Gin Gang Goolie
DESCRIPTION: Gin gang, goolie goolie goolie goolie watcha, Gin gang goo, Gin gang goo, Heyla, heyla sheyla, Heyla sheyla, Heyla, ho!... Shallywally, shallywally! Shallywally, shallywally! Oompah-oompah! Oompah-oompah!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1999 (mudcat.org thread "ging gang gooly")
KEYWORDS: nonsense drink campsong
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
LibraryThingCampSongsThread, post 4, "(Gin gang, goolie)" (1 short text, from user John5918, posted August 28, 2021)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, pp. 148, 150, 444, 527, "Ging gang gooley gooley wash wash"/Ging Gang Goolie"/"Ging Gang Gooey Gooey" (notes only)
ST LTCS04E (Partial)
RECORDINGS:
Alessandra Delia-Lôbo, Cameo Delia, "Ging Gang Goolie" (Piotr-Archive #387, recorded 12/18/2022)
NOTES [127 words]: Apparently a bar song as well as a camp song; John5918 declares, "Slightly later in life, often with a wee drinkie or two inside us, we would sing things like" this item. There was no explanation for the syllables.
The mudcat.org thread "ging gang goolie" cites a 1957 occurrence in the "Gilwell Camp Fire Book" and a 1905 public performance. But I can't verify the former (though it seems likely, given the citation in Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs) and have no way to prove that the latter is this song, so I'm using the 1999 verifiable date.
The Delia sisters heard that this was based on something in Dutch, but again, there isn't any real proof.
John Patrick believes this to be the same as the song indexed as "Em Pom Pee." Hard to say, with nonsense lyrics. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: LTCS04E
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