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Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song
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Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song |
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Subject: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: John M. Date: 20 Jan 05 - 05:01 PM Hello everyone, Does anyone still sing The Woodpecker song found in the digital tradition database? Does your tune match up with this 78 recording from the late 1930s? Would you agree with me that the "The Pussy Cat Song" (recording) as sung by Connie Vannette is directly derived from "The Woodpecker Song" (recording)? Any help is appreciated.
Recordings of "The Woodpecker Song":
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: John M. Date: 20 Jan 05 - 05:03 PM Since I have been told to only put one song text per post (for searching purposes), here is the continuation of the comparison of "The Woodpecker Song" (recording) and "The Pussy Cat Song" (recording). If you have had a chance to listen to both recordings, do you agree that the later song is derived from "The Woodpecker Song"? Any help is appreciated.
Recordings of "The Pussy Cat Song":
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: John M. Date: 21 Jan 05 - 02:47 PM Since this post is not drawing up any comments from others, I thought I would put up the text from The Stag Pary. A woodpecker flew to the school-house yard, |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: Lighter Date: 21 Jan 05 - 05:30 PM The only woodpecker song I've heard is the one about the woodpecker's hole. As ever,Oscar Brand recorded a somewhat augmented version about 1962. The earliest texts I've seen of it are from WWII, but Stan Hugill published an unfortunately "camouflaged" version under the title of "Dixie" in "Shanties from the Seven Seas." He presumably learned it in the '20s or '30s. Robert W. Gordon received a fragment of a similar but milder song in the mid-'20s with the words "I stuck my head in a little skunk's hole...." I think this one too is still current. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: Micca Date: 21 Jan 05 - 06:59 PM Lighter, I also only know that one of which the first and second verses are as follows " I put my finger in the woodpecker's hole, And the woodpecker said, "God bless my soul, Take it out, Take it out, Take it out, Remove it, I removed my finger from the woodpecker's hole And the woodpecker said, " God bless my soul, Put it back, Put it back, Put it back, Replace it." and so on for 5 more verses Micca |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: Lighter Date: 21 Jan 05 - 08:52 PM Yeah, Micca. "Revolting." Make of it what you will, but Hugill's "camouflaged version" involves "my fist in the mate's ear'ole." I wouldn't speculate about the original (though it might just be a skunk or a woodpecker; we'll never know). |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: John M. Date: 22 Jan 05 - 10:36 AM Thanks Lighter & Mica. I am familiar with "The Woodpecker's Hole" and Richard Reuss in the master's thesis suggests that that song may be derived from the "Woodpecker pecked and he pecked for his pecker was hard" rhyme. My concern is to find informants who still sing the (older?) ditty and to show that the other "Woodpecker Song" still survives orally as "The Pussy Cat Song".
Here is a third song text titled "Friendly Little Cat" (recording) as sung by Catwoman (Dayton Hash House Harriers). She told me she learned her version from an old 1920's blues recording but has no other details. Does anyone remember a "Friendly Little Cat" blues record?
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: Big Jim from Jackson Date: 22 Jan 05 - 11:09 AM Woodpecker met his girl friend in a tree Asid , "I've got somethin' I want you to see." Showed her his pecker, pecker showed He's a bad little bird, but that's the woodpecker song. Woodpecker flew into a candy store; Ate and he ate 'till he couldn't eat no more Fat pecker, pecker fat (and so on)............... Woodpecker flew into a barber shop Barber caught him and shaved his top Bald pecker, pecker bald (and so on)............... Woodpecker peckin on an old knot hole He pecked and he pecked 'till he pecked the wrong hole Sick pecker, pecker sick (some kind of a fungus!) (And so on)............... And there are even some other verses. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: John M. Date: 22 Jan 05 - 06:24 PM Big Jim thanks for giving me that text of "The Woodpecker Song." It's nice to have the variants that are close to "The Pussy Cat Song". Back to my original question: Do you agree with me that "The Pussy Cat Song" (recording) is directly derived from "The Woodpecker Song" (recording)? Yours, John Mehlberg
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: John M. Date: 30 Aug 06 - 11:32 AM refresh |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: GUEST,Karen Date: 18 Jul 11 - 09:25 PM Does anyone happen to know who I should be trying to track down in order to secure licensing for recording a cover of "The Pussy Cat Song?" See, the version he plays includes a few extra verses that are locally oriented, and if I understand the rules correctly, we actually need more than just cover rights, we need the rights to create a derivative work. Who on earth do we contact? If it's true (as mentioned above) that this was recorded in the 1920s, then we're in the clear - but I don't know this for a fact. We're trying very hard to keep everything above board, but folk music is tough to track down sometimes! |
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Subject: RE: Origins: The Woodpecker Song & The Pussy Cat Song From: Lighter Date: 25 Jun 25 - 04:05 PM Macon [Ga.] Telegraph (Jan. 16, 1889): "Then he stepped back and, to the tune of 'Dixie,' warbled thus: I poked my head in the peckerwood's hole, The peckerwood says 'Take it out, blame your soul, take it out [sic]. Take it out, take it out, take it out.' "He got no further. The audience went wild." Meeker [Okla.] Herald (Feb. 22, 1906): "The jaybird pecked at the peckerwood's hole, And the peckerwood said, 'Confound your soul.'" |
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