Henhouse Door (Who Broke the Lock?)

DESCRIPTION: Floating verses: "Down in the henhouse, down on my knees/I thought I heard a chicken sneeze" "Hen... told the rooster, I love you best... you're a pop-eyed liar...." Ch.: "Who broke the lock? I don't know/Who broke the lock on the henhouse door..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1894 (recording, Standard Quartette)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Floating verses: "Down in the henhouse, down on my knees/I thought I heard a chicken sneeze" "Hen and a rooster went out west/Hen told the rooster, I love you best/Rooster told the hen, you're a pop-eyed liar/Saw you in the alley with the big Shanghai" "My old hen's a good old hen/Ain't laid an egg since I don't know when" etc. Chorus: "Who broke the lock? I don't know/Who broke the lock on the henhouse door..."
KEYWORDS: jealousy theft farming floatingverses humorous nonballad animal chickens
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
MidwestFolklore, W. L. McAtee, "Some Folklore of Grant County, Indiana, in the Nineties," Volume 1, Number 4 (WInter 1951), p. 258, "(Down in the hen house on my knees)" (1 short text, with only the "chicken sneeze" verse and no chorus, so it might be part of another song)
RECORDINGS:
Alabama Washboard Stompers, "Who Broke the Lock" (Vocalion 1587, 1931)
H. M. Barnes & his Blue Ridge Ramblers, "Who Broke the Lock on the Hen-House Door" ((Brunswick 310, 1929/Supertone S-2052/Brunswick [UK] 1027, 1930)
Jack Bland's Rhythmakers aka Jack Bland & his Rhythmakers, "Who Broke the Lock" (Banner 32605/Melotone M-12513/Oriole 2593/Perfect 15694, all 1932, on Protobilly; Columbia 35841, 1940)
Bryant's Jubilee Quartet, "Who Stole De Lock Off De Henhouse Door" (Gennett 6608/Champion 15543 [as Southland Jubilee Singers]/Supertone 9081 [as Dixie Jubilee Choir]/Supertone 9293 [as Dixie Jubilee Singers], all 1928); "Who Stole De Lock" (Banner 32173/Oriole 8060/Perfect 175 [as Famous Garland Jubilee Singers]/Romeo 5060/Conqueror 7749, all 1931)
[Sam] Cousins & [Ed] De Moss, "Who Broke the Lock (Berliner 3012, 1898; on Protobilly)
Vance Dixon & his Pencils, "Who Stole the Lock" (OKeh 8891, 1931)
Dunham Jazz Singers, "Who Stole the Lock" (Columbia 14609-D, 1931)
The Georgia Browns, "Who Stole de Lock" (Melotone M12615, 1933; on Protobilly)
Otto Gray & his Oklahoma Cowboys, "Who Broke the Lock" (Vocalion 5479, c. 1931/Polk P9017, n.d./Panachord [UK] 25449, 1933)
Dick Hartman & his Tennessee Ramblers, "Who Broke the Lock?" (Montgomery Ward M-4914, 1936)
Texas Jim Lewis, "Who Broke the Lock" (Vocalion 3754/Perfect 7-12-55 [as Texas Jim Lewis' Lone Star Cowboys], 1937)
Frank Luther, "Who Broke the Lock" (Decca 5322, 1935)
Riley Puckett, "Riley's Hen House Door" (Bluebird B-7373, 1938)
Standard Quartette, "Who Broke the Lock on the Henhouse Door?" (CYL: Columbia, no #, rec. 1894)
Washboard Rhythm Kings, "Who Broke the Lock" (Victor 23283, 1931)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Talking Blues" (floating verses)
cf. "Cluck Old Hen" (floating verses)
cf. "The Chicken Song (I Ain't Gonna Take It Settin' Down)" (floating verses)
cf. "The Golden Axe" (floating verse)
NOTES [18 words]: The Bryant's Jubilee Quartet recordings are a perfect illustration of why discographers get migraines. - PJS
Last updated in version 6.8
File: RcWBTL

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