Friday, July 1, 2011

The Mountaineer's Courtship

Here's a video of a song we learned up in the mountains at Bible camp. It's an old country song and the lyrics vary. Two people sing back and forth to each other, as in the song "There's a Hole in the Bucket." Also as in that song, the female gets more confused and/or exasperated as the song goes on.


We learned it:

Well when you comin' to court me
To court me, to court me?
When you comin' to court me
My pretty little reckless boy?

I guess I'll court you Saturday
Saturday, Saturday
I guess I'll court you Saturday
If'n the weather's all right

How long you gonna court me
Court me, court me?
How long you gonna court me
My pretty little reckless boy?

I guess I'll court you all night
All night, all night
I guess I'll court you all night
If'n the weather's all right

Well when we gonna get married
Married, married?
When we gonna get married
My pretty little reckless boy?

I guess we'll get married Sunday,
Sunday, Sunday
I guess we'll get married Sunday
If'n the weather's all right

Well how we gonna get to the weddin'
The weddin', the weddin'
How we gonna get to the weddin'
My pretty little reckless boy?

I guess we'll take the oxcart
The oxcart, the oxcart
I guess we'll take the oxcart
If'n the weather's all right

Well why not take the buggy
The buggy, the buggy
Why not take the buggy
My pretty little reckless boy?

'Cuz the buggy won't fit in the oxcart
The oxcart, the oxcart
The buggy won't fit in the oxcart
Even if the weather's all right!

Well who we gonna bring to the weddin'
The weddin', the weddin'
Who we gonna bring to the weddin'
My pretty little reckless boy?

I guess we'll bring my children
My children, my children
I guess we'll bring my children
If'n the weather's all right

I didn't know you had no children
No children, no children
I didn't know you had no children
My pretty little reckless boy

Why, yes I got five children
Five children, five children
Yes I got five children
Six, if the weather's all right!

(Together)
There ain't gonna be no weddin'
No weddin', no weddin'
There ain't gonna be no weddin'. . .
Even if the weather's all right!

Here's another version:

Here's a forum thread that claims it tracks back to 17th century Scotland, to a song called "Nicol o' Cod."

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