The Marriage of the Frog and Mouse

This is a very classic song, and there are many versions (it's usually referred to “Frog Went a Courtin'”). This one is Thomas Ravenscroft, from his Melismata (1609). Unfortunately, Ravenscroft's scansion is very bad (by my admittedly questionable standards), so I've modified his lyrics somewhat. I'll put the two versions side by side, with my version annotated.

Original	My version
It was the frog in the well Humble dum, humble dum And the merry mouse in the mill Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	It was the frog in the well Humble dum, humble dum And the merry mouse in the mill Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
The frog would a wooing ride Humble dum, humble dum Sword and buckler by his side Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	The frog would a wooing ride Humble dum, humble dum Sword and buckler set by his side Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
When he was upon his high horse set Humble dum, humble dum His boots they shone as black as jet Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	When he was on his horse set Humble dum, humble dum His boots they shone as black as jet Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
When she came to the merry millpin Humble dum, humble dum Lady Mouse being you within? Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	When he came to the merry millpin Humble dum, humble dum "Lady Mouse, being you within?" Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
Then came out the dusty mouse Humble dum, humble dum I am Lady of this house Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	Then came out the dusty mouse Humble dum, humble dum I am the Lady of this house Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
Hast thou any mind of me? Humble dum, humble dum I have any great mind of thee Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	Lady Mouse have you mind of me? Humble dum, humble dum Froggie Dear, I've great mind of thee Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
Who shall this marriage make? Humble dum, humble dum Our Lord which is the rat, Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	Who shall this marriage make? Humble dum, humble dum Master Rat this task will take Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
What shall we have to our supper Humble dum, humble dum Three beans in a pound of butter Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	What shall be for our supper Humble dum, humble dum Three beans in a pound of butter Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
When supper they were at Humble dum, humble dum The Frog, the Mouse, and even the Rat Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	When supper they all were at Humble dum, humble dum Frog and Mouse, and even the Rat Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
Then in came Gib our cat Humble dum, humble dum And caught the mouse even by the back Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	Then in came our tomcat Jack Humble dum, humble dum And he caught the mouse by the back Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
Then did they all separate Humble dum, humble dum And the frog leapt on the floor so flat Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	They went their ways separate Humble dum, humble dum Frog leapt on to the floor so flat Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
Then came in Dick our Drake Humble dum, humble dum And drew the frog even to the lake Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	Then came in Richard our Drake Humble dum, humble dum And drew the frog into the lake Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no
The Rat ran up the wall Humble dum, humble dum A goodly company, the devil go with all Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no	The Rat ran straight up the wall Humble dum, humble dum Devil take them, one and all Tweedle, tweedle, twi, no

1. I changed “she” to “he,” since if she came to the millpin, the question is superfluous.
2. This was a purely editorial change: the last person to speak was the mouse.
3. Nowadays marriage is a two syllable word; the original stanza scans if you pronounce all three syllables: marr-i-age. However, “make” doesn't rhyme with “rat.”
4. According to the OED, “gib” is a familiar name for a cat, often a tomcat. The modern version of the song also refers to a tomcat, so I've made the changes.
5. This should be pronounced in the adjectival version, so it rhymes with flat.

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