The song I'm gwine to sing about,
I tink will leave you all in doubt,
But what it means you may find out
Hop de doo-den doo!
Now we will have a pleasant chat,
And soon you'll see what I am at;
If it 'tis n't dis it must be dat
Hop de doo-den doo!
When massa bought me, I was sold,
He wasn't young -- he wasn't old,
And all he said or sung, I'm told,
Was - hop de dooden doo!
He went one day and got a wife,
Who struck him wid a caring-knife
And de only ting dat saved his life,
Was - hop de dooden doo!
I recollect, when I was born,
Dey left me by myself forlorn;
It wasn't night - it wasn't morn
Hop de dooden doo!
It was so dark we couldn't see,
When some one - mind, it wasn't me,
Said "You look out, or dere will be -
Hop de dooden doo!
De udder day I took de train,
To somewhere else and back again,
And dere was sunshine, snow and rain -
Hop de dooden doo!
I found a man whose name was Jones;
Says I, "What bring you off de stones¹?"
Says he, in most mysterious tones -
Hop de dooden doo!
In consequence of dat remark,
I was completely in de dark,
But suddenly a voice cried "Hark!"
Hop de dooden doo!
Next day, I went and bought a coat,
To button round my head and troat,
But when axed for a five-pound note,-
Hop de dooden doo!
To de Isle of Dogs¹, I took a trip,
To see 'em launch de great steam-ship,- [Note 657.1]
"What's dat," says I; says he, "a slip"-
Hop de dooden doo!
Ebery time a move she made,
Brunel¹, or somebody else, hoorayed, [Note 657.2]
And Father Thames¹ popped up and said -
Hop de dooden doo!
Of one ting only I am sure,-
Two and two, dey say, makes four,
And, multiplied, it will be more---
Hop de dooden doo!
So, from dese most important facts,
You may reply, when any ax
What branch of learning we should tax--
Hop de dooden doo!
My sweetheart she dress in green---
A silk made ob bombazine¹;
You ought to see her crinoline¹ -
Hop de dooden doo!
We married off widout a fuss,
I got a cradle and a muss,
Then made my mind up for de wuss-
Hop de dooden doo!
Lord Palmerston¹ has got his pill¹,
For dragging in the Foreign Bill;
He's had a fight and lost the mill² - [Note 657.3]
Hop de dooden doo!
He's out of place, so, if he please,
Our great ally may, at his ease,
Enrol him in the French police-
Hop de dooden doo!
Are we to change our laws by stealth,
To pacify a foreign elf,
Who came for shelter once himself?- [Note 657.13]
Hop de dooden doo!
Assassins all true men abhor,
But I'll ax you just one question more;
Who drove these chaps to England's shore? [Note 657.4]
Hop de dooden doo!
The King of Naples, it appears,
In limbo kept our engineers, [Note 657.5]
'Cause no one whisper'd in his ears,
Hop de dooden doo!
The Earthquake wasn't half a chap, [Note 657.6]
Or he'd swallow'd old King Bombo, slap, [Note 657.7]
Den pitch'd him in de debill's lap
Hop de dooden doo!
Prince Fred'rick got John Bull³ to pay
Eight thousand a year to take away
De Princess Royal - won't he say- [Note 657.8]
Hop de dooden doo!
How den Germans dey must grin,
To see John Bull so taken in,
Dey find de husband, we de tin-
Hop de dooden doo!
To de op'ra house I went one night,--
De people dere got up in affright,
And Piccolomini¹ shriek'd outright-- [Note 657.9]
Hop de dooden doo!
I merely asked what was de matter?
When dey call'ed me poor La Traviatter [Note 657.10]
And de boxkeepers¹ began to chatter-
Hop de dooden doo!
This song was sung some years ago,
In an op'ra call'd Les Huguenots, [Note 657.11]
By Mario or else Defoe, [Note 657.12]
With- Hop de dooden doo!
Some people say this is not true,
For Meyerbeer¹ that sir won't do
It's but 'Aunt Sally¹' cut in two
With-Hop de dooden doo!