Fol-the-rol-lol

AKAThe Limerick Song
The Limerick Ditty
First Published1902

Writer/composerFred Murray and FW LeighRoudRN9484

Music Hall PerformersGeorge Lashwood
Folk performancesCollected from the singing of:
Beale, Albert; England : Kent; 1954
I've just learnt a comical ditty
From some of my friends in the city
The verses are short
And I think that you ought
To admit that the chorus is pretty.

With a fol-the-rol-lol
Fol-the-rol-lol
Fol-the-rol-lol-the rol-lady
Fol-the-rol-lol
Fol-the-rol-lol
Fol-the-rol-lol-the rol-lady.

There was an old lady of Clewer
She was riding her bike and it threw her
A butcher came by
And said 'Missis don't cry'
And he fastened her on with a skewer.

There's a girl in the town of Kilkenny
She's worried by lovers so many
That the saucy young elf
Means to raffle herself
And the tickets are two for a penny.

There was once an old lady, Lor' bless her
She was climbing one day on the dresser
Now the doctor has said
That she can't leave her bed
Till her bumps are a little bit lesser.

There once lived a girl near the Niger
She smiled as she rode on a tiger
They came back from the ride
With the damsel inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger.

This potentially infinite song combining limericks with a nonsensical chorus was put together by the prolific Fred W Leigh and Fred Murray, and sung in the early part of the 20th century by George Lashwood. It proved very popular, and was widely recorded on the various competing technologies available at the time. No doubt some versions could get pretty filthy…

In 1954 Peter Kennedy and Maude Karpeles collected it from the singing of Albert Beale whose father had sung to Cecil Sharp in 1908. Whether this song featured in his father’s repertoire is not recorded…

A contemporary 78 recording by Burt Shepard (contains racist language):

A wax cylinder recording by Edward M Favor:

Sources:

Last Updated on April 30, 2023 by John Baxter | Published: May 7, 2021

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