Not Last Night But the Night Before
DESCRIPTION: "Not last night but the night before, Twenty-four robbers knocking at my door." Continuations vary: "As I awoke I found this note... Spanish dancer, give a high kick...." or "I ran upstairs to wash my dishes, And by mistake I washed by britches"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1949 (McIntosh-FolkSongsAndSingingGamesofIllinoisOzarks)
KEYWORDS: playparty dancing clothes humorous jumprope robbery | night
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW,NE,Ro,So) Ireland
REFERENCES (9 citations):
McIntosh-FolkSongsAndSingingGamesofIllinoisOzarks, p. 109, "(Last night and the night before)" (1 text)
Carey-MarylandFolkloreAndFolklife, p. 78, "(no title)" (1 text)
Solomon-ZickaryZan, p. 62, "Not Last Night" (1 text); p. 107, "Billy Booster" (1 text, half this and half "Billy Booster")
Ainsworth-JumpRopeVerses, #22, "(Last night and the night before)" #37, "(Not last night, but the night before)"; "(Night after night And the night before)"; "(Not last night but the night before)"; #116, "(All last night and the night before)"; "(Wasn't last night but the night before)" (6 texts)
Delamar-ChildrensCountingOutRhymes. p. 138, "Last night and the night before"; cf. p. 126, "Last night, the night before" (1 text)
Withers-EenieMeenieMinieMo, p. 41, "(Last Night and the night before)" (1 text, which appears to consist of two lines of "Not Last Night But the Night Before" followed by two lines of "Ginger Blue")
Peirce-KeepTheKettleBoiling, p. 48, "(Not last night, but the night before)" (1 text, in which it is three tom cats rather than robbers who knock at the door)
Abrahams-JumpRopeRhymes, #309, "Last night and the night before" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Peter and Iona Opie, _I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth_, #79, "(Not last night but the night before)" (1 text)
Roud #19076
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Spanish Dancer" (lyrics)
cf. "Peel a Banana Upside Down" (lyrics)
File: CarMF078
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