Bee Baw Babbity

DESCRIPTION: "Bee baw babbity," choose "a lassie or a wee laddie," or bounce a ball. "Kneel down, kiss the ground, Kiss a bonny wee lassie." "I widna hae a lassie-o, I'd rather hae a wee laddie"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1917 (Greig/Duncan8)
KEYWORDS: courting nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig/Duncan8 1590, "Bee Boh Babbity" (1 text, 1 tune)
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame 42, "Bee Baw Babbity" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #8722
NOTES [99 words]: Greig/Duncan8: "See [Greig/Duncan8] 1717 'Bob at his Bowster' ['Babbity Bowster'] for the adult form."
Roud lumps this with "Babbity Bowster." A verse of "Babbity Bowster" -- "Kneel down, kiss the ground, Kiss a bonny wee lassie" -- sometimes survives unchanged in "Bee Baw Babbity." I have split them because "Bee Baw Babbity" has lost the distinguishing pattern of "Babbity Bowster": who gave/taught you something? My minnie.
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame has the nonsense first line, "Bee baw babbity," come from "Babity Bowster, brawly," which, in turn, comes from "Country Bumpkin brawly." - BS
Last updated in version 2.6
File: GrD81590

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