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The Crocodile / The Wonderful Crocodile

[ Roud 886 / Song Subject MAS297 ; Master title: The Crocodile ; G/D 8:1700 ; Henry H231a ; Ballad Index MA134 ; DT WONDCROC ; Mudcat 47093 ; trad.]

Gale Huntington, Lani Herrmann, John Moulden (eds.): Sam Henry’s Songs of the People Roy Palmer: Room for Company Frank Purslow: Marrow Bones

Harry Cox sang The Crocodile to Peter Kennedy in London in December 1953. This recording was included in 2000 on his Rounder anthology What Will Become of England?.

Sam Larner sang The Wonderful Crocodile to Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker in between 1958 and 1960. This recording was included in 2014 on his Musical Traditions anthology Cruising Round Yarmouth. Rod Stradling noted:

Although this nonsense song has only 8 English entries taken from the oral tradition amongst Roud’s total of 88, it does boast 66 book and broadside publications, the earliest being from 1819.

Fred Swales (about 50) of Howden sang The Crocodile in 1962 to Colin S. Wharton who collected songs in the North Riding of Yorkshire for his Leeds University Thesis. It was published in 2019 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Colin Wharton Collection, Songs of the North Riding.

Dave Hillery sang The Wonderful Crocodile on the 1972 Topic/Impact album of folk songs festive and sociable, Room for Company, which accompanied Roy Palmer’s book of the same name. Roy Palmer noted:

A tall story, told with relish, for the sheer pleasure of lying exaggeration: such is this song which, to judge both from broadsides and oral notations, was very popular a hundred years ago, both in country pubs and music halls.

Penny Seeger and Sonya Cohen sang the Crocodile Song on their 1992 Rounder album Animal Folk Songs for Children.

Cyril Tawney sang The Crocodile in 1992 on his Neptune Tapes cassette of sea songs for children, Little Boy Billee.

Bob Lewis sang The Crocodile on his 2003 album The Painful Plough. Vic Smith noted:

This Rabelaisian tale is found on broadsheet and has been collected in the north of Ireland and in Nova Scotia and Ontario. It was collected in the south of England by Gardiner and by Lucy Broadwood. Harry Cox sung a version. Bob can remember his family having a 78-rpm record of it. He always associated the song with Bob Blake.

Chris Bartram sang The Crocodile on his 2005 album of traditional songs from England, Yorkie. He noted:

… There’s lots of humour too—and what a double-edged sword that can be! There’s hyperbole and surreal imagery in The Crocodile, and Three Yorkshiremen Went Hunting …

Nick Dow sang The Wonderful Crocodile on his 2015 album Unaccompanied. He noted:

Learned from Bob Lewis, who I met several times in the South of England. Bob got it from Bob Blake. Bob Lewis is a lovely singer. Check out his CDs.

Lyrics

Sam Larner sings The Wonderful Crocodile

Wrecked I was all on Peru
Not many of us on the shore.
And I was off to take a trip,
The wonders to explore.

Chorus:
Whack-fol-lure-a-lure-a-lido,
Whack-fol-lure-al-day.
Whack-fol-lure-a-lido,
Whack-fol-lure-al-day.

I had to climb a very large tree,
Before I could gain my victim,
So I jumped right down the crocodile’s throat
And that’s the way I licked him.

(Chorus)

The Wonderful Crocodile in Room for Company

Now listen you landsmen all to me, to tell the truth I’m bound.
What happened to me by going to sea and the wonders that I found.
Shipwrecked l was once off Perouse and cast upon the shore,
So then I resolved to take a cruise the country to explore.

Chorus (after each verse):
To my right falairo, raddle diddle airo,
Right falairo, whack.

But far I had not scudded out, when alongside of the ocean,
I saw something move, which first I thought was all the earth in motion.
But, steering up close alongside, I found ’twas a crocodile;
And from the nose to the tip of his tail he measured five hundred mile.

This crocodile, I could plainly see, was not of the common race,
For I was obliged to climb a high tree before I could see his face.
And when he lifted up his jaw, though p’r’aps you’ll think I lie,
It reached above the clouds three score miles and nearly touched the sky.

Whilst up aloft and the stream was high, it blew a gale from the south;
I lost my hold and away did fly right into this crocodile’s mouth.
He quickly closed his jaws on me, and thought to claim a victim,
But I ran down his throat, d’ye see, and that’s the way I tricked him.

I travelled on for a month or two till I got into his maw,
Where I found of rum some barrels—not a few—and a thousand bullocks in store.
Of life I banished all my cares and for grub I wasn’t stinted,
So in this crocodile I lived ten years; I was very well contented.

Now this crocodile, being very old, one day, alas! he died.
But he was three years in getting cold, he was so long and wide.
His skin was seven miles thick, I’m sure, or very near about;
For I spent fully six months or more in cutting my way out.

But now once more I’ve got on earth and resolved no more to roam,
So in a ship that passed I got a berth and now I’m safe at home.
And lest my story you should doubt, should you go to the Nile,
Just where he fell, you’ll find the shell of this wonderful crocodile.