"Frog Went A-Courtin'" (Roud #16) is an English language folk song, with many variations.
It is first mentioned in Robert Wedderburn's "The Complaynt of Scotland" (1549) under the name "The Frog cam to the Myl dur", though this is in Scots rather than English.
Albert Jack in his book "Pop Goes the Weasel, The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes" (pp. 33–37, copyright 2008) states that in 1547 the Scottish Queen Consort, Mary of Guise, under attack from Henry VIII, sought to marry her daughter Princess Mary (later Mary Queen of Scots), "Mrs. Mouse" to the 3 year old French Prince Louis, the "frog".
There is also a reference in the London Company of Stationers' Register of 1580 to "A Moste Strange Weddinge of the Frogge and the Mouse", referring to another French (frog) wooing caused concern—that of the Duke of Anjou and Queen Elizabeth I in 1579. Elizabeth even nicknamed Anjou, her favorite suitor, "the frog".
There are many texts of the ballad; however the oldest known version with accompanying tune, is in Thomas Ravenscroft's Melismata in 1611.
In 1783 John Pinkerton mentions the fact that "The Frog cam to the Myl dur" is song # 17 in a book called "The Complaint of Scotland", written by Sir James Inglis and printed at St. Andrews in 1548.
https://archive.org/stream/selectscottishb00pinkgoog#page/n262/mode/2up/search/complaint+of+scotland
Although John Pinkerton mentions James Inglis as its writer, The Complaynt is in fact anonymous, probably due to its dangerous political content, and has been variously ascribed to Robert Wedderburn, James Inglis and David Lyndsay, though the 1979 Scottish Text Society edition of the work supports the Wedderburn attribution, as does the National Library of Scotland
Pinkerton also mentiones that "song No 17 used lately to be sung on the stage at Edinburgh".
In "The History of English Poetry (vol 4)" (1790), Thomas Warton mentions a ballad of "A moste strange weddinge of the frogge and the mouse" licensed by the stationers ro E. White in 1580.
Here's a 1824 edition of Vol IV of Warton's "The History of English Poetry".
Here's the November 21, 1580 entry of the license to Edward White of iiii (4) ballads in the Stationers' Register. One of them: "A moste Strange weddinge of the ffrogge and the mowse"
It's on page 174b of the Register:
The earliest known English printing of a text with accompanying tune on this early fable is in Thomas Ravencroft’s Melismata (1611) (song # 21): The Marriage of the Frogge and the Mouse
You can listen to the accompanying tune (It is song # 21 of Melismata (1611))
SEE: NEXT LINK
Listening to the MIDI above we hear it is not the tune we are now familiar with.
And here's the complete book on pdf: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ravenscroft/melismata/all.pdf
In 1719 Thomas D'Urfey published the song in his "Wit and Mirth: Pills to Purge Melancholy" (vol. 1).
In this book it's titled; "The Great Lord Frog to Lady Mouse" or "A Ditty on a high Amour at St. James's" (Set to a Comical Tune).
The original 1719 imprint can be viewed on the next link: (it's on page 14 of Vol. 1).
Below is a copy of the book from a much later date.
In 2000 Anne and Ridley Enslow recorded "The Great Lord Frog to Lady Mouse"
Listen here:
Listening to the version above we hear this also isn't the tune we are now familiar with.
In 1783 "The Frog and the Mouse" was song # 1 in the song collection Gammer Gurton's Garland.
"The Frog and Mouse, or the The Frog He Would A Wooing Go" was published around 1810 by N. Coverly Jr. in Boston, Massachusetts.
And in 1812 "The Frog He Would A Wooing Go" was published (with accompanying music) by J. Hewitt in Boston,
Listen to this version files/original/1047ca4014ed5e47714f9fd3b2720251.mp3
The Bodleian Library has also a few broadsides that were published in the first half of the19th century.
SEE: Ballads Online
In Frank Kidson's "Old English Country Dances" (1890) it is on page 3 as "Lord Frog and Lady Mouse" and as "The Frog and the Mouse".
In Lina Eckenstein's "Comparative Studies in Nursery Rhymes" (1906) the song is mentioned on pages 29-33. She gives one Charles Edward Horton as the writer of the ORIGINAL TUNE.
George Lyman Kittredge cited 85 different versions collected by 1922, in an article in the Jourmal Of American Folklore. Vol. 35, No. 138 (Oct. - Dec., 1922), pp. 338-399
In 1925 the song was published in Dorothy Scarborough's "On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs".
Leonidas Warren Payne Jr. wrote a paper on the song in 1926: "Some Texas versions of The Frog's Courting." The paper appeared in Rainbow in the Morning (Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1926; reprinted Folklore Associates, 1965, pp. 5-48). In it there are 20 full Texas versions, along with its brief history and comparative analysis.
You can browse through this paper on the next link:
In this paper the E-type of the songcluster with the Uhn-Huhn, or Humming, burden is the most familiar version (see Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Mike Oldfield and Bradley Kincaid versions further on in this post).
In Carl Sandburg's "American Songbag" (1927) the song is on page 143 as "Mister Frog Went A-Courting". Sandburg took the E-type version of the songcluster from L.W. Payne's 1926 papers
The first recorded version of this song-cluster seems to be:
(o) Len Spencer (1901) (as "The Wedding Of The Frog And The Mouse") (MONOLOGUE) ????
Recorded June 11, 1901 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victor A-854
Also released on Berliner 715 (Canada)
Also recorded on a Columbia Cylinder (# 31570)
For the very successfull Bubble Book series the song was put on a record along with the written-down lyrics and accompanying drawings.
The lyrics and music were the same as the version published in 1812 by J. Hewitt in Boston (see above)
(c) Unknown artists (1919) (as "The Frog He Would A-Wooing Go")
Record # 1162 of album "The Funny Froggy" (The Seventh Bubble Book)
In 1924 Henry Burr recorded the Funny Froggy Bubble Book version:
(c) Henry Burr (1924) (as "A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go")
Recorded June 27, 1924 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victor 209
Listen here:
In 1925 the song was published as a Course in Elementary Music for Schools.
Alice green sang 2 different versions of the Frog song.
The second version has the same lyrics as the version published in 1812 by J. Hewitt in Boston (see above) but the accompanying music is close to the (nowadays) most familiar "E-type" version from Carl Sandburg's "American Songbag".
(c) Alice Green (=Olive Kline) (1925)
(as "The Frog And The Mouse"/ "The Frog He Would A Wooing Go") ?????
Recorded May 29, 1925 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victor 19830
Listen here: Songs for Children - Alice Green.mp3 (The 2nd (most familiar) version starts at 2 min and 14 seconds).
(c) Buell Kazee (1927) (as "Frog Went A Courtin")
Recorded April 21, 1927 but unissued
In 1927 Buell Kazee seems to be the first one to record the (nowadays) most familiar "E-type" version from Carl Sandburg's "American Songbag". (music and lyrics)
It wasn't issued, but one year later a version by Bradley Kincaid was released on the Gennett/Supertone label.
(c) Bradley Kincaid (1928) (as "Froggie Went A-Courting")
Recorded February 27, 1928 in Chicago
Released on Gennett 6462 and on Supertone 9209
Listen here:
In 1928 Governor Al Smith was one of the candidates for President of America in 1928.
Uncle Dave Macon re-wrote the lyrics of "Froggie Went A-Courting" trying to help Al Smith in becoming President.
(c) Uncle Dave Macon (1928) (as "Governor Al Smith")
Recorded July 26, 1928 in Chicago, IL
Released on Brunswick 263
Listen here:
Sigmund Spaeth reports that one Henry Wood published a song called "Keemo Kimo" in 1854.
A variant of "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" is “Sing Song Kitty (Won't You Ki-Me-O)” or “Keemo Kimo” sometimes named “Beaver Creek”.
“King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O” is a minstrel version of this branch of “Froggie” which was a big hit for Chubby Parker, recorded on Columbia 15296-D in 1928.
But already in 1919 Harry C. Browne recorded a version of "Keemo Kimo".
(c) Harry C. Browne and Peerless Quartette (1919) (as "Keemo Kimo")
Recorded November 5, 1919 in New York.
Released on Columbia A 2853
(c) Chubby Parker (1928) (as "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O") (KEEMO KIMO version)
Recorded August 23, 1928 in New York
Released on Columbia 15296-D
Listen here:
(c) Prairie Ramblers (1940) (as "Beaver Creek") (KEEMO KIMO version)
Listen here:
(c) Texas Jim Lewis (1941) (as "Beaver Creek") (KEEMO KIMO version)
Listen here:
(c) Anna and Julietta Canova (1928) (as "The Frog Went A-Courtin'")
Fiddle – Pete Canova / Guitar – Zeke Canova
Recorded September 10, 1928 in New York
Released on Brunswick 264
Listen here:
(c) Woody Guthrie (1944) (as "Froggie Went A-Courtin'")
Recorded April 25, 1944 for Moses Asch
Matrix MA 110 (Previously unissued, from analog reel 558)
Finally released on "Buffalo Skinners - The Asch Recordings Vol.4"
Listen here:
(c) Burl Ives (1949) (as "Mr. Froggie Went A-Courtin'")
Listen here:
In 1955 John Langstaff wrote a book about the story of the Frog who went a-courtin, which won a Caldecott Medal when it was first published in 1955;
Langstaff also recorded this "Frog who went a-courtin" version in 1968.
Look inside the book and hear the song here:
Langstaff had earlier recorded 2 other variants of this song-cluster (at the Abbey Road Studios in London with George Martin as producer)
(c) John Langstaff (1950's) (as "The Frog In The Well")
(c) John Langstaff (1950's) (as "The Frog and the Mouse") (KEEMO KIMO version)
(c) Pete Seeger (1955) (as "Frog Went A-Courting")
(c) Uncle Pecos (1955) (as "Crambone")
Uncle Pecos (who is Jerry's uncle) sings this song in the Tom & Jerry Cartoon "Pecos Pest"
Watch it here:
(c) Peggy Seeger (1957) (as "Froggie Went A-Courtin'")
(c) Jimmie Rodgers (1958) (as "Froggy Went A-Courtin'")
Jimmie Rodgers (2) With Hugo Peretti & His Orch.* - Froggy Went A-Courtin' / Liza (Vinyl) at Discogs
(c) The Brothers Four (1961) (as "Frogg") ("Frog Went A-Courting" version)
No 32 in US Charts)
(c) Odetta (1964) (as "Froggy Went A-Courtin'")
Listen here:
In 1967 Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl recorded 4 variants of this songcluster for a 10 album project of Traditional English and Scottish Ballads with older and newer versions and forms based on legendary volumes compiled by Francis J. Child
(c) Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger (1967) (as "The Puddy in the Well" (Scots), as "Froggie Went A-Courting" (American), as "King Kong Kitchie" (American) and as "There Was An Old Frog"
You can listen to the 4 versions on the next link. They are songs # 11,12,13 and 14 on album # 8
Or here:
But actually this song might well be written for Kermit the Frog !!!
Kermit the Frog tells the story of his doomed love affair with Miss Mousey, singing "Froggy Went A Courtin'" in The Muppets Valentine Show aired on ABC on January 30, 1974.
Watch it here:
(c) Mike Oldfield (1974) (as "Froggy Went A-Courting")
Listen here:
(c) Claude Francois (1976) (as "Monsieur Crapaud")
Listen here:
(c) Bob Dylan (1992) (as "Froggie Went A-Courtin'")
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Bruce Springsteen (2006) (as "Froggie Went A-Courtin'")
Listen here:
More versions here:
See also:
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