Ma Goodness she's a coming a-skippitty skoppetty
skippetty skoppetty
skippetty skoppetty

Ma Goodness she's coming a-skippetty skoppetty All doon the hill.

Pop Corn he's a-coming a-hippitty hoppetty
hippetty hoppetty
hippitty hoppetty

Pop Corn he's a-coming a-hippitty hoppetty
All doon the hill.

The rain it starts coming a-drippetty droppetty
The lane it gets slippitty slippetty sloppetty
Old Ma goes a-flying a-flippitty floppetty
Old Pop takes a header a-dippitty doppetty
They meet - oh their head crack a-bippitty boppetty
All doon the hill.

Old Ma she sees stars go a-skippitty skoppetty
"He loves me," she says, heart a-flippitty floppetty.

Old Pop's brains are addled and dippitty doppetty
"She loves me," he says, heart a-hippitty hoppetty.

My Ma and my Pop meet one dark rainy night
When the stars and the moon are having a fight.
They fall in love at the foot of the hill;
He calls her Alice, and she calls him Bill.

They cotch them a horse, go a-clippitty cloppetty.
The preacher he weds them a-lippetty loppetty.

They catch them a horse with big yellow teeth.
They get on top with the horse underneath.
With the horse underneath and them up on top
They ride away with a clippetty-clop.

They ride to the preacher to marry next day;
She calls him Albert, and he calls her May;
They get on the horse and they ride right away;
Where they are going... well, neither can say...

They build them a house all a-chippitty choppetty
They make them a farm all a-tippitty toppetty.
They make them a farm all a-tippitty toppetty
All doon the hill.

They build them a house and they plow them a farm.
They plant some potatoes that grow like a charm.
They wake with the rooster, they sleep in a bed.
He calls her Ida, and she calls him Fred.

They get them a goat, goes gallippitty galloppetty
All doon the hill.
Old b'ar comes a-cropping a-crippitty croppetty
All doon the hill.
Old goat - oh the b'ar swots him bippitty boppetty All doon the hill.
They give him a funeral - cry drippitty droppetty
All doon the hill.
Pop gives that old b'ar his come-uppitty-oppetty
All doon the hill.

They get them some critters to moo and to cluck;
They give them all horseshoes to bring them good luck,
They feed them on pancakes and blueberry pie.
She calls him Martin, and he calls her Vi.

They get them a hounddog, goes yippitty yippitty
yippitty yippitty
yippitty yippitty

They get them a hounddog, goes yippitty yippitty
All doon the hill.

They get them some kids for to whuppitty whoppetty
whuppitty whoppetty
whuppitty whoppetty

They get them some kids for to whuppitty whoppetty
All doon the hill.

They find them some babies at the Merchantile Store;
They ain't too costly, so they buy about four.
They take 'em on home, and they raise them up straight;
Teach them to eat with a spoon and a plate.

Now Pop he chops firewood a-chippetty choppetty
And Ma redds the house up a-mippitty moppetty
The kids - oh they're brats all a snippeitty snoppetty
They whup one another a-bippitty boppetty
Old hounddog - they chase him a-yippitty yoppetty
All doon the hill.

Come snowtime they all go a-flippitty floppetty
Up hill and doon a-plippitty ploppetty
Come springtime they all go a-trippetty troppetty
Up hill and doon on their prippitty proppetty.

The winters are cold, and the summers are dry;
And somehow a lifetime just seems to slip by.
But my Ma and Pop, they do what they like -
He calls her Susan, and she calls him Mike.

A-chippitty choppetty
Mippitty moppetty
Snippitty snoppetty
Bippitty boppetty
Yippitty yoppetty
Flippitty floppetty Together they go all a-lippitty loppetty
Up hill and doon on the dippitty doppetty
Tippitty toppetty prippetty proppetty
Of the skippitty skoppetty hippitty hoppetty

POP CORN AND MA GOODNESS.

[The additional verses by Richard Thompson -- the verses that are set off to the right -- are sung to the tune of "Sweet Betsy From Pike"]

RICHARD THOMPSONTHE STORY VINE