Johnny Schmoker

DESCRIPTION: German. A musician tells Johnny Schmoker about all the instruments he can play: "Johnny Schmoker, Johnny Schmoker, Ich kann spielen... Ich kann spiel mein kline Drummel, Rub a dub a dub, dis ist mein Drummel." Similarly for other instruments
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1862 (The Silver Lute, edited by George F. Root)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage music nonballad campsong
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Dime-Song-Book #12, p. 22, "Johnny Schmoker" (1 text)
Harbin-Parodology, #406, p. 100, "Johnny Schmoker" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 316, "Johnny Schmoker" (notes only)
Roud #2475
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Instruments (The Orchestra Song; Zur Feier, Die Geige)" (theme of describing instruments)
cf. "Musikanter (Ich Bin ein Muskanter)" (theme of describing instruments)
NOTES [82 words]: Although this is usually sung in German even in the United States (the George F. Root publication, the Dime-Song-Book #12 text, and an early De Marsan broadside are all in German), there is an English version, which is why it has a Roud number. But I've seen no evidence that the English version has been transmitted, whereas the German is not hard to find.
It is possible that this song is really addressed not to "Johnny Schmoker" but to the reader; "schmöker(n)" is a verb for reading. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: Paro406

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