Where have you heard this ditty before?

[Bretrick]

"Oh, Mairzy Doates and Dozy Doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Now if the words sound queer and funny to your ear
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Say, Mares eat oats and Does eat oats
and little lambs eat ivy"

 

[That Lady in PA]

Where? On the radio of course!

 

[IrishEyes]

My favorite babysitter taught me that song when I was 4 yrs old
I even remember her name it was Vi short for Viola

 

[Knight]

That one in nice. Unlike the violent death this one projects.

"Rock-a-Bye Baby" is a traditional nursery rhyme that goes:
"Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all."
The rhyme is believed to have first appeared in print in Mother Goose's Melody around 1765, and it has been a popular lullaby for generations.

 

[oscash]

"Oh, Mairzy Doates and Dozy Doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Now if the words sound queer and funny to your ear
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Say, Mares eat oats and Does eat oats
and little lambs eat ivy"

Oh yes, I remember that song from way back.

 

[CallMeKate]

I sang it to my daughter when she was little... always made both of us giggle.

 

[oscash]

Remember "The Teddy Bear's Picnic"? I used to sing it to our boys when they were little.

 

[rbtvgo]

“Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey”

When you separate it, it means:

“Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.”

So the whole verse is basically talking about animals and what they eat.

The next line explains the joke:

“A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?”

Meaning:

“A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?”
Mairzy Doats. 1943

 

[jujube]

My mom sang that to me. I sang it to my daughter and my granddaughters and my great-granddaughters.

 

[dobielvr]

The elderly gent I used to cook for his nickname was 'Doats.' Apparently, his mother had given him that nickname when he was a child and it just stuck. That's what everyone called him.

 

[gruntlabor]

Remember "The Teddy Bear's Picnic"? I used to sing it to our boys when they were little.

 

[horseless carriage]

"Mairzy Doats," often referred to as: "Mares Eat Oats," is actually a popular American novelty songwritten in 1943 and popularised in 1944. While it is often considered a nursery rhyme due to its simplistic, nonsensical lyrics, it was specifically composed for Tin Pan Alley.

 

[Been There]

I vaguely remember my mom singing that song to me at bedtime. My mom was a schoolteacher and she would buy these little books with stories or nursery rhymes in them. At bedtime, we would read them together.

 

[IrishEyes]

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, was another one I remember strongly

 

[hollydolly]

We used to sing it when we were kids... Max Bygrave had a big hit with it in the uk in the 60's I believe....

 

[hollydolly]

That one in nice. Unlike the violent death this one projects.

"Rock-a-Bye Baby" is a traditional nursery rhyme that goes:
"Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all."
The rhyme is believed to have first appeared in print in Mother Goose's Melody around 1765, and it has been a popular lullaby for generations.

yep I used to sing this to my daughter....

 

[Bretrick]

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, was another one I remember strongly

Poor lady, she's dead of course.

 

[IrishEyes]

Poor lady, she's dead of course.

Surprising that if we as kids heard someone had died we didn't ask if they swallowed a fly.

 

[Della]

My mother sang "Mares Eat Oats" around the house, but her bedtime song was, "Lullaby and Goodnight."

My son would have me read a story and then sing my entire repertoire every night:
Red River Valley
Ukulele Lady
Jug Band Music

 

[Pappy]

It was one of my favorite ones when I was little. Grandma played over and over for me on the piano. Other favorites were:
Pistol Packing Mama
Coming in on a wing and a prayer.
Yes, we have no bananas.

 

[hollydolly]

It was one of my favorite ones when I was little. Grandma played over and over for me on the piano. Other favorites were:
Pistol Packing Mama
Coming in on a wing and a prayer.
Yes, we have no bananas.

yes all those too...now it's making me wonder with this new generation raising their kids via facebook, and all those apps, whether those old song will die out...

 

[jujube]

Mom used to sing this one, played here by the Glenn Miller Orchestra:

 

[gruntlabor]

Many of the children's duets are very beautiful. Here is INCHWORM.

 

[Sunny]

Our theatre group performed a great show of funny songs last night. Here's one:

You ask me if I love you
And if my love is true
Well, if I were a rich man
Here is what I'd do
I'd buy you a diamond ring
And a new fur coat or two
If my nose was running money
I'd blow it all on you.

If my nose was running money
You'd have everything you please
Any time you wanted cash
All I'd have to do is sneeze
Honey, you'd win the lottery
When I have a cold or flu
If my nose was running money,
I'd blow it all on you.