{"id":11698,"date":"2021-07-27T15:31:32","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T15:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=11698"},"modified":"2021-08-13T06:39:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T06:39:08","slug":"ka-foozle-um","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/ka-foozle-um\/","title":{"rendered":"Ka-Foozle-Um"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Kafoozelum
Kathusalem
Harlot of Jerusalem, The<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1865<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>S Oxon?<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN10135<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Arthur Lloyd, Howard Paul<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
RAF Officers, Britain 1939-1945 <\/code>
Canadian armed forces Canada 1939-1945<\/code>
Lewin, James; Canada : Nova Scotia 1950
Anon; USA : California; 1960
Modern performances<\/strong>
Oscar Brand<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This page quotes lyrics which contain offensive language, reflecting attitudes common in the period when this song was performed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In ancient days there liv'd a Turk, \nA horrid man far in the East,\nWho did the Prophet's holy work, \nAs Babah of Jerusalem!\nHe had a daughter sweet and smirk, \nComplexion fair and dark blue hair,\nWith nought about her like a Turk, \nExcept the name Ka-foozle-um.\n\nOh, Ka-foozle-um! Ka-foozle-um! Ka-foozle-um!\nOh, Ka-foozle-um! The daughter of the Babah.\nOh, Ka-foozle-um! Ka-foozle-um! Ka-foozle-um!\nOh, Ka-foozle-um! The daughter of the Babah.<\/em>\n\nA youth resided near to she, \nHis name was Sam; a perfect lamb.\nHe was of ancient pedigree, \nAnd came from old Methusalem.\nHe drove a trade and prosper'd well, \nIn skins of cats, and ancient hats;\nAnd ringing at the Babah's bell, \nHe saw and loved Ka-foozle-um!\n\nIf Sam had been a Mussulman, \nHe might have sold the Babah old,\nAnd with a verse of Alcoran \nHave managed to bamboozle him;\nBut oh dear no: he tried to scheme--\nPass'd one night late, the area gate,\nAnd stole up to the Turk's hareem, \nTo carry off Ka-foozle-um.\n\nThe Baba was about a smoke; \nHis slaves rushed in with horrid din_\n\"Mashallah! dogs your house have broke; \nCome down, my lord, and toozle 'em!\"\nThe Baba wreathed his face in smiles, \nCame down the stair and witnessed there\nThe gentleman in three old tiles, \nA kissing of Ka-foozle-um!\n\nThe pious Babah said no more \nThan twenty prayers, but went up stairs.\nAnd took a bow string from a drawer \nAnd came back to Ka-foozle-um.\nThe maiden and the youth he took, \nAnd choked em both, and little, loth\nTogether pitched 'em in the brook of Kedron, \nNear Jerusalem.\n \nAnd still, the ancient legend goes, \nWhen day is gone from Lebanon,\nAnd when the Eastern moonlight throws \nA shadow on Jerusalem,\nBetween the wailing of the cats \nA sound there falls from ruined walls_\nA ghost is seen with three old hats, \nA kissing of Ka-foozle-um.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A hit in the British music halls of the mid-1860s , the sheet music for this song was published in the UK around six months before it was published in the USA . In America the words were credited as having been written by S. Oxon, with music arranged by F .Blume. The British sheet music does not credit a writer or composer. It was a great favourite of  Rudyard Kipling’s, who said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a pure gem and, to my mind, the high water mark in that kind. The final verse is incidentally, poetry by any canon<\/p>The letters of Rudyard Kipling 1931-36<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
It was vertically commonplace in the Halls for one performer to have the right to sing the song in London, and for another to have the rights to sing it everywhere else: “the Provinces”. In this case Howard Paul had the right to sing the song in London, whilst Arthur Lloyd <\/a>sang it in the provinces: <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Nov. 11, 1865;  <\/strong>The Illustrated London News <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dec. 10, 1865;  <\/strong>The Era<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dec. 15, 1865: <\/strong>The Times <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Feb. 1, 1866: <\/strong>Sheffield Independent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The song, like many Music Hall hits in the 19th century, was widely performed in pantomimes. The publishers, Cramer, cashed in on the popularity of the song by having it arranged as a galop (a fast dance) in 1867. Both the song and the tune have passed into the tradition – the tune perhaps derived from the aforementioned galop?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At some point in its history the song morphed into a bawdy one and by the Second World War the lyrics had changed and it was being sung under the title of The Harlot of Jerusalem<\/em>. You can get a toned down impression of the song from the performance by Oscar Brand, below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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