{"id":8827,"date":"2021-02-09T18:02:50","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T18:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=8827"},"modified":"2022-07-07T08:40:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T08:40:23","slug":"spider-and-the-fly-the","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/spider-and-the-fly-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Spider and the fly, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Will you walk into my parlour<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1830<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Botham \/ Hudson or Hudson\/ Russell<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN13006<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Thomas Hudson, Henry Russell<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Hensley, Bessie; USA : Virginia; 1941
Johns, Mrs. W.J. ; Canada : Nova Scotia; 1952
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From Comic Songs<\/em> by Thomas Hudson (1824)\n\nThe spider and the fly<\/strong>\nTune: Will you come to the bower?<\/em>\n\n\"Will you walk into my parlour?\" said a spider to a fly;\n\"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.\nYou've only got to pop your head with inside of the door, \nYou'll see so many curious things you never saw before,\n \nWill you, will you, will you, will you walk in pretty fly?<\/em>\nWill you, will you, will you, will you walk in pretty fly?<\/em>\n\n\"My house is always open. (says the Spider to the Fly)\nI'm glad to have the company of all I see go by.\"\n\"They go in, but don't come out again \u2014 I've heard of you before.\"\n\"Oh yes, they do. I always let them out at my back door,\n \n\"Will you grant me one sweet kiss? (then says the Spider to the Fly)\nTo taste your charming lips, I've a cu-ri-os-i-ty.\"\n(Said the Fly,) \"If once our lips did meet, a wager I would lay,\nOf ten to one you would not after let them come away.\"\n\n\"If you won't kiss, will you shake hands? (says the Spider to the Fly)\nBefore you leave me to myself, with sorrow sad to sigh.\"\n(Says the Fly,) \"There's nothing handsome unto you belongs.\nI declare you should not touch me, even with a pair of tongs.\"\n\n\"What handsome wings you've got! (says the Spider to the Fly)\nIf I had got such a pair, I in the air would fly.\n'Tis useless all my wishing, and only idle talk.\nYou can fly up in the air, while I'm obliged to walk.\n\n\"For the last time now I ask you, will you walk in, Mr. Fly?\"\n\"No, if I do may I be shot. I'm off, so now goodbye.\"\nThen up he springs, but both his wings were in the web caught fast.\nThe Spider laugh'd, \"Ha, ha, my boy, I have you safe at last.\n\nWill you, will you, will you, will you<\/em> walk out, pretty Fly?<\/em>\nWill you, will you, will you, will you<\/em> walk out, pretty Fly?<\/em>\n\n\"And pray how are you now? (says the Spider to the Fly)\nYou fools will never wisdom get, unless you dearly buy.\n'Tis vanity that ever makes repentance come too late,\nAnd you who into cobwebs run, surely deserve your fate.\n\nListen to me, listen to me, foolish Fly.\"\nListen to me, listen to me, foolish Fly.\"\n<\/em>\nMORAL. \nNow all young men take warning by this foolish little Fly.\nPleasure is the Spider, that to catch you fast will try;\nFor altho' you may think that my advice is quite a bore,\nYou're lost if you stand parleying outside of Pleasure's door.\n\nRemember, oh remember the foolish little Fly.\nRemember, oh remember the foolish little Fly.<\/em>\n\n1888 version<\/strong>\nSung by The Great Vance\n[From McGlennon's Star Song Book No1, March 1888]\n\nGussie Softpate was a masher,\nPals called him the masher king;\nStrolling down the street one evening,\nGussie met a charming thing.\nSweet sixteen so young and tender;\nGussie bowed and said, \"How do,\" \nThought because she blushed he'd mashed her,\nThen he murmured \"I love you,\"\n\nWill you walk into my parlour said the spider to the fly,\nWill you walk into my parlour and the spider winked his eye,\nIf you don't come in my parlour for love of you I'll die,\nSaid the tricky tricky spider to the foolish foolish fly.<\/em>\n\nGussie said, we'll have some supper, \nSo they went into the Cri;\nHad the usual cham and oysters,\nHow she drank, this simple fly, \nDown her swan-like throat like water\nFlowed the fizz, the bi-valves too; \nAs he tried the cost to reckon,\nGussie's face looked rather blue.\n\nGussie spooned upon the maiden, \nAnd the maiden spooned on Gus:\nGussie thought he had her fairly, \nOh the sly and wicked puss;\nThey had bottle after bottle, \nDrinking Chain, she took the cake;\nThen poor Gus got very sleepy, \nBut the fly was wide awake.\n\nOff to sleep at length he tumbled,\nAnd he slept an hour or two; \nWhen he woke the fly had vanished,\nGone, and never said adieu; \nGone also his watch and money!\nBut she'd left a note by-by, \nKind regards you tricky spider,\nYours the simple simple fly.\n\nWill you walk into my parlour said the spider to the fly,\nWill you walk into my parlour and the spider winked his eye,\nBut she walked out of his parlour and the spider said oh my,\nI'm a foolish foolish spider to be diddled by a fly.<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Verse and prose parables featuring The spider and the fly<\/em> go back many hundreds of years, and there were certainly examples as far back as the 16th century. This particular version is widely accepted to have been written by Thomas Hudson<\/a>, an early 19th century performer and songwriter, active in the singing taverns and gentlemen’s supper clubs that influenced early Music Hall. It’s not clear exactly when Hudson first started singing the song, but it was published in his fifth collection of comic songs in 1824. The words are identical to those published in the Oliver Ditson (Boston) sheet music which is given a perhaps dubious estimated publication date of 1815.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a great deal of overlap with a children’s poem written by Mary Howitt <\/a>(1799-1888), which starts with the same first line, and tells much the same story. It’s often been suggested that Hudson was parodying the children’s poem, but Howitt’s poem was not published until 1829 so it’s possible that she was rewriting Hudson’s song for a junior audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was highly popular throughout the 19th century, and was widely printed in broadsides and songbooks on both sides of the Atlantic. It was remembered by traditional singers in the mid-20th century in America and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most 19th century printed versions are broadly similar, though in the 1880s The Great Vance<\/a><\/em> was singing the highly modified version shown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n