US & Canada Versions 8D. Quaker's Courtship, or, Quaker's Wooing Roud 716: Quaker Courtship (Newell); Quaker's Wooing; He and She (Kanski); Sober Quaker; Shaker Song; Young Ladies All, I Come a-Courting; O Poor Me; Madam, I Have Come A-Courtin';
Early American Courting Scene
[My 8D. Quaker's Courtship, or, Quaker's Wooing closely resembles 8. Madam I Have Come to Court You but it is a different song about a very similar courting situation: an old man courts a comely maid who is not interested in his ring or shillings and instead wants a man who will call her "honey." In the "Quaker's Courtship" the old man is a "sober Quaker" and his dialogue parts are sung slowly to represent his age and slow demeanor.
The early extant version is dated 1835 and was reprinted from the back pages of an Autograph Album in "Early Cayuga days: folk lore and local history of a New York county" by Dorothy E. Snow, 1940. This Cayuga County, New York version is from John Niblo of Poplar Ridge, dated 1835:
Madam I have come a courting
O deary O - O deary me
Madam I have come a wooing
c-m c-m c-m c-m c-m
Get you gone you ugly Quaker
Tal lal laddy O
I'll have none your Quaker actions
Cuddy mading a daddy O.
O here is a ring cost forty bright shillings,
O deary O - O deary me
Thou shalt have it if thou art willing
c-m c-m c-m c-m c-m
O I wants none your rings nor money
Tal lal laddy O
I'll have a husband call me honey
Cuddy mading a daddy O
O must I be a Presbyterian,
O deary O - O deary me
Or must I be of no religion
c-m c-m c-m c-m c-m
O you must learn to lie and flatter
Tal lal laddy O
Or else you never can come at her
Cuddy mading a daddy O
O going to bed I do not choose it
O deary O - O deary me
Going to bed I do refuse it
c-m c-m c-m c-m c-m
If sitting up is your desire
Tal lal laddy O -
O you may sit up by the fire
Cuddy mading a daddy O
The last stanza has "sitting up" instead of "courting" while the second refrain (c-m, c-m, c-m, c-m, c-m) of the first stanza has "c-m" which is evidently similar to "hm" or a "hum" sound (in this case "sim" sound). The sound "hm" is found in some versions. Here is another early version from the Douglass MS with minor corrections dated c. 1850 (between 1841-1860):
The Quaker's Wooing
1. He) Madam I have come a-courting
Hum hum hi ho hum
More for pleasure than for sporting
Hum hum hi ho hum.
2. She) I'll go away 'tis my desire
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
For you may sit and court the fire
Fal liddle li dun diddle lalla da
3. He) I've a ring worth forty shillings
Hum hum hi ho hum;
Thou shalt have it if thou art willing
Hum hum hi ho hum.
4. She) What care I for gold or money
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
I'll have a man that will call me honey
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da.
5. He) Madam I know thou art tall and slender
Hum hum hi ho hum
And I know thy heart is tender
Hum hum hi ho hum.
6. She) Yes I know you are flatterer
Fall liddle li dum diddle lalla da
But I never will marry a quaker
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da.
7. He) Must I give up my religion?
Oh dear, oh dear me;
Must I be a Presbyterian?
Oh dear, oh dear me.
8. She) Cheer up cheer up my loving brother
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
If you can't catch one fish catch another,
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da.
9. He) Must I leave without a token
Oh dear oh dear me
Must I leave with my heart broken,
Oh dear oh dear me.
10. She) Run right home and tell your daddy
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
That I never will you marry
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da.
Aside from the opening line the only text related to Madam is found in the 4th stanza:
4. She) What care I for gold or money
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
I'll have a man that will call me honey
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da.
which is found similarly in versions of Madam (first and last lines):
Oh what care I for your gold and silver?
What care I for your houses and land?
What care I for your ships on the ocean?
When all I wants is a good young man. [Scottish, sung by Alexander Harley of Cupar]
The Douglass version[1] is a full 10 stanzas which represents the standard complete version found also in the only extant print version title "Quaker's Courtship" which was arranged by George Kanski and published in 1878 in New York by William A. Pond Co. (10 stanzas, see text in individual versions of left hand column). The following text is from the first extant version of a small group of versions usually titled "Sober Quaker." It also similarly quotes a phrase from Madam -- the fair creature (lovely creature). "The Old Quaker." is taken from the Rowell manuscript, c. 1883 and was published in 1939 in Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan. It's 11 stanzas and has the sober Quaker opening:
The Old Quaker- From the Rowell manuscript, c. 1883
1 "O where are you going, you sober old Quaker?
Hi-hum for toddy O.
0 where are you going, you sober old Quaker?
Hi-hum for toddy O."
2 "I am a-courting some fair creature.
Ha, ha, ha, ha!
And can you tell me how to win her?
Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
3 "Tell her that you truly love her, [sim.]
That you'll die before you leave her."
4 "I had a ring worth forty shilling, [sim.]
And thou can wear it if thou are willing."
5 "I want none of your rings or money;
1 want a man that will call me honey."
6 "I call you honey and dearie
If thou wilt be my charming Mary."
7 "I knew that that would be the fraction,
For that is just a Quaker's actions."
8 "If thou didst know how I did love thee,
Thou wouldst not so answer me."
9 "Go away, you sober old Quaker,
"For I'm a jolly Prespertain."
10 "I'll be a Prespertain;
I'll be of thy religion."
11 "I would not have you in my church, sir,
For you wear a dirty shirt, sir."
Another good "Sober Quaker" variant was sung by Art Johnson of Fairfield Illinois. The text is taken from McIntosh's book, Southern Illinois Singing games and songs (David Seneff McIntosh, Eva Honnold McIntosh) 1941.
1. (She:) Where art thou going, sober Quaker?
Ti um a tu de a,
In the early dawn of morning,
Ti um a tu de a.
2. (He:) I'm hunting for a lovely creature,
Hey hi ho hum,
And can you tell me where to find her?
Hey hi ho hum.
3. I have a ring worth twenty shillings,
Hay hi ho hum.
And you can wear it if you want to,
Hay hi ho hum.
4. (She:) I neither want your ring or money,
Ti urn a tu dee a,
I've got a beau as sweet as honey,
Ti um a tu dee a.
5. (He:) I'll move my chair a little closer,
Hay hi ho hum,
And gently lay my arms around you,
Hay hi ho hum.
6. (She:) You move your chair up any closer,
Ti um a tu dee a,
I'll kick you straight into the fire,
Ti um a tu dee a.
Many of the songs and ballads in the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College Special Collections & Archives have been digitized and are found online Internet Archive. Here's my transcription of a full version titled, Shaker Song, from a voice performance by Laura Britton at Putney (Vt.), dated 01-08-1945:
1. He) Madam I have come a-courting
Oh heaven's and oh dear me
It is for pleasure not for sporting
Oh heaven's and oh dear me.
2. She) If a-courting is your desire,
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah
You may sit and court the fire,
Fal- da rictum do-da-yah.
3. He) Madam, I have rings of silver
Oh heavens and oh dear me,
To adorn you your lily white
Oh heaven's and oh dear me.
4. She) What care I for rings of silver?
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah
Or how they look on lady's fingers?
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah
5. He) Madam I have land and money,
Oh heavens and oh dear me,
If you'll be mine you'll want for nary,
Oh heavens and oh dear me.
6. She) What care I for land and money?
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah
But give me a man that'll call me honey,
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah.
7. Madam, thou art tall and slender,
Oh heavens and oh dear me,
Beautiful in every feature,
Oh heaven's how neat you'll be.
8. She) That's just like some Quaker's action,
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah
It's enough to draw distraction,
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah.
9. He) Oh the grief I now lay under,
Oh heavens and oh dear me,
It's enough to break my heart asunder,
Oh heavens and oh dear me.
10). She) If it breaks so what it breaks,
So fal-da rictum do-da-yah
Loss of one will gain another,
Fal-da rictum do-da-yah.
The following version has the same title as 8. "Madam, I Have Come to Court You" but it is a version of Quaker's Courtship. This shows the difficulty separating these related versions by title. The songs of "Quaker's Courtship" are easily identified by their form (verse- nonsense chorus) and is a different song. This version Peggy Seeger is a recreation based on an unknown traditional version:
"Madam, I Have Come to Court You" by Peggy Seeger from Folksongs & Ballads, 1957.
1. Madam, I have come to court you
Oh dear me
Madam, I have come to court you
Oh dear me.
Now you're go court the fire,
Fa-la-day, fa-la-day
Now you're go court the fire,
Fa-la-diddle la-day.
When I was young gonna marry your sister
Oh dear me,
When I was young gonna marry your sister
Oh dear me.
Now she's married you can't git her,
Now she's married you can't git her.
Well then I'll go away to Texas,
Well then I'll go away to Texas,
Just go and just keep going
Just go and just keep going
When I get there I'll write you a letter
When I get there I'll write you a letter
I don't want you and none your letters
I don't want you and none your letters
Madam you'll be sorry for this
Madam you'll be sorry for this
If I had you'll never know it.
If I had you'll never know it.
I need a wife to call me honey
I need a wife to spend my money.
Well I'd like to spend your money
So I guess I'll call you honey.
Most of the verses are one line repeated which is sometimes the case in traditional versions. The Quaker's Courtship surely dates back to the 1700s[2] in New England and although its mainly a Massachusetts, New York song it's been found throughout New England, Nova Scotia and in Appalachia too. Arguments about an Early American origin or an English origin are presented in the Main Headnotes. The fifty versions in this collection are the majority of collected versions-- some of which are missing but may be added in the future.
R. Matteson 2017]
_________________________
Footnotes:
1. See version above titled "Quaker's Wooing" from: "A Pioneer Songster: Texts from the Stevens-Douglass Manuscript of Western New York; 1841-1856" by Harold W. Thompson, Edith E. Cutting. (10 stanzas)
2. No version from the 1700s has been found but the Allen Family version and the Ashley version (informant was born in 1780) certainly indicate a 1700s date.
_________________________
CONTENTS: (To access individual versions, lick on highlighted blue title below or on the title attached to this page on the left hand column).
1) Quaker's Wooing- John Niblo (NY) 1835 Snow
2) Quaker's Wooing- Douglass (NY) c.1850 Thompson
3) Quaker's Song- Rachel Post (MI) 1868 Gardner A
Quaker's Courtship- Muchler (MI) 1872 Gardner B
Quaker's Courtship- (NY) 1878 George Kanski
Quaker Courtship- children (CT) 1883 Newell
The Old Quaker- Rowell MSS (MI) c.1883 Gardner C
Quaker's Wooing- Rosa S. Allen (MA) 1899 Barry
Quaker's Courtship- Mrs. Hubbell (NY) 1901 Moncure
Quaker's Wooing- Anon (MA) 1905 Barry B
Quaker Courtship- R.B.C. (VT) 1911 Barry JAF
Quaker's Courtship- L. C. Wimberly (IO) 1916 Pound
Quaker Song- Mollie Broughton (KY) 1917 Sharp B
Quaker Wooing- Flora Gunnerson (MO) 1917 Barbour
Quaker's Song- Esther Overstreet (VA) 1918 Sharp A
Quaker Song- Lawson Grey (VA) 1918 Sharp C
Courting Song- F. Mulhollan (MO) 1923 Randolph A
Young Ladies All, I Come A-Courting: (IN)1926 Neal
Quaker's Wooing- Harriet Louise Abbott (OH) 1927
Quaker's Wooing- A. Langille (NS) 1928 Mackenzie
Quaker's Courtship- Henneberry (NS) 1929 Creighton
Sober Quaker- Rosie Lattin (MO) 1932 Randolph B
Quaker's Wooing- Ella Doten (VT) 1933 Flanders B
Madam I've Come A-Courting- Franklyn (VA) c.1935 Matteson
Quaker's Wooing- Anon (IN) 1936 Brewster JAF
Madam, I Have Come A-Courting- Graham (CA) 1938
Quaker's Wooing- Miss Clark (NY) c.1939 Thompson
Sober Quaker- Charles Galbreath (OH) 1939 Eddy B
Quaker's Wooing- Abiah Asley (MA) 1939 Linscott
Quaker's Wooing- Mrs Mullenix (AR) 1941 Randolph C
Quaker's Wooing- M. Shipman (MA) 1941 Flanders C
Madam I have Come A-Courtin'- A. Meyers (NY) 1941
Sober Quaker- Art Johnson (IL) 1941 McIntosh
Quaker's Courtship- Wilsons (KY) 1942 Lomax REC
Quaker's Courtship- M. Morgan (AR) 1942 Randolph D
Madam, I am Come A-Courtin'- Glasscock (NC) 1943
A Sport Song- Mary Avery (NY) 1944 Cazden
Shaker Song- Laura Britton (VT) 1945 Flanders A
Quaker's Wooing- A. Gilmore (MA) 1945 Flanders D
Quaker's Wooing- Carrie Glines (VT)1945 Flanders E
Quaker's Wooing- Mrs. Ruppert (OK) c.1945 Moores
Courting Song- Grace Hicks (AL) 1947 Arnold
Uh, Huh, Boo Hoo- Lavon Fowler (FL) pre1950 Morris
Quaker's Courtship- Gallagher (NS) 1950 Creighton
Daddy Sent Me Here A-Courting- Deal (AR) 1953 Wolf
O, Poor Me- Pearl Brewer (AR) 1958 Hunter
Quaker Lover- Dyer Bennett (MA) 1960 Lomax
Madam I Have Come A-Courting- B. Kazee (KY) 1965
Madam, I Have Come A-Courtin'- Castro (WV) 1971
________________________
ADD:
The Quaker's Wooing, page 17 'A Heritage of Songs' from Carrie Grover, Nova Scotia, born 1879. Grover's mother, Eliza Spinney, (born 1840) when she herself was a young girl living in the same area where Carrie was born/raised.
e either handed down through her Scotch grandparents/great-grandparents, or learned within the small Nova Scotian community where Grover was raised in the late 1800s. Grover moved to Maine when young and it possibly could have been learned there. I'm listing it as a Nova Scotia version without further information.
Madam, I have come a-courting.
Oh, deary me.
all for love and not for sporting
Oh, deary me.
You be gone, you silly Quaker,
High-foll-a link-tum tiddy aye,
If you want a wife why go and taker her
High-fill-a-link-tum-tiddy-aye
I have a ring worth forty shillings.
Oh, dearie me!
You can have it if you are willing,
Oh, dearie me!
I want neither your ring nor money
High fill-a-link-tum-tiddy aye
I want a man who will call me "honey".
High fill-a-link-tum-tiddy aye.
Julie Mainstone I've typed it exactly as it is written. Notice the different spellings for deary/dearie, and the high-foll in the first verse as compared to high-fill in the others. Also the dashes, typed exactly as printed, vary a bit with the high-foll line. Between tum and tiddy it's missing, only in this line.
Random notes and versions
The Reichard collection of early Pennsylvania German dialogues and plays
https://books.google.com/books?id=LZvpAAAAMAAJ
Harry Hess Reichard, Albert F. Buffington - 1962 - Snippet view - More editions
George: (rises and walks over to Sally Ann) Madam, I have come a-courting, Hum, hum, heigh-ho. Tis for pleasure not for sporting, Hum, hum, heigh-ho hum. Sally Ann: (rises and faces George) Have you really come a-calling,
Tittle-o demingo
THE QUAKER'S WOOING
The Quakers were ever a stubborn people of sweet ways and deep faiths. The men wore black hats with broad brims, the women wore black bonnets with white facings. Their love-making may have had some of the rich though simple tinting in this old English tune and verses. Something about it is as genuine as the wood grain of an unvarnished, black walnut, four-post bed. This comes from Miss Harriet Louise Abbott of Bethel, Ohio, as communicated to Mary O. Eddy.
1. "I had a true love but she left me,
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
And I now am broken-hearted,
Oh, oh, oh, oh."
"Well, if she's gone I wouldn't mind her,
Fol de rol de hey ding di do.
You'll soon find one that'll prove much kinder,
Fol de rol de hey ding day."
2 "I've a house and forty servants,
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
And thcc may be the mistress of them,
Oh, oh, oh, oh."
"I'll not do your scolding for you,
Fol de rol dc hey ding di do,
'Deed I feel myself above you,
Fol de rol de hey ding day."
3 "I've a ring worth twenty shillings,
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
And thee may wear it, if thee's willing,
Oh, oh, oh, oh."
"What care I for rings or money,
Fol de rol de hey ding di do,
I'm for the man who calls me honey,
Fol de rol de hey ding day."
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[Ozark Folk Song Collection- Reel 295, Item 12. Collected and transcribed by Mary Celestia Parler.
Madam, I Have Come A-Courting - Sung by Mrs. Pearl Brewer Pocahontas, Arkansas August 28, 1958
Madam, I have come a-courting,
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
Madam, I have come a-courting,
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
If courting is your desire,
You can set and court the fire.
Oh, yinkdum diddle aye day.
Madam, I have kitchen and waiter,
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
Madam, I have kitchen and waiter,
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
Well, what do I want with kitchen and waiter?
All I like is chicken and tater.
Oh, yinkdum diddle aye day. Madam,
I have ring and money,
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
Madam, I have ring and money,
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
Well, what do I want with ring and money?
All I wants a man to call me honey.
Oh, yinkdum diddle aye day.
She called them dogs and sicked them on me.
Oh, and it's oh, poor me.
She called them dogs and sicked them on me.
Oh! and it's oh, poor me.
Run, run, run a little faster,
If they catch you, how they'll shake you.
Oh, yinkdum diddle aye day.
-----------------
Randolph has four versions in Ozark Folksongs and every one of them is a gem. Here's version 362A:
The Courting Song
(sung by Miss Fanny Mulhollan, Pineville, Missouri; Dec. 4, 1923)
Madam, I have come a-courtin', hi-ho, hi-hum,
Wilt thou hear what I've to tell thee? Hi-ho, hi-hum.
CHORUS
Ting a ling ling ling ling ling ling
Ting a ling ling ling ling ling
Ting a ling ling ling ling ling ling
Ting a ling ling ling ling ling
I don't believe one word you've spoken, hi-ho, hi-hum,
Indeed your heart is easy broken, hi-ho, hi-hum.
Madam, I have no doubt of it, hi-ho, hi-hum.
Good fish in the sea as ever come out of it, hi-ho, hi-hum.
Well, since this is to be my life, hi-ho, hi-hum,
I have decided to be your wife, hi-ho, hi-hum.
--------------------
QUAKER COURTSHIP Baldwin, 53-54; Barry, JAFL, XXIV, 341-342; Brewster, JAFL, XLIX, 247; Brewster, SFQ, III, 206; Brown p. 123 The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore: Games and rhymes. Beliefs and customs. Riddles. Proverbs. Speech. Tales and legends
Ballads and Songs from Ohio - Page 293
https://books.google.com/books?id=nr4iAAAAMAAJ
1939 - Snippet view - More editions
131. THE. QUAKER'S. WOOING. From Miss Louise Abbott, Bethel, Ohio. "Well, if she's gone I would - n't mind her, Fol - de 2. "I've a house and forty servants, Oh, Oh, Oh,. The Quaker's Wooing The Quaker's Wooing.
Body, Boots, & Britches: Folktales, Ballads, and Speech from Country ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0815601603
Harold William Thompson - 1940 - Preview - More editions
The popular old song about The Quaker's Wooing shows that the girls did not accept just anyone who offered. I give a version recited by a lady whose parents were early settlers in Philadelphia, New York — a Quaker settlement: He: Madam
Folk songs of old New England - Page 335
https://books.google.com/books?id=HN0JAAAAIAAJ
Eloise Hubbard Linscott - 1939 - Snippet view - More editions
FAFL, Vol. 30, p. 358. The Quaker's Wooing Ref. W. W. Newell, Games and Songs of American Children, p. 95. Alice B. Gomme, Dictionary of British Folklore, Vol. II, p. 437. JAFL, Vol. Ill, p. 49. J EFSS, Vol. VII, p. 92. The Rolling of the Stones, ..
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Ballads and Sea Songs from Nova Scotia - Page 380
https://books.google.com/books?id=UTUeAAAAIAAJ
William Roy Mackenzie - 1928 - Snippet view - More editions
I58 THE QUAKER'S WOOING Tms antiphonic song, imported from England, has had wide currency in Canada and the United States. In Journal, xvm, 53-56, Barry prints two versions from Massachusetts and refers to Newell's Games and Songs of American Children, 1884, pp. ... of the singing of a housemaid — Adeline Langille, of Marshville, Pictou County.
1. "Madam, I have come a courting,
Mm, O dear!
Not for fun or idle sporting.
Mm, Odear!"
2 "You may sit and court the fire,
Teedle eedle ing ting tay!
A man like you I don't admire.
Teedle eedle ing ting tay ! "
3 "I've a ring and twenty shillings,
You may have them if you're willing."
4 "I don't want your ring and money,
I'll marry a man that'll call me honey."
5. I will change my religion,
I will be a Presbyterian."
6. Just like all you foolish Quakers
Always up to some capers."
7. "I'll go home to tell my daddy,
That you're not inclined to marry."
8. You and your dad may go to the Harry,
A man like you I'll never marry.
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Irish Folk-Song
by Phillips Barry
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 24, No. 93 (Jul. - Sep., 1911), pp. 332-343
This is apparently the original of " The Quaker Courtship," current in many different versions, one of which, never before printed, may here be included for comparison.2
Mixolydian.
I. "Molly dear, I've come a-courting,
Hum, hum, hi-ho-hum!
'T is for labor I'm now sporting,
Hum, hum, hi-ho-hum!"
2. "I want none of your love nor money,
Hi-d-le linktum, hi-o-a,
I want a man will call me 'Honey,'
Hi-d-le linktum, hi-o-a."
3. " Here's a ring cost forty shillings,
Thee may have it, if thee's willing!"
4. "I want none of your rings nor money,
I want a man will call me ' Honey'!"
2 Sung by R. B. C., Newbury, Vt.
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A Pioneer Songster: Texts from the Stevens-Douglass Manuscript of Western New York; 1841-1856
Harold W. Thompson, Edith E. Cutting
41. The Quaker's Wooing
This humorous account of an unsuccessful courtship is widely known and, according to Newell, was often sung as a children's
game, two children taking the parts of the lady and the Quaker. There is much variation in the wording and in the stanzaic order as well as in the nonsense refrain. Various reasons are suggested in different versions for the lady's brusque denial of her suitor. For instance, in the first stanza of the versions in Eddy and Sandburg the Quaker begins his courtship by explaining that he has been forsaken by his true love; in Gardner and Chickering (B) he says that his father sent him. Thompson, in a New York version, has a final stanza in which the suitor shows a little more spirit:
Yes, my dear Miss, there's no doubt of it —
As good fish in the sea as ever caught out of it.
Douglass is a little longer than any other version examined except Gardner and Chickering (C), which also has 10 stanzas. Douglass line 2 is made clearer by comparison with the corresponding line in Mackenzie: "Not for pleasure nor for sporting."
Tunes may be found in Newell and in Mackenzie.
The Quaker's Wooing
1. he) Madan I have com a courting
Hum hum hi ho hum
More for pleasure than for sporting
Hum hum hi ho hum
2. she) I'll go away tis my desire
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
For you may sit and count the fire
Fal liddle li dun diddle lalla da
3. He) I've a ring worth forty shillings
Hum hum hi ho hum
Thou shalt have it if thou art willing
Hum hum hi ho hum
4. She) What care I for gold or money
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
I'll have a man that will call me honey
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
5. He) Madam I know thou art tall and slender
Hum hum hi ho hum
And i know thy heart is tender
Hum hum hi ho hum
6. She) Yes I know you are flatterer
Fall liddle li dum diddle lalla da
But I never will marry a quaker
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
7. He) Must I give up my religion?
Oh dear oh dear me
Must I be a Presbyterian?
Oh dear oh dear me
8. She) Cheer up cheer up my loveing brother
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
If you cant catch one fish catch another
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
9. He) Must I leave without a token
Oh dear oh dear me
Must I leave with my heart broken
Oh dear oh dear me
10. She) Run right home and tell your daddy
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
That I never will you marry
Fal liddle li dum diddle lalla da
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American Ballads and Songs
edited by Louise Pound, 1922
American Ballads and Songs - Page 256
https://books.google.com/books?id=Q6A9AAAAYAAJ
Louise Pound - 1922 - Read - More editions
THE QUAKER'S COURTSHIP. Text obtained from Iowa by L. C. Wimberly, in 1916. For this song, see Newell, Games and Songs of American Children (1903), p. 94. It is an importation from England, like most of the following pieces.
108
THE QUAKER'S COURTSHIP
"Madam, I have come a-courting, hi, ho, hum!
I'm for business, not for sporting, hi, ho hum!"
"That you go home is my desire, rol dol dil a day.
Unless you stay and court the fire, rol dol dil a day."
"I've a ring that's worth a shilling, hi ho hum. Thou mayst wear it if thou'rt willing, hi ho hum!"
"O I don't want your ring or money, rol dol dil a day.
I want a man that'll call me honey, rol dol dil a day."
"I've a kitchen full of servants, hi ho hum!
Thou mayst be a mistress o'er them, hi ho hum."
"Indeed I'll not be scolded for you, rol dol dil a day. Indeed I think myself above you, rol dol dil a day."
"I've a stable full of horses, hi ho hum,
Thou mayst ride them at my bidding, hi ho hum."
"Indeed I'll not be jockey for you, rol dol dil a day.
I think I'm better off without you, rol dol dil a day."
"Must I give up my religion? 0 dear me!
Must I join the Presbyterians? 0 dear me!"
"O you go home and tell your daddy, rol dol dil a day, That you couldn't get me ready, rol dol dil a day!"
"O you go home and tell your mother, rol dol dil a day,
That you're a fool and lots of bother, rol dol dil a day."
"Must I leave without one token? O dear me!
Must I die with my heart broken? 0 dear me."
"Cheer up, cheer up, my loving brother, hi ho hum,
If you can't catch me just catch another, hi ho hum!"
Some Traditional Songs. by Phillips Barry 1905
The pamphlet from which are taken the four songs above given is entitled " Family Songs, compiled by Rosa S. Allen. Music arranged by Joseph A. Allen. As sung by the Aliens at the Homestead, Castle Hill, Medfield, Massachusetts, 1899."
III. the Quaker's Wooing.
The most complete version of this quaint little comic song, for such it evidently is, may be found, with the air to which it was sung, in Mr. Newell's "Games and Songs of American Children." In the Allen songs is a shorter version, as follows: —
1. "Madam, I have come to woo thee,
O, hum, oh !
Madam, I have come to court thee,
Oh, hum, oh dear me ! "
"Get you gone, you saucy Quaker,
Hi a dink a dady oh !
I'll have none of your Quakerish actions,
Kutty ka dink a dady oh ! "
2 "I've a ring cost forty shilling,
Oh, hum, oh,
Thou shalt have it if thee art willing,
Oh, hum, oh dear me! "
"I 'll have none of your rings or money,
Hi a dink a dady oh!
I'll have a man that calls me ' Honey,'
Kutty ka dink a dady oh!"
3 " Must I then change my religion,
Oh, hum, oh !
And become a Presbyterian ?
Oh, hum, oh dear me ! "
" You must learn to lie and flatter,
Hi a dink a dady oh,
Else you never can come at ber,
Kutty ka dink a dady, oh ! "
From Fall River, Mass., I have the following version, which I take occasion to print here for purposes of comparison: —
1 "Madam, I have come a-courting,
You for to see,
To marry you I have a notion,
Oh, deary me! "
2 "To marry you I've no desire,
Fal-lal, fal-lal, fal-lal-la,
I '11 sit down and poke the fire,
Fal-lal, fal-lal, fal-lal-la."
3 " Here 's a ring cost forty shillings,
Oh, deary me,
Thou may'st have it if thou art willing,
Oh, deary me ! "
4. " I want none of your rings or money,
Fal-lal, fal-lal, fal-lal-la,
Give me the man that calls me ' Honey,'
Fal-lal, fal-lal, fal-lal-la."
5 " Fare you well, for we must part,
Oh, deary me,
I don't care if I 've broke your heart,
Oh, deary me ! "
6 "I'll go home, and tell my mammy,
Fal-lal, fal-lal, fal-lal-la,
You may go to the Old Harry,
Fal-lal, fal-lal, fal-lal-la! "
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Buell Kazee's version (Quaker's Courtship):
Madam, I have come a-courting,
Oh dear, oh dear me.
Come a-courting, not a-sporting.
Well if that is your desire, Fa da link dum, fa da day, You can sit and court the fire....
I've a ring worth many a shilling... You can wear it if you're willing....
I'll not have your ring or money... Want me a man to call me honey....
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Brown Collection 1952 III
8. The Quaker's Wooing
Compare 'A Paper of Pins,' 'Madam, Will You Walk,' 'The Courting- Cage.' This particular satire on the wooer is not always d'stinct from these and other wooing dialogues. 'Old Simon,' reported through Wilthiro (FSUT JJ), 'The Wooing,' from Michigan (BSSM 417-icS), and 'The Drunkard's Courtship,' from North Carolina (FSRA 199-200) are kindred pieces. What may fairly be reckoned forms of 'The Quaker's Wooing?' have been reported from New England (FSONK 276-8), Virginia (FSV 235-6), Arkansas (OFS 111 58-60), Missouri (BSM 265, OFS 111 258-9), Ohio I BSO 293-4). Indiana (JAFL xlix 247, SFLQ 111 206, v 182-3), Michigan (BSSM 424-7), and Iowa (ABS 223-4). In many of these cases it is a play-party song.
"Madam, I am Come A-courtin' " from the manuscript songbuok of Mrs. Harold Glasscock of Raleigh, lent to Dr. White in 1943. The songs in this book Mrs. Glasscock learned from her parents.
1. Madam, I am come a-courtin',
Oh, dear, oh dear, oh, dear me.
I'm for pleasure, not for sporting,
Oh. dear, oh, dear, oh, dear me.
2. 'Madam, I have gold and silver,
Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear me.'
'Go right home and tell your father,
Tiddle dum dink dum dink dum da.
3 'That you could not get me read,
Tiddle dum dink dum dink dum da.'
'Madam, I am a Presbyterian,
Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear me.'
--------------------
THE QUAKER'S COURTSHIP [Henneberry's version edited]
(coll. Helen Creighton, Nova Scotia)
Boys (slowly)
Madam, I have come a-courting-,
Oh, dear me!
Not for pleasure, not for sporting-,
Oh, dear me!
Girls (faster)
You may sit and court the fire-,
Toe id-dle ink-tum, Tie id-dle aye!
To say goodnight is my desire-,
Toe id-dle ink-tum, Tie id-dle aye!
Boys
I've a ring cost twenty shillings-,
Oh, dear me!
You may wear it if you're willing-,
Oh, dear me!
Girls
I don't want your ring or money,
Toe id-dle ink-tum, Tie id-dle aye!
I want a man who'll call me honey,
Toe id-dle ink-tum, Tie id-dle aye!
Boys
I'll go home and tell my daddy,
Oh, dear me!
That you're not disposed to marry.
Oh dear me!
Girls
You go home and tell your daddy,
Toe iddle inktum, Tie iddle aye!
You'll find a Quaker girl to marry,
Toe iddle inktum, Tie iddle aye!
"Settlers who came from England continued to sing the old English songs. Some of these songs changed in character as they were sung through the years." Page 63, with music, chords given in both treble (C) and bass (F) clef. Chord markings are given.
Teachers' Manual, "This Is Music 5," 1962, William R. Sur et al., Allyn and Bacon, Inc., Boston.
Discussion: "An American land company, known as the Philadelphia Company, interested people of English and Scotch provinces in coming to America in 1773. These highlanders settled in the territory which earlier French settlers had called Acadie. The name was changed to New Scotland or Nova Scotia. When the colonists in the United States were fighting for independence, many loyalists emigrated to Nova Scotia.
"This song, which was collected in that region, may have been brought by these emigrants from the British Isles, or it may have originated on these shores. The song refers to Quakers, who are a Christian sect founded in England and who call themselves the "Society of Friends." One of their famous leaders was William Penn, founder of the Pennsylvania Colony."
Study of Meter- "The boy sings his part in 3/4 meter, and the girl answers back in 2/4 meter."
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I'm glad you posted the version from This Is Music 5, Q. The school textbook says the song was collected by Creighton in Nova Scotia. Now, here's the complete text that Creighton collected. I suppose it is a little strong for fifth-graders, but the censorship does make me uneasy. Note that the "tee diddle" is different - maybe the school version is from a different Creighton source (but I doubt it).
-Joe Offer-
The Quaker's Courtship
1. "MADAME, I have come a-courting, Oh dear,
Not for pleasure, not for sporting, Oh dear."
"You may sit and court the fire,
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey,
To go to bed is my desire,
Tee diddle ding durn ding dum dey."
2. "I've a ring and forty shillings, Oh dear,
You may have them if you're willing, Oh dear."
"I don't want your ring and money,
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey,
I want a young man to call me honey
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey."
3. "Madame, you are young and tender,
Oh dear, And your waist is small and slender, Oh dear."
"But you know the way to flatter,
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey,
But I do despise a Quaker,
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey."
4. "I'll go home and tell my daddy, Oh dear,
That you're not disposed to marry, Oh dear."
"You go home and tell your daddy,
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey,
Find a Quaker girl to marry,
Tee diddle ding dum ding dum dey."
Source: Helen Creighton, Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia
Sung by Mr. Ben Hennebery, Devil's Island.
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Missing versions:
The Quaker's Proposal
Roud Folksong Index (S274526)
First Line: I have a ring worth forty shillings
Source: Journal of American Folklore 66 (1953) p.50
Performer: Curtis, Ellen
Date: 1922 (May)
Place: USA : New York : Mabbettsville
Father Sent Me Here A-courting
Roud Folksong Index (S205231)
First Line: Father sent me here a-courting
Source: Peters, Folk Songs Out of Wisconsin (1977) p.162
Performer: Perley, Miss M.E.
Date: 1923
Place: USA : N. Dakota : Grand Forks
Collector: Rickaby, Franz
The Quaker's Wooing
Roud Folksong Index (S219163)
First Line:
Source: Harrison: Western Folklore (1952) p.183
Performer: Judkins, Mrs. Clarice
Date: 1951
Place: USA : Oregon : Eugene
Collector: Harrison, Russell M.