Turkey in the straw, turkey in the hay,
Roll 'em up and twist 'em up a high tuckahaw
And twist 'em up a tune called Turkey in the Straw
American
minstrel song, based on a fiddle tune called
Natchez Under the Hill, which itself was based on earlier works
My Grandmother Lived on Yonder Little Green and the
Irish or
Scottish ballad The Old Rose Tree. The tune was also popular on the
fife during the
Civil War.
How I learned it:
The old crow flew through the country store
And he -pffft- on the counter and he -pfffft- on the floor
And he -pffft- in the coffee and he -pfffft- in the tea
and if I hadn't moved he would have -pffft- on me.
Chorus:
Turkey in the straw (ha-ha-ha)
Turkey in the hay (hey-hey-hey)
The bullfrog danced with his mother-in-law
And fiddled up a tune called
Turkey in the straw
Traditional verses:
As I was a-gwine down the road,
With a tired team and a heavy load,
I crack'd my whip and the leader sprung,
I says day-day to the wagon tongue.
Went out to milk and I didn't know how
I milked the goat instead of the cow
A monkey sittin' on a pile of straw
A-winkin' at his mother-in-law
Met Mr. Catfish comin' down stream.
Says Mr. Catfish, "What does you mean?"
Caught Mr. Catfish by the snout,
And turned Mr. Catfish wrong side out.
Came to a river and I couldn't get across
So I paid five dollars for a blind old hoss
He wouldn't go ahead nor he wouldn't stand still
So he went up and down like an old saw mill
As I came down the new cut road,
Met Mr. Bullfrog, met Miss Toad
And every time Miss Toad would sing,
Old Bullfrog cut a pigeon wing.
Oh I jumped in the seat and I gave a little yell
The horses ran away, broke the wagon all to hell
Sugar in the gourd and honey in the horn
I never been so happy since the day I was born.
Not-so-traditional verse:
Did you ever go fishin' on a warm summer day
When all the fish were swimmin' in the bay
With their hands in their pockets and their pockets in their pants
Did you ever see a fishie do the Hootchy-Kootchy dance?
Other songs with the same or similar tunes:
Sources:
Nelson, Lesley. "Turkey in the Straw." Popular Songs in American History. 20 January 1999. <http://www.contemplator.com/america/turkeyis.html> 17 January 2001.