{"id":12089,"date":"2021-08-13T06:47:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T06:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=12089"},"modified":"2021-08-13T08:22:16","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T08:22:16","slug":"tooral-ooral-ooral-lee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/tooral-ooral-ooral-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"Tooral-ooral-ooral Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Turel Lurel Lurel Lee<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1873<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Arthur Lloyd<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN37131<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Arthur Lloyd<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
The Whiting Family, USA, Arizona, 2012<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Oh, I'm a fool as you can see\nAnd I've been fooled so you'll agree;\nWhen I tell you what occurred to me,\nAnd Tooral-ooral-ooral Lee;\nWhen Tooral and me went out to tea,\nWith Sally McGee and she sat on my knee,\nAnd we couldn'y agree, 'cos Tooral said he,\nLoved Sally McGee and she loved he;\nAnd so all three did disagree,\nAnd Sally McGee upset the tea,\nAll over me and Tooral-ooral-ooral Lee,\nAnd Tooral-ooral-i-doe and tooral-ooral-ooral Lee\nAnd Tooral-ooral-i-doe.\n\nA feeling of anger o'er me spread,\nI threatened to punch young Tooral's head,\nThen Sally's face got awfully red,\nWhen I asked her which of the two she'd wed;\nShe up and said, I was misled,\nAnd very ill-bred, on her heart to tread;\nThat she couldn't conceive why I thought she'd deceive,\nThat she'd very much grieve If I'd disbelieve\nIn her love, for she was certain that we\nWould always agree and said that she\nWould sooner have me than Tooral-ooral-ooral Lee,\nThan Tooral-ooral-i-doe.\n\nSo as on marriage we were bent,\nWhy Sally and I to the altar went,\nTho' I'm sorry she ever did give her consent,\nBut the crime has carried the punishment;\nFor she's not content, that's evident,\nAnd I often lament that I underwent\nThe experiment, for she's violent\nTo such a degree, 'cos I could see\nThat Tooral Lee was much too free,\nAnd between you and me, I think that she\nIs rather fond of Tooral-ooral-ooral Lee,\nOf Tooral-ooral-i-doe.\n\nAnd therefore as a last resource\nI'm going to try and get a divorce,\nI find that'll be the easiest course,\nAnd I'll do it without the least remorse.\nFor ye know, of course, I can't be worse\nI'd best be a horse or a bloated corse;\nThan to allow she and Tooral Lee\nTo treat poor me as If I was a flea,\nBut I hope with glee, the day to see\nWhen sorry she'll be she discarded me,\nBecause she wanted Tooral-ooral-ooral Lee,\nFor Tooral-ooral-i-doe.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A song written and performed by Arthur Lloyd<\/a> in the 1870s, the earliest confirmed reference to the song I can find is in 1872 at the Oxford Music Hall, London:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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 July 14, 1872; The Era<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The song was printed officially as sheet music, but also appeared in street literature and songsters on both sides of the Atlantic, including Billy Andrews comic Songster<\/a> (1873, New York),  a Poets Box broadside<\/a> (1876, Glasgow) Duprez & Benedict’s New Songster (c1877, Philadelphia), The Great Singing Clown Songster (c1887, New York). The fact that it remained in print for some time may suggest that the song remained popular for several decades and in the UK there are several reports of it being sung by amateur singers in the late 19th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was found in a private family collection of favorite folk songs<\/em> [collected] over a period of many years<\/em>, digitised and published as part of a family history project: The Whiting Homestead<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n