Puddy and Mouse 2
Chambers PRS (1847), 208-9; (1870), 55, mostly from
Sharpe, Ballad Book; see his note, p. 56-7.
Sharpe Ballad Book (1823), repr. of 1880, ed. Laing, p. 86,
has differs: No burden; in couplets. 1.2 And a merry mouse in
a mill. Variants: 10, Wha sat at the table fit,/ Wha but
froggy and his lame fit? 12 Then in cam the gude grey cat,/
Wi' a' the kittlens at her back.
ODNR 177 ff. (no. 175); refs. to Chambers Scottish Songs, 1829,
"There was a frogge in a well, Fa, la, linkum, leerie! And a
mousie in a mill, Linkum-a-leerie, linkum-a-leerie, cow-dow,"
&c.; and Scott's notes to Sharpe (see 1880 ed., 139: "Dirk
and pistol by his side,/ As being a frog of Celtic race" and
"Uncle Rotten he came home,/ Riding on a great snail alone.//
His boots were ill, his spurs were waur,/ For he was all over
dirt and glaur.") MacLennan SNR (1909), 31, as PRS, with
differs: 12 An' wha cam' in but Gib, oor Cat, Wi' a' her
kittlins at her back. 13 omitted.
Cf. FSJ no. 9 [II.4], 1906, 226-7, fragment of Chambers
version, with tune, from Leith; 1946, 38-40 (Gilchrist). A
version coll. by ed., Newbattle 1973, had variants:
Cattie he keeked in tae speir,
Want ye ony music here?
Puddy he swam doon the burn,
The drake he got him an' garr'd him girn;
besides a somewhat unique tune.
Rymour Club Misc. I (1906-11), 2, from Calder Ironworks, c. 1856:
There was a moosie in a mill,
Kiltie, keerie, ca' ye me,
And a froggie in a well,
Rigdum Bummaleerie ca' ye me.
Ca' ye Deemie, ca' ye Keemie,
Ca' ye Deemie, ca' ye me;
Streem, stram, pummareedle, rally-bally, rantan,
Rigdum Bummaleerie ca' ye me.
Another, from the Huntly district (I.90):
There was a mousie in a mill,
Rigdum, pommiriddle, cairey;
There was a froggie in a well,
Rigdum, pommiriddle, cairey;
Came in near, killed her care,
Rigdum, pommiriddle, cairey;
Sham, sham, shamiriddle, hally, bally, rigdum;
Rigdum, pommiriddle, cairey.
[orig. has Rigdam in last line.]
The history of this ballad, which Child did not see fit to
include (probably because of its animal personnel) is still a
desideratum. There are many American versions, for instance,
and one descendant is the minstrel song "Kemo, Kimo". MS
DT #306
MS
oct96
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!