The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep: The Friday Quiz: The Wombat Purcells Out

Ah, Friday morning again. A slug from the mug, a splash of Old Salt (personal recipe: one part Old Spice, one part Captain Morgan, one part Clamato -- bracing!) and we're ready for another express-elevator ascent into the tower of trivia. The chief difficulty with this morning's brow-wrinkler is in unpicking the question's more-than-customary compositional knottiness. What can I say? I'm feeling knotty. Here goes:

One well-known song's lyrics have been claimed by some as political metaphor involving the British succession in the late 17th century, and by others as a composition by an obscure relative of one of Tenessee's most famous heroes. Its melody is, by most accounts, based on that of another song, although now altered. This other tune's established melody is attributed to English composer Henry Purcell -- though its roots are probably older -- and the lyrics by Thomas Wharton are entirely scabrous, satirizing the sentiments of one group in a political-military struggle. Subsequently, the same tune became the basis for variously lyrical adaptations dealing with the same conflict. Despite the parochial and offensive content of the Wharton lyrics, Purcell's tune went on to become, curiously, part of the signature of a media organization with global reach.

What is the first song mentioned above? For bonus points, name the title of the "origin" tune. For extra bonus points, name the media organization.

First correct answer posted to comments wins a special "Jesus Christ Superstar Only" karaoke machine, suitable for use at Unitarian Youth Group retreats. No Googling or throwing out your gold teeth and seeing how they roll (and anyway, they won't really help with the quiz. We have it on good authority that the answer they reveal is that life is unreal, and you already knew that, right?) One guess per comment, but you may comment as often as you can stand to.

Comments

Johnny Comes Marching Home

Posted by: art | May 5, 2006 09:16 AM

Or was it "The Ants Go Marching One by One"?

Posted by: art | May 5, 2006 09:21 AM

Look, I don't know nothin' 'bout this trivia question or who is going to win it, but whoever is awarded the JCS-Only-Karaoke machine: We Need To Talk.

I need that thing.

Posted by: hackly_fracture | May 5, 2006 09:32 AM

No answers yet. Hackly, I do have an old Maxell tape of a instruments-only version of Godspell. Will that hold you?

Posted by: BT | May 5, 2006 09:34 AM

I'm thinking Yankee Doodle Dandly, blank, and CNN.

Posted by: james | May 5, 2006 09:49 AM

BT,

ooh, I don't know. If it had been a Panasonic tape, maybe.

Up the Long Ladder
And Down the Short Rope
To Hell with King Billy
And God Bless the Pope!

That one?

Posted by: hackly_fracture | May 5, 2006 09:57 AM

The primary answer is much more well known than the rhyme Hackly posits. But the song from which its tune is derived does deal with the same political context.

Posted by: BT | May 5, 2006 10:28 AM

Mmmmm, Old Salty.
Is it that Diggers Song by Billy Bragg? 'Cause that sounds a little like the ABC Sports theme song to me. But then, having played the Wombat File, I am well familiar with the agony of da feet.

Posted by: bootsy3000 | May 5, 2006 11:37 AM

No -- again, much more well known. It isn't even clear if the first song we're looking for has any political content at all.

Posted by: BT | May 5, 2006 11:55 AM

Mary Had a Little Lamb?

Lamb being King William, in this cockamamie theory. Feels like some of us woulda heard about that, though.

Posted by: hackly_fracture | May 5, 2006 03:15 PM

Hackly's a bit warmer. but not on the money. If Mary and her lamb have a political meaning, I've never heard of it.

Posted by: BT | May 5, 2006 04:45 PM

It's not that Aura-Lee/Love me Tender thingy, is it? Um, let's say, al-Jazeer's theme song?
(bestiality insinuations re: glorious founders of wombateer's alma mater roundly ignored, Mr. B. Yogurt)

Posted by: bootsy3000 | May 5, 2006 04:48 PM

Nnnnnnope.

Posted by: BT | May 5, 2006 05:03 PM

Well, hamburgers. Could you hum a few bars for us, Bill?

Posted by: bootsy3000 | May 5, 2006 05:10 PM

London Bridge is Falling Down?

Posted by: art | May 5, 2006 07:25 PM

Jack and Jill (Went Up the Hill)
Freedom of Choice
Voice of America

Posted by: Jonathan | May 5, 2006 07:54 PM

I suppose we'll have to call it a stumper.

The answers, in order, are "Rock-a-Bye Baby," "Lillibulero," and the BBC World Service.

The relationship of "Rock a Bye Baby" to "Lillibulero" is not entirely clear, but discussions of the two often point to a connection. There's more on both on this thread from the English Country Dance mailing list (do a page search for "Rock-a-bye Baby" to hit the exact post)
http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/ecd_archive/ecd.2000-04

and here's a Google cache of a 1998 article from the Spectator, discussing them both:

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:_PeQHAJxZ50J:www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3724/is_199811/ai_n8808905+rock+a+bye+baby+lilliburlero&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&client=firefox-a

You can hear "Lillibulero" sung here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/learning/william/flash/lillibullero/lillibullero.shtml

More here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilliburlero

Posted by: BT | May 8, 2006 07:45 AM

I used to love her but I had to kill her?

(Oh damn, late again)

Posted by: herbivorous | May 9, 2006 08:52 AM