Lyrics The Swap Song - Burl Ives

The Swap Song

When I was a little boy I lived by myself
All the bread and cheese I gotta put it on the shelf
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
The rats and the mice, they led me such a life
I had to go to London to get myself a wife
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
The roads were so slick and the lanes were so narrow
Had to take her home in a old wheelbarrow
Got my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
The wheelbarrow broke and my wife had a fall
Down came wheelbarrow, wife and all
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swap my wheelbarrow got me a horse
Then I rode from cross to cross
Got my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my horse and got me a mare
Then I rode from fair to fair
Got my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my mule and got me a cow
And in that trade I just learned how
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my cow and got me a calf
In that trade I lost just half
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my calf and got me a mule
Then I rode like a dog-gone fool
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my mule and I got me a sheep
Then I rode till I went to sleep
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my sheep and got me a goat
Rode to the election, sold my vote
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my goat and got me a rat
Put it in the haystack to run the cat
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my rat and got me a hen
What a pretty little think I had then
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home
Swapped my hen and got me a mole
And the dog-gone thing ran straight to its hole
To my wing wong waddle
To my jack straw saddle
To my jon fair faddle
To my long way home