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Oh, Bill roved out in the morning
Just at the break of day,
He said he was sure of his bait-tub of squid
Up here in Hiscock Bay.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
Bill rose up one morning
He was so mighty large,
He went up to George Pippy's door
Saying, "Patience, where is Garge?"
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
Patience she jumped out of bed,
She looked just like a hound,
'Twas up to the gate both she and Bill
All in her morning gown.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
Oh, George was comin' 'round the cliff
When he met Tom coming in.
The very first words Tom said to George,
"You don't know what I've seen."
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
George he got so mighty vexed
He didn't know what to take,
He went down on Bill Wiseman's room
And tore down his sand-flake.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
Tom and Ethel heard the crash
And they went out for to see,
Tom hitched his toes in Ethel's nose
And over the hill go he.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
Liza she was sick one morn
She had a sore throat,
She went out to feed the hens
While Tom he milked the goat.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
As Liza went up Rattle Hill
The wind blew mighty high,
It blew away her Advocate
Before Judge Pippy got nigh.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
And now my song is ended,
I have no more to say,
It was all about Bill Wiseman
Jiggin' for squids on Hiscock Bay.
And saying tie diddle die, diddle die, diddle die,
And saying tie diddle die, diddle day,
Itchy kitchy coo, kitchy coo, it'll do,
Kitchy coo iddle diddle die day.
This variant was collected in 1951 from James Heany of Stock Cove, NL, by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.40-42, by The National Museum Of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved. Similar variants were also published by Gerald S. Doyle in Old-Time Songs And Poetry Of Newfoundland: Songs Of The People From The Days Of Our Forefathers, pp.14-15, and in 1964 as Kitchy-Coo by Omar Blondahl in Newfoundlanders Sing!, pp.12-13.
Kenneth Peacock added rather lengthy footnotes to this song about sexual symbolism and its use as a communication gimmick. He noted on a later recording that the man who sang it for him was somewhat embarassed by the presence of women, a valuable clue to the involved symbolism of both the verses and the chorus. To an outsider unfamiliar with local sexual symbols it appears obscure, though perhaps mildly suggestive. Similar songs occur in our own popular music too.... Millions know the words but only a few know what's going on. In Newfoundland, everyone knows what's going on.
From the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:
Flake - a platform built on poles and spread with boughs for drying cod-fish on the foreshore.
Room - a tract or parcel of land on the waterfront of a cove or harbour from which a fishery is conducted; the stores, sheds, flakes, wharves and other facilities where the catch is landed and processed, and the crew housed.
