# "Ring a ding, ring a ding went the bellow"--help me identify this song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 7, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750 "2025-10-07T16:36:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/1 "2025-10-07T16:36:00Z")
A song from my childhood, on an LP. No luck searching. A jaunty tune. The words were something like: "At the fair, I met a fellow Who sold me a nice guitar-o (or guitaro, which is a different instrument). Dingity dangity went the guitaro Ring a ding, ring a ding went the bellow, Ring a ding, ring a ding went the bellow, Biddly bump and a bangity boom! As I recall, it was one of those songs where a variety of items are named and aggregated in the chorus. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/2 "2025-10-07T17:45:13Z")
Do you have a rough guess as to the year you heard it? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/3 "2025-10-07T17:48:48Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Ring a ding, ring a ding went the bellow, This line alone is a freakin’ mystery. What is meant by “bellow” here? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/4 "2025-10-07T18:30:39Z")
Was it to the tune of “The Trolley Song”? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hwP6kNIDg30/maxresdefault.jpg "The Trolley Song - Meet Me In St. Louis - 1944 - Judy Garland") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwP6kNIDg30) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/5 "2025-10-07T18:34:00Z")
I guess it was actually “bell - oh” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/6 "2025-10-07T21:29:36Z")
That makes a lot more sense. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-a-ding-ring-a-ding-went-the-bellow-help-me-identify-this-song/1023750/7 "2025-10-08T14:57:21Z")
Could be bell-o. No idea of the year. 1960-75?? Not at all the trolley song, but a good idea.