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from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , as Traditional

A frog went a‑courtin'
Language: English 
A frog went a-courtin’ and he did ride,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
A frog went a-courtin’ and he did ride,
A sword and pistol by his side,
Refrain:
Uh-huh, uh-huh,
Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

He rode up to Miss Mousie’s door,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
He rode up to Miss Mousie’s door,
Where he had often been before,
Refrain

“O, Mistress Mouse are you within?”
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
“O, Mistress Mouse are you within?”
“I just sat down to weave and spin.”
Refrain

He took Miss Mousie on his knee,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
He took Miss Mousie on his knee,
He said, “Miss Mouse, will you marry me?”
Refrain

“Without my Uncle Rat’s consent,”
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
“Without my Uncle Rat’s consent,
I would not marry the President.”
Refrain

Uncle Rat laughed till he bust his side,
Uh-huh, [uh-huh.]
Uncle Rat laughed [till he bust his side],
To think his niece would be a bride.
Refrain

The first guest there was a bumble bee,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
The first guest there was a bumble bee;
He played a fiddle upon his knee,
Refrain

The next to come in were two little ants,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
The next to come in were two little ants,
Fixing ‘round to have a dance,
Refrain

The owl did hoot, the birds they sang,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[he owl did hoot, the birds they sang;
And through the woods the music rang,
Refrain

The next to come in was a big tomcat,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
The next to come in was a big tomcat;
He swallowed the frog and the mouse and the rat,
Oh no!

No, that didn’t really happen.
There was no cat.
Here’s a better ending:

Then Frog and Mouse went off to France,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
Then Frog and Mouse went off to France,
And that’s the end of my romance,
Refrain

Frog’s saddle and bridle are on the shelf,
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
Frog’s saddle and bridle are on the shelf,
If you want any more, you can sing it yourself,
Refrain

Sing it yourself!

Text Authorship:

  • from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , as Traditional [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Timothy Hoekman , "A frog went a-courtin'", 2013, published 2013 [ voice, clarinet and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2020-09-14
Line count: 66
Word count: 330

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