Cisco Houston Web Site

The Songs He Sang

Froggy Went A Courtin': Lyrics

As performed by Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Sonny Terry

Traditional

Appears on:
Froggy went a-courting and he did ride
     Hey, hey
Froggy went a-courting and he did ride
     Hey, hey
Froggy went a-courting and he did ride
Sword and pistol by his side
     Hey, hey, hey hey

He rode till he come to Miss Mousie's door
     Hey, hey
Rode till he come to Miss Mousie's door
     Hey, hey
Rode till he come to Miss Mousie's door
And he give three raps and a big loud roar
     Hey, hey, hey hey

He set right in and he set right in 
     Hey, hey
Went right in and he took her on his knee
     Hey, hey
Went right in and he took her on his knee
Said, "Miss Mouse, will you marry me?"
     Hey, hey, hey hey

Well Miss Mouse said "I can't answer that"
     Hey, hey
Miss Mouse said "I can't answer that"
     Hey, hey
Miss Mouse said "I can't answer that
Until I've seen my brother Rat"
     Hey, hey, hey hey

Uncle Rat gave his consent
     Hey, hey
Uncle Rat gave his consent
     Hey, hey
Uncle Rat gave his consent
The weasel wrote the publishment
     Hey, hey, hey hey

Oh, where will the wedding supper be?
     Hey, hey
Where will the wedding supper be?
     Hey, hey
Where will the wedding supper be?
Out in the woods in an old hard tree
     Hey, hey, hey hey

The first to come was a little lady bug
     Hey, hey
First to come was a a little lady bug
     Hey, hey
First to come was a a little lady bug
She had a great big whiskey jug
     Hey, hey, hey hey

Next to come was a bumblebee
     Hey, hey
Next to come was a bumblebee
     Hey, hey
Next to come was a bumblebee
Danced a jig with a two-legged flea
     Hey, hey, hey hey

Well owl did hoot and the birds did sing
     Hey, hey
Owl did hoot and the birds did sing
     Hey, hey
Hoot owl hooted, the birds they sing
Though the woods the music ring
     Hey, hey, hey hey

So here's the end of the one-two-three
     Hey, hey
Here's the end of the one-two-three
     Hey, hey
Here's the end of the one-two-three
    The snake ate the frog and Miss Mousie
     Hey, hey, hey hey

Of note:

You sure never know when someone is going to come through. These lyric pages were built long ago, and an empty final line has been there since this page was first posted. I couldn't quite understand it, because I never imagined that a snake eating the wedding party would be a suitable conclusion to this tale. But now that Joseph Martone has sent me the lyrics, they are as clear as can be. Thanks for the help!

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