This old man, he played one,
He played knick knack on my thumb,
With a Knick knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two,
He played knick knack on my shoe,
With a Knick knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played three,
He played knick knack on my knee,
With a Knick knack, paddy whack,
Give the dog a bone;
This old man came rolling home.
etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Old_Man
from '03 here's (scroll) a discussion thread
~Why doesn't everyone see this as a possible air to child abuse, is there something wrong with me? In this '06 forum: http://www.barbelith.com/topic/25471 members identify it as a slur against the Irish!
I can also imagine this song 's origins as a street/busker performance. With the knickknack being clackers an older man plays while the younger perfomer sings. (So I'm not hopeless.)
Posted by Stubbornson at September 30, 2006 09:27 AM