{"id":5710,"date":"2021-10-13T20:08:33","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T00:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=5710"},"modified":"2021-10-15T20:13:19","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T00:13:19","slug":"an-old-man-came-courting-me-aka-maids-when-youre-young","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=5710","title":{"rendered":"An Old Man Came Courting Me (aka Maids When You’re Young)"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Old Man Came Courting Me (Roud 210\/ Bodleian\u00a02113<\/a>), also known as \u201cMaids When You\u2019re Young\u201d, \u201cNever Wed An Old Man\u201d, and some other variations.\u00a0 It came into recent knowledge for the general folk music world from the singing of the Dubliners and of the Clancy Brothers in the 1960s, and is variably reckoned to originate in the late 19th<\/sup> or early 20th<\/sup> century; but fairly recently some scholars have shown that it dates to early 18th<\/sup> century Scotland with a version appearing in the 1751 edition, vol 3 of David Herd’s Scottish Songs, although I haven\u2019t seen it for myself; going on what I was told in a \u2018phone conversation with a librarian at the Bodleian Library. (David Herd\u2019s books were republished in 1869 and that later date is often erroneously given as the earliest publication of the song).\u00a0 It has become a standard in many folk music traditions, or versions of the song, in which a young woman is courted by, and married, a much older man who isn\u2019t up to the challenge of being a proper husband and lover to the young woman in her bloom. The song ends with her seeking solace in the arms of a younger, virile man.\u00a0 Sometimes the young woman is marrying for financial gain or social status, sometimes the initial motivation is left out entirely.<\/p>\n

Different singers present the song with more of fewer verses, explicit or tamer lyrics, and sometimes different melodies; I\u2019ve a couple of lady friends who composed an amusing spin on the tale in which the young woman marries a similarly aged young man, only to discover him inept and a drunkard, she finally finding what she wanted with an older, experienced man! There are a few old recordings from the 1910s on cylinder records but not widely available even at that time.\u00a0 Due to the nature of the song\u2019s \u201csexual theme\u201d, it was banned from public radio in the UK when it emerged in the 1960\u2019s folk revival and reported didn\u2019t break that ban until the 1980s.<\/p>\n

I was informed by an associate that someone versed in Latin posted the observation on the Mudcat Caf\u00e9 forum that the \u201cfalorum\u201d and \u201cdingdorum\u201d in the song translates as follows:<\/p>\n

\u201cFalorum\u201d is the genitive plural of the Latin \u201cphallus\u201d and while it is spelled in the song phonetically, it should properly be spelled \u201cphallorum\u201d. \u201cDingdorum\u201d is the genitive plural of the Latin \u201cdingdus\u201d and centuries of use by the proletariat gives us the colloquial \u201cdong\u201d.\u00a0 He provided the observation he gleaned from the thread: \u201cOf course, it is immediately obvious to any Latin scholar than the use of the genitive plural case is grammatically wrong, and that the line in Maids When You’re Young should read \u201cHe’s got no phallum, he’s lost his dingdum\u201d, i.e. the accusative singular case would have been more correct.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus the versions where \u201che\u2019s found my dindorum\u201d would imply that the narrator is, in fact, really a dude; so it might be more accurate for this song to sing \u2013 \u201cI found his falorum and he’s got a dingdorum\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jos. Morneault<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb<\/strong>
\nWell an old man came courting me, hi-doo-a-darrity,
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C<\/strong>
\nAn old man came courting me, me being young
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb<\/strong>
\nAn old man came a-courting me; fain would he marry me
\nF\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0F<\/strong>
\nMaids when you’re young never wed an old man<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chorus:
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C<\/strong>
\nFor he’s got no falorum, faliddle-aye-orum
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 C<\/strong>
\nHe\u2019s got no falorum, faliddle-aye-ay
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0F\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C<\/strong>
\nHe\u2019s got no falorum; he’s lost his dingdorum
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 F<\/strong>
\nSo maids when you’re young, never wed an old man<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When that we went to church, hi-doo-a-darrity,
\nWhen we went to church, me being young
\nWhen that we went to church, he left me in the lurch
\nMaids when you’re young, never wed an old man<\/p>\n

When that we went to tea, hi-doo-a-darrity,
\nWhen we went to tea, me being young
\nWhen that we went to tea, he started teasing me
\nMaids when you’re young never wed an old man<\/p>\n

When that we went to bed, hi-doo-a-darrity,
\nWhen we went to bed, me being young
\nWhen that we went to bed, he lay like he was dead
\nMaids when you’re young never wed an old man<\/p>\n

So I threw my leg over him, hi-doo-a-darrity,
\nI threw my leg over him, me being young.
\nWell I threw my leg over him; damn well near smothered him;
\nMaids when you’re young never wed an old man.<\/p>\n

[This leg verse is a more recent but common addition to the so<\/p>\n

When that he went to sleep, hi-doo-a-darrity,
\nWhen that he went to sleep, me being young
\nIt was when that he went to sleep, out of bed I did creep
\nInto the arms of a virile young man<\/p>\n

[Final verse serves as the final chorus]<\/p>\n

And I found his falorum, faliddle-aye-orum
\nI found his falorum, faliddle-aye-ay
\nI found his falorum and he’s got a dingdorum
\nSo maids when you’re young never wed an old man<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Old Man Came Courting Me (Roud 210\/ Bodleian\u00a02113), also known as \u201cMaids When You\u2019re Young\u201d, \u201cNever Wed An Old Man\u201d, and some other variations.\u00a0 It came into recent knowledge for the general folk music world from the singing of the Dubliners and of the Clancy Brothers in the 1960s, and is variably reckoned to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":21,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5710","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5710"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5714,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5710\/revisions\/5714"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}