Little Man

Lately Thor really enjoys being sung to at bedtime. He usually joins in with great gusto, which is a new development. He’s previously shown no interest in singing, so I’m glad he’s finally getting into it. Anyway, one of the songs I like to sing to him is one that my Grandpa Black sang to us growing up and which I’ve never heard elsewhere. Since the lyrics are a little hard to come by, I thought I’d document them here. The way my memory is, I might not remember them down the road.

 

Oh, there was a little man

Where a little river ran

And he had a little farm and little dairy-o

And he had a little plow

And a little dappled cow

Which he often called his pretty little fairy-o

 

Now the little maiden Nan

With her pretty milking can

Went a-milking when the morning sun was beaming-o

And she fell, I know not how

And she stumbled o’er the plow

And the cow was much astonished at her screaming-o

 

Little maid cried out in vain

As her milk ran o’er the plain

Little pig ran grunting after it so gaily-o

And the little dog behind

For his share was much inclined

And he pulled that squealing piggy by the tail-y-o

 

Now to make a story short

Little pony with a snort

Lifted up his little hoof so very clever-o

And the little man fell down

And he nearly broke his crown

And this only made the matter worse than ever-o

 

I always thought this song ended kind of abruptly, what with spilled milk everywhere and the farmer suffering from a head injury. Where’s the resolution? But that’s the way the song was sung to me, so I have to live with the uncertainty.