Croodlin' Doo- Chambers 1829; Child K
[Version Ka. The Croodlin Doo,' Chambers, Scottish Ballads, p. 324. Notes from Chambers follow. In 1826 The Popular Rhymes of Scotland: With Illustrations, Robert Chambers published "Nursery Ballad of the Wee Croodlen Doo" and nearly identical version with the spelling difference and one minor change at the end.
The Popular Rhymes of Scotland: With Illustrations
By Robert Chambers, 1826
Nursery Ballad of the Wee Croodlen Doo.
Whare hae ye been a' the day,
My little wee Croodlen Doo?
Oh, I've been at my grandmother's,
Mak' my bed, mammie, noo!
What gat ye at your grandmother's,
My little wee Croodlen Doo?
I gat a bonnie wee fishie,
Mak' my bed, mammie, noo!
Oh, whare did she catch the fishie,
My bonnie wee Croodlen Doo?
R. Mastteson 2011, 2018]
The Croodlin Doo
1 'O whaur hae ye been a' the day, my little wee croodlin doo?'
'O I've been at my grandmother's; mak my bed, mammie, now!'
2 'O what gat ye at your grandmother's, my little wee croodlin doo?'
'I got a bonnie wee fishie; mak my bed, mammie, now!'
3 'O whaur did she catch the fishie, my bonnie wee croodlin doo?'
'She catchd it in the gutter hole; mak my bed, mammie, now!'
4 'And what did she do wi the fish, my little wee croodlin doo?'
'She boiled it in a brass pan; O mak my bed, mammie, now!'
5 And what did ye do wi the banes o't, my bonnie wee croodlin doo?'
'I gied them to my little dog; mak my bed, mammie, now!'
6 'And what did your little doggie do, my bonnie wee croodlin doo?'
'He stretched out his head, his feet, and deed; and so will I, mammie, now!'
_________________
The following is a nursery version, common in this country:
THE CROODLIN DOO [COOING PIGEON.]
Oh, whaur hae ye been a' the day,
My little wee croodlin doo?
Oh, I've been at my grandmother's,
Mak my bed, mammie, noo!
Oh, what gat ye at your grandmother's,
My little wee croodlin doo?
I got a bonnie wee fishie,
Mak my bed, mammie, noo !
Oh, whaur did she catch the fishie,
My bonnie wee croodlin doo?
She catch'd it in the gutter-hole,
Mak my bed, mammie, noo.
And what did she do wi' the fish,
My little wee croodlin doo ?
She boiled it in a brass pan;
Oh, mak my bed, mammie, noo.
And what did ye do wi' the banes o't.
My bonnie wee croodlin doo ?
I gied them to my little dog;
Mak my bed, mammie, noo.
And what did your little doggie do,
My bonnie wee croodlin doo?
He stretched out his head, his feet, and dee'd,
And so will I, mammie, noo!
Mr Jamieson, in his ingenious disquisition upon Northern Ballads, (Illus. Nor. Ant. 4to, p. 319,) gives, from the recitation of an English gentleman, the commencement of a Suffolk version :
** Where have you been to-day, Billy, my son?
Where have you been to-day, my only man?"
" I've been a wooing, mother, make my bed soon;
For I'm sick at the heart, and fain would he down."
What have you ate to-day, Billy, my son ?
What have you ate to-day, my only man?"
I've ate an eel-pie, mother, make my bed soon;
For I'm sick at the heart, and shall die before noon."
Mr Jamieson also translates, as follows, a German popu'ar ditty, entitled Grossmutter Schlangenkoechin, I, e. Grandmother Adder-cook.
Maria, what room have you been in—Maria, my only child?
I've been with my grandmother—Alas, lady mother, what pain !
What has she given thee to eat—Maria, &c
She has given me fried fishes—Alas, &c.
Where did she catch the little fishes—Maria, &c.
She caught them in the kitchen gaiden—Alas, &c.
With what did she catch the little fishes—Maria, &c.
She caught them with rods and little sticks—Alas, &c.
What did she do with the rest of the fishes—Maria, &c.
She gave it to her little dark-brown dog—Alas, &c.
And what became of the dark-brown dog—Maria, &c
It burst into a thousand pieces—Alas, &c.
Maria, where shall I mane thy bed—Maria, my only child ?
In the churchyard shalt thou make my bed—Alas, lady mother, what pain !
"That any one of these Scottish, English, and German copies of the same tale," Mr Jamieson next remarks, "has been borrowed or translated from another, seems very improbable; and it would now be vain to attempt to ascertain what it originally was, or in what age it was produced. It has had the great good fortune in every country, to get possession of the nursery, a circumstance which, from the enthusiasm and curiosity of young imaginations, and the communicative volubility of little tongucs, has insured its preservation. Indeed, many curious relies of past times are preserved in the rhymes and games of children, which are, on that account, by no means beneath the notice of the curious traveller, who will be surprised to find, after the lapse of so many ages, and so many changes of place, language, and manners, how little these differ among different nations of the same original stock, who have been so long divided and estranged from each other.