hit a homerun And knocked me out of bed.
I recall seeing a very similar verse in Gardner &
Chickering's Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan, collected from a young lad
in a youth detention facility. Great place to swap songs!"
** 3. Azizi, 17 Nov 05 , https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=312, "Roaches and Bedbugs?" "Here is a version of "Woke Up Sunday Morning" that
I collected in 2002 from Miss Crystal, an African American woman in her
thirties who was a Director of a Summer camp in Duquesne, PA {not far from
Pittsburgh}. I had gone to the camp to gather rhymes from the children. After
the children had shared several rhymes, Miss Crystal suddenly said "I
remember singing this when I was little." She then immediately began to
recite this rhyme in a sing song voice:
Oh I work up Sunday morning I looked up on the wall. I saw a gang of roaches playin a game of basketball.
The score was nine to nothing. The roaches had the lead. I went and got my roach spray and sprayed them 1, 2, 3.
You better stop them roaches crawlin up my wall. Feed them chicken & rice and some day they'll be shootin dice.
-snip- BTW, although the age 5-12 year old children had
enthusiastically joined in when one of their classmates began a 'song', they
were completely silent when Miss Cystal recited this rhyme. They later joined
in with another song that Miss Crystal led [Miss Mary Mack], so it wasn't that
they were put off by her authority. It seemed to me that they just were not at
all familiar with "I Woke Up Sunday Morning".
BTW2-In answer to my question, Miss Crystal said
"I Woke Up Sunday Morning" wasn't a handclap rhyme and it wasn't a
jump rope rhyme. She said that "People just sung it."
** 4. GUEST, 21 Dec 10, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=312, "Roaches and Bedbugs?" "Here's a version from Chicago daycamps c. 1955. We called it
"Standin' On the Corner".
Standing on the corner Smoking my cigar Along comes a copper Grabs me by the arm. Swung me 'round the corner Rangs a little bell Along comes a squad car To take me to my cell.
Six o'clock in the mornin' I look up on the wall The bedbugs & the cooties Are havin' a game of ball. The score was eight to nothin The cooties were ahead. The bedbugs hit a homer That knocked me out of bed.
Seven o'clock in the mornin' The mammy came around She served me hot potatoes That weighed a hundred pounds. The coffee tastes like turpentine The bread is hard & stale. And that's how they treat you At the Cook County jail.
There's bars on the windows, Bars on the doors I wouldn't be surprised if There's bars on the floors.
I was standing on a corner - not a doing any harm Along can a policeman and took mr by thr arm he lead me around the corner and rang a little bell Along can a chug chug and toke me to my cell
When I awoke the next morning I looked upon the wall The bedbugs and the roaches were having a game of ball The score was nine to nothing The roaches were ahead The begbugs hit a home run and knocked me out of bed.
My Dad was born in PA but spent most of his growing years in
the Aderondack Mountains. He did serve 4 years in the Navy during WWII...
** 6. GUEST, 31 Oct 17, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=312, "Roaches and Bedbugs?" "standing on the corner doing nothing wrong along came a policeman and took me by the arm he brought me to a little box and rang a little bell along came the wagon and took me to my cell
I woke up in the morning and looked upon the wall the bedbugs and the cockroaches were having a game of ball the score was 6 to nothing the bedbugs were ahead a cockroach hit a home run and knocked me out of bed
I went downstairs for breakfast, the toast was hard and
stale the coffee taste like tobacco juice. Down In Charles Street Jail
I woke up Sunday morning I looked up on the wall, The beetles and the bedbugs were having a game of ball, The score was 6 to nothing, the beetles were ahead The bedbugs got a homerun, they knocked me outta bed,
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miny moe, moe, moe, moe Catch a wiffer waffer by the toe and if he hollers, hollers,
hollers Let him go I'm singing, eenie meenie and a miny moe.
I woke up Sunday morning and ordered ham and eggs, I ate so many eggs, they all ran down my legs.
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miny moe, moe, moe, moe, Catch a wiffer waffer by the toe and if he hollers, hollers,
hollers, Let him go I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miny moe.
My father is butcher, My mother is a spy, And if you don't believe me just call the FBI.
I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miny moe, moe, moe, moe, Catch a wiffer waffer by the toe and if he hollers, hollers,
hollers, Let him go I'm singin' eenie meenie and a miny moe."
** 8. GUEST,Guest, 01 Apr 20, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=312, "Roaches and Bedbugs?" While growing up in south Louisiana, we used to sing this
little "ditty," while sitting knee to knee, and doing hand claps with
each other. If you missed a beat, or did the wrong sequence of claps, you had
to start over. These words are a little different to most of the others. We did
this in the fifties when I was growing up.
I waked up Sundaymorning, And looked upon the wall, The roaches and the bedbugs were having them a ball,
The score was ten to nothing, The bedbugs were ahead, The roaches hit a homerun, And knockedme out of bed."
** 9. GUEST,David, 06 Aug 23, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=312, "Roaches and Bedbugs?" "When I was in Chicago, when I was on the run. They wouldn’t
sell me whiskey they wouldn’t sell me rum. They put me in the county jail and
laid me near a wall, the bed bugs and the roaches were having a game of ball.
The score was four to nothing the roaches were ahead the bed bugs hit a home
run that knocked me out of bed. Four o’clock in the morning they rang the
breakfast bell, a couple raw potatoes and god how they smelled. The coffee was
like tobacco juice the bread was hard and stale but that’s the way they treat
the bums down the county jail.
My dad sang this to me when I was young. I figured he picked
it up in WWII."
** SOURCE #3 1. franklinstahls, January 9, 2009, http://tobinfterry.blogspot.com/2008/06/old-songs.html, Roaches & Bed Bugs Ball Game Song "The song below was song by Mel & Ben Savidge (resided at
Worleysburg, PA near Harrisburg) at Turbotville High School abt. 1945. The
teacher, Mr. Cub Menges wanted Mel to sing something in particular since the
Stahls were known for singing (older sister Hilda & Bob). Mel was one of
the few boys in the class. Ben & he sang this song with guitars. Mr. Cub
Menges was not happy with this choice of song. The song was supposedly told to the
Stahl family from Mel's Aunt Nellie Stahl (1882-1944). Some of the words to the
above song were repeated by a boy riding on Mel's school bus during a field
trip to Hershey. Mel drove school bus for the Warrior Run school district from
abt. 1990 to 2000. At other times Harry Stump played his grandfather's guitar
and Mel yodeled.
"One day when I was hungry I went down Baker's Street, And I stopped at Mrs. Casey's house and asked for something
to eat. The pigs were in the parlor, the chickens behind the door, The baby's fingers in the soup a smearin' it on the floor.
Went to bed that evening, gazed upon the wall, The roaches and the bed bugs were havin' a game of ball. The score was 7-20, the roaches were ahead, a big bug hit a
home run And knocked me out of bed.
I went down to breakfast, the bread was hard as nail, The coffee like tobacco juice, just like they serve in
jail."
** 2. Anonymous, February 23, 2010, http://tobinfterry.blogspot.com/2008/06/old-songs.html, Roaches & Bed Bugs Ball Game Song "Here's the version that my dad used to sing to me in the
1960s. He learned it as a boy in the 1940s:
Standing on the corner not doing a bit of harm along came a flatfoot and took me by the arm
He took me round the corner and rang a little bell along came a cop car and took me off to jail
I went down in my cell the bed was hard as rock the cooties and the bedbugs were gnawing on my socks
I woke up in the morning and looked upon the wall the cooties and the bedbugs were having a game of ball
The score was six to nothing the cooties were ahead a cootie hit a home run and knocked me out of bed
I went down in the kitchen the meat was getting stale a weiner did a flip flop and landed on its tail
The spinach looked like tobacco juice and the only reason was . . .
Oh, I've never been to Harvard I've never been to Yale the only place I've ever been is in the county jail"
