tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post3564566372710404439..comments2024-03-01T23:41:44.958-05:00Comments on When We Sing: Warsaw/Wausau/Wha Saw? - Song #20Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-85130736138156465932024-01-29T04:22:21.195-05:002024-01-29T04:22:21.195-05:00I too have a Scottish background (McCandless) ... ...I too have a Scottish background (McCandless) ... my mother learned from her father, who learned from his grandfather who emigrated during the 1800's (perhaps after the Crimean War.) While I heard it at home, the first time I ever heard it in a round was at a Catholic summer camp in San Diego. My definite understanding was the "Zooms" were always about imitating the sound of a bagpipe ... including the camp version of "Zoom-diddy-addah" which was supposed to be including the trill of the pipes in the marching tune. It was all about "we all saw" soldiers marching (gone to war) marching either thru "brambles raw" or to a place name (as my grandfather insisted)... plus boots and stockings, and sung in as broad a brogue as you could manage. My Mom had this interesting recording that was laid down on a kind of flimsy plastic (not vinyl) 45rpm, with images of the Black Watch marching; which sadly eventually fell apart after years of use. Love all the insights here, for some reason this song has been on my mind lately. Sooo glad to find you Joe, and everyone else as well!Charlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12714069692039558122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-88034420897169351482023-05-12T11:23:11.876-04:002023-05-12T11:23:11.876-04:00My grandma taught me this as a round. She grew up ...My grandma taught me this as a round. She grew up in Wisconsin during WWII.<br />I learned the lyrics as:<br /><br />Wha saw the forty second<br />wha saw gone to wa<br />wha saw the forty second<br />marching through the brambled raw<br /><br />Zoombadember boots and stockings<br />Zoombadember nae no wa<br />Zoombadember boots and stockings<br />mairching through the brambled raw<br /><br />I was thinking that maybe Zoombadember (if it isn't a secret month that comes after December) was a a corruption of "Some of them wore", instead of "some of them got".<br />Also maybe "nae no wa" was a corruption of "nane tae wear", instead of "nane at all".<br /><br />It is really interesting to see all the ways the lyrics have been reanalyzed, in this big branching game of telephone.<br /><br />I don't know if my grandmother learned this at camp or from her family. I know there were scots-irish on her side of the family--Duff was her grandmother's maiden name I believe. Probably from camp, because, being scots-irish, the Duff family was probably away from Scotland before the boer war or crimean war or whichever war this song came from.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15323315779050981250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-68348245496214899562022-06-09T16:53:55.254-04:002022-06-09T16:53:55.254-04:00We sing this at my Girl Scout camp in NJ. Our vers...We sing this at my Girl Scout camp in NJ. Our version has the whole group singing the words until the zooms, then half keep the zooms going while the others repeat the words, then the groups switch, pretty much like has already been shared. <br />Our lyrics are:<br />Warsaw the forty-second<br />Warsaw them gone to war<br />Warsaw the forty-second<br />fighting for the men before<br /><br />zoom- the men wore shoes and stockings<br />zoom- the men wore none at all<br />zoom- the men wore shoes and stockings<br />fighting for the men before<br /><br />zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-85345856902452355172021-11-03T16:36:26.123-04:002021-11-03T16:36:26.123-04:00This is a wonderful site! I find it a great comfo...This is a wonderful site! I find it a great comfort to know there are so many people besides myself who have "wha saw the 42nd" stuck in their heads. At the Girl Scout camps I attended in Oregon and Washington, it was a two part round. One group sang the two verses and then sang "zoom, zoom, zoom" over and over while the other group sang the verses at the same time - back and forth, with always the "zooming" like a bagpipe drone.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06176544880343500674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-62897428700236955252020-04-28T15:49:19.538-04:002020-04-28T15:49:19.538-04:00Thanks, Anonymous, for mentioning that Great Escap...Thanks, Anonymous, for mentioning that Great Escape scene. Folks can watch it at https://youtu.be/jjVUlxkij1wJoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-77402050420743312492020-04-28T15:17:07.942-04:002020-04-28T15:17:07.942-04:00Next time you see "The Great Escape" on ...Next time you see "The Great Escape" on TV, watch for the two Scots POW's to break into this old song, when everybody's getting drunk on Steve McQueen's home-made hootch. It's right before the Germans discover the tunnel and everything goes to hell.<br /><br />I learned a version of it in elementary school in Texas, back in the early 1960's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-13874477441445315472020-01-26T18:16:03.757-05:002020-01-26T18:16:03.757-05:00Thanks, Anonymous! It took me a little digging, b...Thanks, Anonymous! It took me a little digging, but I finally found that clip on YouTube; it's at https://youtu.be/jjVUlxkij1wJoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-58318594323441003272020-01-26T12:58:23.351-05:002020-01-26T12:58:23.351-05:00There is a rendition of this song in the movie The...There is a rendition of this song in the movie The Great Escape.<br /><br />McDonald and Ives sing it on the 4th of July while drinking the American's moonshine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-45960330441691812052020-01-17T10:45:20.499-05:002020-01-17T10:45:20.499-05:00Thanks, Unknown, for sharing your great grandfathe...Thanks, Unknown, for sharing your great grandfather's version. The "tawty howkers" is an interesting addition to the various lyrics we have collected in the comments. Adds local color to the image of a crowd singing to Scottish soldiers marching off to war.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-88777435779218097772020-01-16T18:46:51.850-05:002020-01-16T18:46:51.850-05:00My mother learned a version from her grandfather, ...My mother learned a version from her grandfather, a Scottish immigrant who came to the US in the 1920s, so my information is indirect and fragmentary. <br /><br />Wha saw the tawty howkers (potato hawkers)<br />Wha saw them gang awa' (away)<br />Wha saw the tawty howkers<br />For to keep the rain awa' (away)<br /><br />Zoom of them hae (had) boots and trousers<br />Zoom of them hae none at ah (at all)<br />Zoom of them hae umbarellas (umbrellas)<br />For to keep the rain awa' (away)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07849010199788807661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-7317486945433465822020-01-04T11:08:44.202-05:002020-01-04T11:08:44.202-05:00Like a previous poster, I sang this song at Girl S...Like a previous poster, I sang this song at Girl Scout camp in the early 1960's (Timber Ridge outside of Atlanta). I seem to remember if it was sung as a round with certain tempo and timing, it was supposed to sound like Bagpipes. Probably also sung at Girl Scout Roundup in Coeur d' Alene Idaho in summer of 1965Birdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02364857772862576577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-66862126886429714372019-08-13T21:49:14.767-04:002019-08-13T21:49:14.767-04:00Thanks for checking, Frankie. And his use of &quo...Thanks for checking, Frankie. And his use of "some of them" adheres more closely to the original versions of the song, as it describes what the singer watches as the soldiers pass by.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-52844537080857020252019-08-13T19:11:18.489-04:002019-08-13T19:11:18.489-04:00When I spoke with my mom she told me that she had ...When I spoke with my mom she told me that she had no idea where my grandfather would have learned that song. The only difference in lyric variation that she mentioned was instead of the "zoom" in the second part of the song, my grandfather replaced that word with "some of them". Some them ain't got boots nor stockings, etc... She also did not know where he learned that song unfortunately. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-84597961263898955632019-07-17T18:27:16.592-04:002019-07-17T18:27:16.592-04:00Hi Frankie, thanks for reading the blog and for sh...Hi Frankie, thanks for reading the blog and for sharing your experiences with Wha Saw. It would be interesting to know where your grandfather learned the song and what words he used. Did you ever get to hear him sing it?Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-56563116355909154702019-07-17T14:02:03.275-04:002019-07-17T14:02:03.275-04:00The melody of this tune has been stuck in my head ...The melody of this tune has been stuck in my head for the past week and I couldn't remember how the words went. After spending much time pondering about the words I googled "Wha Saw" or how I thought it was spelled and came across this wonderful gem of a blog for the song. It was pretty fascinating to read through the comments and see the rich culture and history of the different versions of it. Here's how I learned it:<br /><br />Wha Saw the 42nd<br />Wha Saw has gone to war<br />Wah Saw the 4nd<br />Marching through the brambles briar<br /><br />Zoom we ain't got boots nor stockings<br />Zoom we ain't got none at all<br />Zoom we ain't got boots nor stockings <br />Marching through the brambles briar<br /><br />(End the song in Unison by fading out singing zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, a view times)<br /><br /><br />I learned this in Boy Scout while at Camp Meriwether on the coast in Oregon. We usually sang it as a patrol around the campfire each evening before going to bed. I was in Boy Scouts from 2004-2007 and earned my eagle rank achievement along with my 2 older brothers all at the same time when I was 15 in high school (my 2 brothers were seniors). This song eluded for years until it spontaneously resurfaced in my head for no reason. I'm glad it did though. I have a much grater understanding now. After speaking with my parents I learned that mom had known the song before I joined Boy Scouts because her dad used to sing it to her. He was half Irish. Pretty cool stuff! <br /><br />Frankie Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-68007173368752924212017-10-20T18:30:54.369-04:002017-10-20T18:30:54.369-04:00Thanks, Anonymous, for the additional context.Thanks, Anonymous, for the additional context.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-63369591523916586212017-10-20T16:53:50.568-04:002017-10-20T16:53:50.568-04:00The reference to the 42nd is reference to the 42nd...The reference to the 42nd is reference to the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment (The Black Watch). A very famous and formidable fighting force, legendary in Scotland since 1739. The reference of the lyrics pays tribute to witnessing the members of the 42nd preparing to deploy to war. Marching to the Broomielaw where ships were waiting to take them to overseas. As a Highland Bagpiper - this is considered one of the regimental marches of the Black Watch...<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-16920687638641811282017-08-27T15:55:03.893-04:002017-08-27T15:55:03.893-04:00To the wee girl in Scotland who grew up to submit ...To the wee girl in Scotland who grew up to submit her version of the lyrics above, thank you! This may be my favorite yet, very traditional Scottish lingo, for sure.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-1253463716019038512017-08-27T02:23:49.413-04:002017-08-27T02:23:49.413-04:00As a wee girl from Scotland here's the lyrics ...As a wee girl from Scotland here's the lyrics for you<br /><br />Wha saw the 42nd<br />Wha saw them gang awa'<br />Wha saw the 42nd<br />Marchin' to the Broomieclaw!<br /><br />Some of them had tartan troosers<br />Some of them had nane at aw'<br />Some of them had kilts and sporrans<br />Marchin' to the Broomieclaw!<br /><br />Some of them had braw glengarries<br />Some of them had nae at aw'<br />Some of them had green umbrellas<br />Marchin' to the Broomieclaw<br /><br />Saw ye the 42nd<br />Saw ye them gang away<br />Saw ye the 42nd<br />Marchin' through the Broomieclaw!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-54724691094219648242016-11-13T09:41:31.050-05:002016-11-13T09:41:31.050-05:00Thanks, Anonymous. Do you know if your cohort'...Thanks, Anonymous. Do you know if your cohort's new lyrics stuck around thereafter and/or if the song is still sung at that camp?Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-7089034570515493492016-11-12T23:42:02.360-05:002016-11-12T23:42:02.360-05:00I learned this song in the late 60's/early 70&...I learned this song in the late 60's/early 70's at Girl Scout camps in Tennessee. Here is the version I learned and my understanding of the lyrics<br /> Wha saw the 42nd? (who saw the 42nd?)<br /> Wha saw them march to war? (who saw them march to war?)<br /> Wha saw the 42nd? (same as first line)<br /> Marching down the Broomielaw?<br /><br /> Zoom of them had boots and stockings (some of them had boots and stockings)<br /> Zoom of them had nane a' twa (some of them had none at all)<br /> Zoom of them had boots and stockings<br /> Marching down the Broomielaw<br /><br /><br />My camp cohort wrote new lyrics to this tune for out camp song!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-67674787452333442762016-07-05T20:54:58.509-04:002016-07-05T20:54:58.509-04:00Yokidoke, thank you for the link and the comments....Yokidoke, thank you for the link and the comments. It's always good to hear from more people about their connections to "Wha' Saw."Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-52235179188243397172016-07-03T21:48:39.773-04:002016-07-03T21:48:39.773-04:00California. Hmmm was it at Circle B Scout Ranch? ...California. Hmmm was it at Circle B Scout Ranch? Yours is closest to the version I learned at that camp in the early 1970s. This was Old Baldy Council.Yokidokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11796384517853415825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-38536323133887109472016-07-03T21:42:22.770-04:002016-07-03T21:42:22.770-04:00California. Hmmm was it at Circle B Scout Ranch? ...California. Hmmm was it at Circle B Scout Ranch? Yours is closest to the version I learned at that camp in the early 1970s. This was Old Baldy Council.Yokidokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11796384517853415825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-22077488410428960632016-07-03T19:43:40.785-04:002016-07-03T19:43:40.785-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Yokidokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11796384517853415825noreply@blogger.com