Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Whacking Songs

I'm a great fan of traditional folksongs, and one of the things I especially like is the use of nonsense words that are frequently added to the songs. I don't know why they are there, but I do know that the word whack is frequently one of those words.




What is there about that word? It implies a good, solid smack to a bare bottom.


And when you say or especially when you sing it, there's a nice, full, whooshy sound that happens.



So, here are excerpts from a few of my favourite whacking songs. I'm sure there are many more out there.


This Old Man

This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb,
Knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone,
This old man came rolling home.





Kilgary Mountain

As I was a-walkin' 'round Kilgary Mountain
I met with Captain Pepper as his money he was countin'
First I drew me pistol, and then I drew me rapier
Sayin', "Stand and deliver, for I am the bold deceiver."

Musha rig um du rum da
Whack fol the daddy o
Whack fol the daddy o

There's whiskey in the jar



Whack Fol the Diddle

I'll sing you a song of peace and love,
Whack fol the diddle all the di do day.

To the land that reigns all lands above.
Whack fol the diddle all the di do day.

May peace and plenty be her share
Who kept our homes from want and care,
God bless Mother England is our prayer.
Whack fol the diddle all the di do day.





The Galway Races

As I rode down to Galway town to seek for recreation
On the seventeenth of August me mind being elevated
There were multitudes assembled with their tickets at the station
Me eyes began to dazzle and I'm goin' to see the races.

Refrain:
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.




The Newburgh Jail

Come listen, kind friends, and I'll sing you a song,
It's only a short one, it won't keep you long.

Refrain:
Says right! fal the diddle daddle,
Whack! fal the diddle daddle,
Right! fal dee-day.


O, Sally my Dear

O, Sally my dear, but I wish I could woo you.
O, Sally my dear, but I wish I could woo you.
She laughed and replied, "And would wooing undo you?"
Sing fal the diddle di do, sing whack fal the diddle day.







From Hermione's Heart

13 comments:

turiya said...

Wow... I never knew so many songs had whack in them. Kinda makes you wonder, right?

*hugs*

turiya

sixofthebest said...

Hermoine, you have a photo on your blog of Sarah Palin. If there is one naughty woman in this whole wide world of ours, who needs a good spanking it is her. I would love to put this beautiful but very naughty politition over a table, raise her dress waist high, pull down her knickers, and while she is wearing suspender-belt and stockings, cane that bare bottom of hers good and proper.

sixofthebest said...

And believe me Hermoine, caning Sarah Palin, would make beautiful music in my ears, and a very 'whacking whale of a tune', heard around the world.

Erica said...

(laughing) The songs are wonderful, but I have to admit, the photo of Sarah Palin had me rolling! I may have to steal it...

Hermione said...

turiya - It certainly does!

6otb - Whacking whale! Good one.

Erica - I love it too. Good old Google images found it for me when I typed "whoosh".

Hugs,
Hermione

Anonymous said...

What a great whack of songs. Thanks for reminding us of them.
cheers
Red

Anonymous said...

Additional : Love the photo of Sarah Palin...Their was a wonderful article while in Alaska of a Shakespalin site, but I can't find it on the internet. Sarah compared herself to Shakespeare in making up words, and thus a new gendre of humor was born:The Bard of Wasilla
Example:
To be, or not to be, that is the Moose...
With horrid speech, she Makes mad the guilty, and appalls the free, Confounds the ignorant, and amazes The very faculties of eyes and ears.#shakespalin
cheers
rEd

ronnie said...

LOL Hermione, great songs. Didn't know the Galway Races.

Love,
Ronnie
xx

Hermione said...

Red - Palin certainly is the butt of many jokes.

Ronnie - I didn't either.

Hugs,
Hermione

sixofthebest said...

Talking of Shakespeare, if Sarah Palin was in the musical "Kiss Me Kate", you can bet, a lot of men would love to play Patruchio. I know I would. Because up would go her skirt waist high, down would come her bloomers, and my hand would delight in spanking that bare bottom of her's painfully, blushing red.

Cookie Crawford said...

Wow I never realized that many songs had whack in them either. I haven't heard some of them either. LOL it was quite amusing to myself trying to read them without trying to put a tune that I didn't know to them.

lasilverfoxie said...

You left out one of my favorite children's song:

The horses run around, their feet are on the ground, why do they put the shore so near the ocean, the ocean.

A snake's belt slips because he has no hips and a boy's best friend is his mother, none other.

She spanked him with a shingle, which made his panties tingle....etc.

(I am a spanker, by the way, not a switch.)

Celine said...

Whoaaaa...this is an area i never considered, yet it DOES seem to explore my spanky interest...Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Hermione..I will have to keep an ear out ;)

OMG Lasilverfoxie, lol, I blushed just reading that..I've never heard of it before, but it's definitely one to add to the old spanky song book. Celine