# Elementary school song-time song ID **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345 "2013-07-24T01:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/1 "2013-07-24T01:42:11Z")
Remember elementary school? Song time, eh? All the kids would sing _Old Joe Clark_ or _The Deaf Woman’s Courtship_ or _Hava Nagila_, or perhaps _Time Of Year_ around Halloween. Well, there’s a song that’s been lodged in my head for the eons that have elapsed since then. The only part I can remember is a refrain like ‘Whoopsie-diddle-dee-danzsio!’ (or ‘dandio’). The first word was veritably shouted out but us kids; like ‘_WHOOPSIE_ diddle-dee-DAN-zio’. _Leatherwing Bat_ comes to mind when I think of that refrain, but the nonsense words and the melody for _Leatherwing Bat_’s refrain is different. Any idea what song I’m trying to remember? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/2 "2013-07-24T01:45:55Z")
A shot in the dark, but Mairzy Doats? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/3 "2013-07-24T01:46:46Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/4 "2013-07-24T02:26:49Z")
There was a frog lived in a well, Whipsee diddledee dandy dee, There was a mouse lived in a mill, Whipsee diddledee dandy dee. This frog he would a-wooing ride, With sword and buckler by his side. With a harum scarum diddle dum darum, Whipsee diddledee dandy dee. ? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/5 "2013-07-24T02:35:19Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > With sword and buckler by his side. > With a harum scarum diddle dum darum, > Whipsee diddledee dandy dee. > > ? [That’s it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry_k6zDlegg)! You reminded me of the ‘harum scarum’ line. We did sing it ‘dandy-oh’, and not ‘dandy-dee’. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/6 "2013-07-24T15:44:47Z")
Ooo, we had that song, except the frog lived in the _spring_, and it was sing-song-kitty-kitcha-ki-me-o. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/7 "2013-07-25T18:35:57Z")
Now that I know what it is, I just need to get rid of the earworm – that, for some reason, is _‘Whipsie, Beverly D’Angelo!’_ ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/8 "2013-07-25T20:44:50Z")
Interesting. My mom sang a similar song to me, but it went like this: Oh Mr. Frog, a courtin’ he did go. Oh Mr. Frog, a courtin’ he did go. Oh Mr. Frog, oh he did ride With his sword and his pistol at his side. Oh Mr. Frog a courtin’ he did go. There were more verses, but that’s the only one I remember. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/9 "2013-07-25T23:12:23Z")
[Froggie went a-courtin’, he did ride C-c-c-c-c-c-rambone…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOwhrCkMiKA) ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/10 "2013-07-26T00:52:44Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Interesting. My mom sang a similar song to me, but it went like this: > > Oh Mr. Frog, a courtin’ he did go. > Oh Mr. Frog, a courtin’ he did go. > Oh Mr. Frog, oh he did ride > With his sword and his pistol at his side. > Oh Mr. Frog a courtin’ he did go. > > There were more verses, but that’s the only one I remember. That song, to my knowledge, is the only children’s song that both Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen have recorded (as Froggie Went A Courtin’). You could find more verses on either version, and almost certainly many more by various folksingers. [Here’s a rather charming video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chAFPji3TdM) someone’s made to the Springsteen version. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/11 "2013-07-26T02:28:01Z")
No, it’s [king kong kitchie kitchie ki-me-o!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7NBD40v5sE) Now with more killing than we got in elementary school. Wife has a theory (she has a theory for everything) that the nonsense syllables come from Norman French by people who didn’t speak Norman French. I think she has an idea of the original French phrase for this version, but I don’t want to get her started. ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/12 "2013-07-27T02:06:27Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Interesting. My mom sang a similar song to me, but it went like this: > > Oh Mr. Frog, a courtin’ he did go. > Oh Mr. Frog, a courtin’ he did go. > Oh Mr. Frog, oh he did ride > With his sword and his pistol at his side. > Oh Mr. Frog a courtin’ he did go. > > There were more verses, but that’s the only one I remember. The variant I heard went: A Frog He Would A Wooing Go, mm - hm, A frog he would a wooing go, Whether his mother let him or no, Hm - hm - hm. There are some other variants [here](http://ingeb.org/songs/afroghew.html). ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elementary-school-song-time-song-id/664345/13 "2013-07-27T02:13:02Z")
Too late too edit: Oh look, a [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=197658) (short) with a link to [a webpage about this song](http://cjtm.icaap.org/content/18/v18art6.html). The OP’s variant is not even close to the oddest lyrics for this song.