Long-Legged Italy Kicked Poor Sicily

DESCRIPTION: "Long-legged Italy Kicked poor Sicily Into the middle Of the Mediterranean Sea. When Germany got Hungary, She eat/ate a bit of Turkey, Dipped it in Greece And served it on China/Japan."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1975 (Brady-AllInAllIn)
KEYWORDS: food wordplay | countries
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Brady-AllInAllIn, p 58, "(Long-legged Italy)" (1 text)
Roud #38122
NOTES [101 words]: Unlike a lot of children's rhymes, this one is clearly recent. Italy was not united until the mid-nineteenth century. Germany didn't really become a unity until 1866, and was formally proclaimed in 1870. Greece had become independent of the Ottoman Empire earlier in that century. But the most decisive items are that Hungary was part of the Habsburg Empire until 1918 (it had had a lot of self-government for decades before that, but it wasn't a separate country), and the Ottoman Empire didn't become Turkey until after World War I. Allowing time for maps to adjust, I think this has to be post-1925. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: BAAI058B

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography