Fol-the-rol-lol

Transcript

I've just learned a comedy, dee-dee, from some of my friends in the city. The voices are short and I think that you ought to admit that the chorus is pretty. There was a young lady in Pella, fell in love with a bow-legged fella.

This husky young chap made her sit in his lap but she fell straight through into this Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee Bill Jones was the son of a brewer, saw a girl and he thought that he knew her. He lifted his hat and she hit him a bat and he lit on his ear in the sewer. There was an old lady in Wooster, was annoyed very much by a rooster.

She cut off his head until he was dead and now he don't crow like he used to. Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee There was a young miss from Decatur who went to play in the theatre. The poor little thing when she started to sing got hit with a rotten tomato.

Another young miss from Poor River was sent out to purchase some liver. She went to a show and blew all her dough and her parents will never forgive her. Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee There was a young man from Woonsocket, had a watch and a chain and a locket.

Saw the races one day and when he came away all he had was his hand in his pocket. There was a young girl from Pawtucket, had a bustle as big as a bucket. She'd fill it with oats and sometimes filly goats sneak right up behind her and tuck it.

Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee Fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la-la-dee

Transcribed by AI from the recording above. These are noisy hundred-year-old cylinders, so expect misheard words and the occasional invented line — trust your ears over the text.