Walk Along John (I)

DESCRIPTION: Weasel invades the henhouse, rats invade the dairy, Black Sam invades the kitchen, etc. Chorus: "Walk along, John, (piper's/fifer's) son, Now ain't you mighty glad your day's work's done. Walk along, John, git towards home, Ain't you mighty glad...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Wolford-ThePlayPartyInIndiana)
KEYWORDS: animal work nonballad playparty
FOUND IN: US(MW,So)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Wolford-ThePlayPartyInIndiana, pp. 100-101=Wolford/Richmond/Tillson-PlayPartyInIndiana, pp. 220-221, "Walk Along John" (1 text, 2 tunes, probably a combination of "Walk Along John (I) and "Twill Never Do To Give It Up So")
Randolph 296, "Walk Along John" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Henry Randall Waite, _Carmina Collegensia: A Complete Collection of the Songs of the American Colleges_ first edition 1868, expanded edition, Oliver Ditson, 1876, p. 15, "Walk 'Long John" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7824
NOTES [67 words]: Wolford-ThePlayPartyInIndiana notes that there was a key change in the version given to her, which she adjusted (while also printing the collected version of the tune). I suspect that her version is in fact a combination of two songs, "Walk Along John" (the first stanza) and "'Twill Never Do to Give It Up So," which I know I've heard somewhere but can't seem to find in any traditional collections. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.8
File: R296

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