Mmm, And a Little Bit More

DESCRIPTION: "I'd like to be a (friend) of yours, mmm, and a little bit more. (x2), I'd like to be a little flower, Blooming round your door... mmm, and a little bit more." Or "I'd like to be a college man, Umm, and a little bit more." Or "I want a little red canoe."
AUTHOR: original words: Alfred Brya / Muaic: Fred Fischer
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Harbin-Parodology)
KEYWORDS: friend bawdy campsong
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Harbin-Parodology, #202, p. 53, "I'd Like to Be a Friend of Yours" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 236, 340, 389, "Mmm, and a Little Bit More"/"I want to be a friend of yours, mmm, and a little bit more" (notes only)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
I Want to Be a College Man
NOTES [219 words]: This is a true chameleon of a song, recognized by form (in particular, the use of the second line "mmm/umm, and a little bit more") rather than by contents. In the camp song version, the singer wants to be a friend, and the "little bit more" is just to be a close friend. In the "college man" version, the singer wants to be not just a college man, but a fraternity man, and perhaps to date a sorority girl (and do a little bit more than dating! -- I don't know how bawdy the bawdy versions get, but the direction things can go is quite obvious). Another version has a girl wanting to go to college. The "red canoe" version could be a request for a toy -- or a way to court a girl.
The original "And a Little Bit More" was written by Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music), published by T. B. Harms in 1907; it was recorded by Arthur Collins and separately by Collins & Harlan; it was a fairly significant hit in 1907 (Edward Foote Gardner, Popular Songs of the Twentieth Century: Volume I -- Chart Detail & Encyclopedia 1900-1949, Paragon House, 2000, p. 276, estimates that this was the the #4 song in America in June 1907) -- but it was substantially changed to make it into the camp song (e.g. the "Mmm" replaces an instrumental chord). It's not clear what other changes happened in that process. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: Paro202

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