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"Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that first gained popularity for fiddlers in the early 19th century. The melody is in a major key and in common time ( aka ), tho' sometimes it has been scored in. In the age of Tin Pan Alley, "Turkey in the Straw" was transcribed and copyrighted in 1899 by Otto Bonnell (1855–1927), who transfered the copyright to Will Rossiter (1867–1954) in Chicago, who then assigned it in 1904 to Leo Feist in New York, who published it in the key of C. Extant publications of earlier melody and form variations – under other titles and lyrics – have origins in Ireland, Scotland, and Canada. The earliest, "The Lee Rig," was published by James Oswald (1710–1769) in London around years ago (c. 1770).

Etymology
The first part of the song is a contrafactum of the ballad "My Grandmother Lived on Yonder Little Green," aka "My Grandma Lived on Yonder Little Green," aka "My Grandma's Advice," published in 1857 by Horace Waters, 333 Broadway, New York, which is a contrafactum of the Irish ballad "The Old Rose Tree."

"Turkey in the Straw" was initially a popular tune for fiddle players. In the late 1820s and early 1830s, "Turkey in the Straw" was performed in minstrel shows by blackface actors and musicians, notably George Washington Dixon

Lyrics
 1st verse Turkey in de straw, turkey in de hay Turkey in de straw, turkey in de hay Roll 'em up an' twist 'em up a high tuc-ka-haw An' twist 'em up a tune called "Turkey in the Straw"

 Traditional chorus Turkey in the hay, in the hay, in the hay. Turkey in the straw, in the straw, in the straw, Pick up your fiddle and rosin your bow, And put on a tune called "Turkey in the Straw"

 1st verse of another version

Turkey in the straw — Ha ha ha

Turkey in the hay — Hey hey hey

The Reubens are dancing to "Turkey in the Straw"

Hey highdy heydy, and a haw haw haw

 1st verse of another version

Turkey in the straw, turkey in the hay

Tune up the fiddle, doodle de day

With a rump and riddle and a high tuc-ka-haw

Strike up that tune called "Turkey in the Straw"

 The full lyrics

As I was a-gwine down the road,

Tired team and a heavy load,

Crack my whip and the leader sprung,

l seys day-day to the wagon tongue.

Turkey in the straw, turkey in the hay,

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"

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,

Paid five dollars for a blind old hoss;

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."

There are versions from the American Civil War, versions about fishing and one with nonsense verses. Folklorists have documented folk versions with obscene lyrics from the 19th century.

 Lyrics of The Wiggles and Sharon Lois and Bram

Turkey in the straw—Haw haw haw

Turkey in the hay—Hey hey hey

And the old folks danced with their mother-in-law

As they danced to a tune we call "Turkey in the Straw"

Another version is called "Natchez Under the Hill". The lyrics are thought to have been added to an earlier tune by Bob Farrell who first performed them in a blackface act on August 11, 1834.

 1st verse of another version

Turkey in the straw, turkey in the hay,

Turkey in the straw what do you say.

Funnest thing I ever saw.

It's a little tune called "Turkey in the Straw."

In 1942, a soundie titled, Turkey in the Straw was created by Freddie Fisher and The Schnickelfritz Band. (directed by Sam Coslow and produced by Josef Berne). There are two versions to the chorus that are sung. The first goes:

 Chorus; 1st version

Turkey in the straw, a turkey in the hay,

A turkey in the straw, "What did you say?"

Hay! roll 'em, twist 'em up a high tuc-ka-haw,

Hittin' up a tune called "Turkey in the Straw."

 Chorus; 2nd version

A turkey in the straw, a turkey in the grass,

A turkey in the straw, "I get a kick outta this.."

Roll 'em, twist 'em up a high tuc-ka-haw,

Hittin' up a tune called "Turkey in the Straw."

 Barney & Friends lyrics

Turkey in the straw (whistles)

Turkey in the straw (whistles)

Hats on, boots on yee hah

Sing a little song called "Turkey in the Straw."

 Mickey's Fun Songs and Sesame Street lyrics

I was a-going down a dusty road,

With a team of horses and a great big load,

It was oh such a warm and lazy afternoon,

So I tapped my toe and started singing a tune.

Dancing tonight,

Dancing tonight,

Happiest people you ever saw

Will be Dancing Together with the turkey in the straw

Racist versions
Harry C. Browne recorded a version in 1916 called "Nigger Love a Watermelon Ha! Ha! Ha!". This version relied heavily on the offensive and widespread coon stereotype.

"Zip Coon"
Another contrafactum, "Zip Coon", sung to the same tune as "Turkey in the Straw", was popularized by George Washington Dixon (1801–1861) and flourished during the Andrew Jackson administration. This version was first published between 1829 and 1834 in either New York or Baltimore. All of the above performers claimed to have written the song, and the dispute is not resolved. Ohio songwriter Daniel Decatur Emmett (1815–1904) is sometimes erroneously credited as the song's author.

"Zip Coon" has a vocal range of an octave and a minor sixth. Both the verse and the chorus end on the tonic, and both begin a major third above the tonic. In the verse, the highest note is a fifth above the tonic and the lowest is a minor sixth below. In the chorus, the highest note is an octave above the last note, and the lowest is the last note itself. The song stays in key throughout.

The song gave rise to the blackface minstrel show character Zip Coon.

More versions
"Zip Coon" has many different lyrical versions. Thomas Birch published a version in 1834, while George Washington Dixon published a version called "Ole Zip Coon" with different lyrics circa 1835. Both Birch's and Dixon's versions keep the same chorus and the first four stanzas:

 (3×) O ole Zip Coon he is a larned skoler,

Sings posum up a gum tree an conny in a holler.

(3×) Posum up a gum tree, coonny on a stump,

Den over dubble trubble, Zip coon will jump.

<li> Chorus

O Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.

O Zip a duden duden duden duden duden day.

O Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.

Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.

O ist old Suky blue skin, she is in lub wid me

I went the udder arter noon to take a dish ob tea;

What do you tink now, Suky hab for supper,

Why chicken foot an posum heel, widout any butter.

<li> Chorus

Did you eber see the wild goose, sailing on de ocean,

O de wild goose motion is a berry pretty notion;

Ebry time de wild goose, beckens to de swaller,

You hear him google google google google gollar.

<li> Chorus

I went down to Sandy Hollar t other arternoon

And the first man I chanced to meet war ole Zip Coon;

Ole Zip Coon he is a natty scholar,

For he plays upon de Banjo "Cooney in de hollar".</ol>

<li> In subsequent stanzas, both lyricists talk about events in the life of Andrew Jackson, Birth of President Jackson's battle with the Second Bank of the United States and Dixon of General Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. When the Mexican–American War began, Dixon published a new version of "Zip Coon" with updated lyrics pertaining to the war:

And spite of any rumors

We'll vanquish all the Montezumas! </ol>

The chorus "Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day" influenced the song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" in Walt Disney's 1946 adaptation of Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus tales, Song of the South.

Another version of "Old Zip Coon" with new self-referencing lyrics by David Kilburn Stevens (1860–1946) was published in the Boy Scout Song Book (1920). Stevens' lyrics contain no direct racial references other than the title of the song itself:

<li> Another version of "Old Zip Coon"

There once was a man with a double chin,

Who played with skill on a violin:

And he played in time and he played in tune,

But he never played anything but 'Old Zip Coon'.</ol>

"Jingle and Chimes," Mister Softee
In 2014, news stories, asserting that the Mister Softee jingle was racist, on the basis that it used the same melody.

Selected performance history
Artistic and popular use of "Turkey in the Straw" through the years has established the song as an item of Americana.