Pork in the Cupboard

DESCRIPTION: "Oh there's pork in the cupboard, there's beef on the shelf If no one don't eat it I'll eat it myself." The rest is all "chin music."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: floatingverses nonballad food
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Peacock, p. 91, "Pork in the Cupboard" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9956
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Nellie Musseau, "Pork in the Cupboard" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bridle and Saddle" (lyrics)
NOTES [127 words]: Most of Peacock's version is "chin music". Specifically, a text verse is "La da diddle la diddle la diddle dum da...." Peacock explains, "'Chin' or 'mouth' music is a vocal imitation of instrumental music and is used for dancing when a fiddle or accordion is not handy. Some singers ... become so proficient that they are often called upon even when instruments are available."
Newfoundland "chin music" is like, and serves the same purpose, as Irish "lilting" and Traveller "tuning." See, for example, Hall, notes to Voice11. - BS
This is evidently a local version of "Bridle and Saddle" or one of its equivalents. Ideally, we'd have a mechanism for tracking these floating elements. But we don't, and this version is localized enough to get its own entry. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.6
File: Pea091

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography