Oh Fudge, Tell the Judge

DESCRIPTION: "Oh, fudge, Tell the judge, Mother's got a baby. Oh, joy, It's a boy, Father's nearly crazy." "Wrap it up in tissue paper, Send it down the elevator." "First floor, second floor... send it out the back door." "S-T-O-P spells STOP."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1934 (Henry, from Mrs. Henry C. Gray, or her maid)
KEYWORDS: mother father baby judge nonballad | fudge
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,So)
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Henry-SongsSungInTheSouthernAppalachians, p. 239, (no title) (1 short text)
Carey-MarylandFolkloreAndFolklife, pp. 79, "(no title)" (1 text)
McIntosh-FolkSongsAndSingingGamesofIllinoisOzarks, p. 110, "(Fudge, fudge, tell the judge)" (1 text)
Abernethy-SinginTexas, p. 14, "(Fudge, fudge, tell the judge)" (1 text)
Solomon-ZickaryZan, p. 58, "Elevator"; p. 83, "Fudge, Fudge" (2 texst)
Ainsworth-JumpRopeVerses, #63, "(Fudge, fudge, tell the judge)"; #79, "(Fudge, fudge, tell the judge)" (1 text)
Delamar-ChildrensCountingOutRhymes, p. 118, "Fudge, fudge, tell the judge"; p. 127, "Fudge, Fudge, Tell the Judge" (2 texts)
Abrahams-JumpRopeRhymes, #148, "Fudge, fudge, tell (call) the judge" (1 text)
NorthCarolinaFolkloreJournal, Teri John, "A Collection of Jump Rope Rhymes," Vol. XXI, No. 1 (Apr 1973), pp. 15-16, "(Fudge, fudge, here comes the judge)"; "(Daddy, Daddy, Call the Doctor)" (2 texts; the second appears to be the same piece but doesn't mention fudge or the judge)
Roud #19318
RECORDINGS:
Susan Waters, "S-T-O-P" (Piotr-Archive #781, recorded 01/22/2024)
Melissa Winders, Margaret Glaser, "Call the Doctor" (Piotr-Archive #1326, recorded 06/25/2025 -- a very short version that seems more like this than anything else)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Baby in the High Chair" ("Send it down the elevator" lyrics)
File: MHAp239C

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