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A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go
A frog he would a-wooing go,
Heigho, says Rowley,
Whether his mother would let him or no.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
So off he set with his opera hat,
Heigho, says Rowley,
And on the road he met with a rat.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
'Pray, Mister Rat, will you go with me?
Heigho, says Rowley,
Kind Mistress Mousey for to see?'
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
And when they came to Mousey's hall,
Heigho, says Rowley,
They gave a loud knock, and they gave a loud call.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
'Pray, Mistress Mouse, are you within?'
Heigho, says Rowley,
'Oh yes, kind sirs, I'm sitting to spin.'
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
'Pray, Mistress Mouse, will you give us some beer?
Heigho, says Rowley,
For Froggy and I are fond of good cheer.'
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
'Pray, Mr. Frog, will you give us a song?
Heigho, says Rowley,
Let it be something that's not very long.'
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
'Indeed, Mistress Mouse,' replied Mr. Frog,
Heigho, says Rowley,
'A cold has made me as horse as a dog.'
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
'Since you have caught cold, Mr. Frog,' Mousey said,
Heigho, says Rowley,
'I'll sing you a song that I have just made.'
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
But while they were all a-merry-making,
Heigho, says Rowley,
A cat and her kittens came tumbling in.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
The cat she seized the rat by the crown;
Heigho, says Rowley,
The kittens they pulled the little mouse down.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright;
Heigho, says Rowley,
He took up his hat, and he wished them good-night.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
But as Froggy was crossing over a brook,
Heigho, says Rowley,
A lily-white duck came and gobbled him up,
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
So there was an end of one, two, three,
Heigho, says Rowley,
The rat, and the mouse, and the little froggee,
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho, says Anthony Rowley!
Baring-Gould, Sabine. A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes. Illus. by Members of the Birmingham Art School under the direction of A. J. Gaskin. London, England: Methuen, 1895, pp. 27-30. No. XVII
A frog he would a-wooing go,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
A frog he would a-wooing go,
Whether his mother would let him or no.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
So off he set with his opera hat,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
So off he set with his opera hat,
And on the road he met with a rat,
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
Pray, Mister Rat, will you go with me?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
Pray, Mister Rat, will you go with me,
Kind Mrs. Mousey for to see?
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
They came to the door of Mousey's hall,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
They gave a loud knock, and they gave a loud call.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
Pray, Mrs. Mouse, are you within?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
Oh yes, kind sirs, I'm sitting to spin.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
Pray, Mrs. Mouse, will you give us some beer?
Heigh ho! says Rowley.
For Froggy and I are fond of good cheer.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
Pray, Mr. Frog, will you give us a song?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
Let it be something that's not very long.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
Indeed, Mrs. Mouse, replied Mr. Frog,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
A cold has made me as horse as a dog.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
Since you have a cold, Mr. Frog, Mousey said,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
I'll sing you a song that I have just made.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
But while they were all a-merry-making,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
A cat and her kittens came tumbling in.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
The cat she seized the rat by the crown,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
The kittens they pulled the little mouse down.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
He took up his hat and he wished them good-night.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
But as Froggy was crossing over a brook,
Heigh ho! Says Rowley,
A lily-white duck came and gobbled him up.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
So there was an end of one, two, three,
Heigh ho! Says Rowley,
The rat, the mouse, and the little frog-ee.
With a rowley, powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigh ho! Says Anthony Rowley.
Opie, Iona and Peter Opie, Comps. The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1951, p177-179. No. 175
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