“Wonderful nonsense like ‘My Gal’ featured free-for-all vocals accompanied by kazoo and washboard, while ‘Borneo’ included some nifty steel guitar work. There are also oddly beautiful songs like ‘Newport News,’ a laid-back bit of blues with mandolin and harmonica, and the danceable ‘My Gal’…. The band's wide arsenal of unusual instruments, humorous material, and professional approach represented a quantum leap for folk music in 1963.”—All Music Guide
Jim Kweskin’s euphoric brand of folk, jazz, and blues was honed on early 78s by the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Bessie Smith, and Fats Waller. These examples of his band in its prime include “Somebody Stole My Gal,” “Jug Band Music,” “Richland Woman,” “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me,” “Eight More Miles to Louisville,” “Melancholy Baby,” and “Never Swat a Fly.”
Storybook Ball
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
VERSE 1. In Mother Goose's book up in the nurs'ry,
Poor Simple Simon said, "I'm feeling sad."
Said Peter Piper's daughter, "So am I, and think we oughter
Try to think of something that will make us glad."
So Smarty Smarty said, "I'll give a party,"
And they called on the Old Woman in the Shoe.
And what happened then, I'm goin' to tell to you.
CHORUS 1: Little Jackie Horner, eating pie up in the corner,
Stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum.
Little Missy Muffet she was sitting on a tuffet,
And she said, "Yum, yum! Please give me some."
Little Georgie Porgie with his pudding and pie,
Kissed Mary Quite Contrary till he made her cry;
And Little Bo Peep she lost her sheep
And couldn't find 'em, their tails behind 'em.
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater had a wife and couldn't keep her.
At the ball in the hall.
Humpty Dumpty met her, said, "Better that I get her
And I'll make her fall." That's not all.
Old King Cole, that merry old soul,
He fell for Mother Hubbard, blew his big bankroll
Buying lollipops and pretties for the kiddies at the Story Book Ball.
VERSE 2. They danced and sang till early in the morning.
They really didn't know just when to stop;
So as the day was dawning and the kiddies all were yawning,
They found out the mouse had run up in the clock.
Then Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick, he started,
And right over that big candlestick he flew.
Then Little Tommy Tucker started singing for his supper,
And then Poor Boy Blue said, "Gee, I'm hungry too."
CHORUS 2: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickling peppers,
Brought 'em to the hall, and that's no stall.
Tommy Tom the piper's son, he stole a pig and away he run
To the ball. Ah, that's not all.
Polly put the kettle on. The tea got cold.
They had to eat the porridge that was nine days old.
Then Jack fell down. Jill broke her crown
And spilled the water. She hadn't oughter.
Four and twenty blackbirds were baking in a pie,
And they refused to sing anything.
Wasn't that an awful way little birds to act
Before a queen and king? Such a thing!
Said the knave and the king to the Queen of Hearts,
"Come on. Hurry up, honey. Bring some tarts."
So she did and the kids had a picnic at the Story Book Ball.
The song "Storybook Ball" by Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band is a creative and whimsical retelling of some of the most popular nursery rhymes. The song describes Mother Goose's book in the nursery where various nursery rhyme characters come together to form a joyful and exciting party. The lyrics of the song take the listener on a journey through the book and introduce a cast of characters such as Simple Simon, Peter Piper's daughter, Little Missy Muffet, Little Bo Peep, Old King Cole, and many more. The chorus of the song portrays the characters in different situations, such as Little Jackie Horner eating pie, Little Bo Peep losing her sheep, and Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater being unable to keep his wife.
The song is a celebration of these classic nursery rhymes, and the chorus reimagines the characters from the nursery rhymes in a jovial setting where they all come together to sing and dance. The lyrics are playful and whimsical, painting a vivid picture of the storybook ball that is taking place.
Line by Line Meaning
In Mother Goose's book up in the nurs'ry,
The scene is set in a nursery, with the characters all book characters.
Poor Simple Simon said, "I'm feeling sad."
Simple Simon is feeling down and out.
Said Peter Piper's daughter, "So am I, and think we oughter
Try to think of something that will make us glad."
Peter Piper's daughter agrees with Simon and suggests they should come up with an idea for a fun activity.
So Smarty Smarty said, "I'll give a party,"
And they called on the Old Woman in the Shoe.
Smarty Smarty offers to throw a party and invites the Old Woman in the Shoe to join them.
The cat she brought her fiddle, and she played "high diddle diddle,"
And what happened then, I'm goin' to tell to you.
The cat brought her fiddle and played a lively tune, and the artist will tell us what happened next.
Little Jackie Horner, eating pie up in the corner,
Stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum.
Jack Horner pulled out a plum from his pie.
Little Missy Muffet she was sitting on a tuffet,
And she said, "Yum, yum! Please give me some."
Missy Muffet was enjoying her meal and asked for more.
Little Georgie Porgie with his pudding and pie,
Kissed Mary Quite Contrary till he made her cry;
Georgie Porgie kissed Mary and made her cry.
And Little Bo Peep she lost her sheep
And couldn't find 'em, their tails behind 'em.
Bo Peep lost her sheep, who were last seen with their tails behind them.
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater had a wife and couldn't keep her.
Peter Pumpkin Eater couldn't keep his wife.
At the ball in the hall.
Humpty Dumpty met her, said, "Better that I get her
And I'll make her fall." That's not all.
At the ball, Humpty Dumpty met Peter's wife and decided to make her fall. But the story doesn't end there.
Old King Cole, that merry old soul,
He fell for Mother Hubbard, blew his big bankroll
Buying lollipops and pretties for the kiddies at the Story Book Ball.
Old King Cole fell for Mother Hubbard and spent a lot of money buying sweets and toys for the kids at the ball.
They danced and sang till early in the morning.
They really didn't know just when to stop;
So as the day was dawning and the kiddies all were yawning,
They found out the mouse had run up in the clock.
The party continued all night, and they didn't realize the time. When they noticed the morning light, they found out a mouse had run up the clock.
Then Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick, he started,
And right over that big candlestick he flew.
Then Little Tommy Tucker started singing for his supper,
And then Poor Boy Blue said, "Gee, I'm hungry too."
Jack jumped over a candle, Tommy Tucker started singing, and Poor Boy Blue got hungry.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickling peppers,
Brought 'em to the hall, and that's no stall.
Peter brought some pickling peppers to the ball.
Tommy Tom the piper's son, he stole a pig and away he run
To the ball. Ah, that's not all.
Tommy Tom stole a pig and brought it to the ball.
Polly put the kettle on. The tea got cold.
They had to eat the porridge that was nine days old.
The tea got cold, and they had to eat old porridge.
Then Jack fell down. Jill broke her crown
And spilled the water. She hadn't oughter.
Jack fell and Jill broke her crown, spilling the water.
Four and twenty blackbirds were baking in a pie,
And they refused to sing anything.
Wasn't that an awful way little birds to act
Before a queen and king? Such a thing!
Some birds were baked in a pie, but they didn't sing. Wasn't it rude of them to act that way in front of royalty?
Said the knave and the king to the Queen of Hearts,
"Come on. Hurry up, honey. Bring some tarts."
So she did and the kids had a picnic at the Story Book Ball.
The knave and king asked the Queen of Hearts to bring some tarts, and they had a picnic at the ball.
Contributed by Noah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.