States Song, The (What Did Delaware?)

DESCRIPTION: "What did Delaware, boys, what did Delaware, I ask you again as a personal friend, what did...." "She wore a New Jersey, boys...." "What did Iowa, boys,..." "She weighed a Washington...." And so forth, through as many states and puns as possible
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1923 (Camp Clavell and Girl Reserve Club Songs)
KEYWORDS: wordplay humorous nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Cohen-AmericanFolkSongsARegionalEncyclopedia1, pp. 162-163, "What Did Delaware?" (1 text plus some assorted lyrics)
Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, pp. 206-207 "The States Song" (1 text)
Harbin-Parodology, #107, pp. 31-32, "The State Song" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 277, "What Did Delaware" (notes only)
Roud #15378
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ida Ho" (device of using state songs as personal names)
cf. "Austria Was Hungary" (technique)
cf. "What Makes the Wild Cat Wild?" (the "personal friend" lyric)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
What Did Tennessee?
The Song of States
File: CAFS1162

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