Did You Ever See a Lassie?

DESCRIPTION: "Did you ever see a lassie, A lassie, a lassie, Did you ever see a lassie Go this way and that way? Did you ever see a lassie go this way and that?" Other verses, if any, equally silly; sustained by the tune "O Du Lieber Augustine"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1896 (Beebe)
KEYWORDS: nonballad playparty
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW,NE)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Linscott-FolkSongsOfOldNewEngland, pp. 6-7, "Did You Ever See a Lassie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Byington/Goldstein-TwoPennyBallads, pp. 101-102, "(Did you ever see a lassie)" (1 text, 1 tune, filed under "Follow the Leader")
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame 69, "Did You Ever See a Lassie?"; Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame, pp. 303,304-306, "(When I was a young gell, a young gell, a young gell)" (3 texts)
Fuld-BookOfWorldFamousMusic, pp. 399-400, "O Du Lieber Augustin -- (Polly Put the Kettle On -- Did You Ever See a Lassie)"
Harbin-Parodology, #58, p. 21, "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" (1 text, tune referenced)
JournalOfAmericanFolklore, Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie, "Three Generations of Children's Singing Games in St. Louis," Vol. LX, No. 235 (Jan 1947), #39 p. 34 ("Did you ever see a lassie, a lassie, a lassie") (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Marion Bromley Newton, Graded Games and Rhythmic Exercises for Primary Schools (New York, 1907 ("Digitized by Google")), #6 pp. 3-4, "Did You Ever See A Lassie?" (1 text, 1 tune)
SAME TUNE:
Ach, Du Lieber Augusine (File: SBar017)
The More We Get Together (File: ACSF163M)
Calliope Song (File: ACSF315C)
When Mary Was a Baby (Harbin-Parodology, #27, p. 14)
Horse Fly (File: ACSF277H)
Ach, Du Lieber Austustine (Slot Machine Run By Steam) (Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, p. 163)
Love to Be in Copenhagen (Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, p. 197)
Have You Ever Seen (Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, p. 197)
If I Could Have a Windmill/If I Had a Windmill (Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 163; recored by Sharon, Lois & Bram)
June, July, and Augustine (Harbin-Parodology, #35, p. 16)
Howdy ("Oh, when we are together, together, together") (Harbin-Parodology, #169, p. 47)
Here's To ("Oh, here's to Mr. ???, Mr. ???, Mr. ???) (Harbin-Parodology, #208, p. 53)
NOTES [90 words]: Obviously a silly little song -- but the tune is so widespread that it can hardly be omitted.
Linscott, who has only a single stanza, describes its use as a singing game. - RBW
"Another favorite in Eleanor Smith's song book No. 2 reads: 'Did you ever see a lassie Do this way and that?' This is a very old friend in a new dress, and it is deservedly a friend, for it gives scope for any amount of ingenuity and originality" (source: Katherine Beebe, Home Occupations for Little Children (Chicago, 1896 ("Digitized by Google")), p. 126). - BS
Last updated in version 6.3
File: FuldODLA

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