3658. King of the Cannibal Islands (Traditional English)

Описание: This song was published as a broadside in 1858 by the Poet’s Box of St. Andrew’s Lane, Glasgow, though the chorus was already known. It illustrates the attitudes of superiority held by the British who settled abroad. The indigenous people of the South Sea islands were portrayed as bigamous cannibals and figures of fun. There are many versions of the song, which may have originated with the broadside, though they could have been around before it was published.

This song was suggested by my YouTube friend, P. M. Adamson.

Lyrics:
G ……………………................ C …...…. G
Oh, have you heard the news of late,

About a mighty king so great?
C ……….........………... G
If you have not, 'tis in my pate-
……... D7 ……………..........….. G
The King of the Cannibal Islands.
He was so tall - near six feet six,
He had a head like Master Nick's,
His palace was like Dirty Dick's,
'Twas built of mud for want of bricks,
And his name was Poonoowingkewang,
Flibeedee flobeedee-buskeebang;
And a lot of Indians swore they'd hang
The king of the Cannibal Islands.

Hokee pokee wonkee fum,
Puttee po pee kaihula cum,
Tongaree, wougaree, ching ring wum,
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

This mighty king had, in one hut,
Seventy wives as black as soot,
And thirty of a double smut -
The king of the cannibal islands.
So just one hundred wives he had,
And every week he was a dad.
Upon my word it was too bad,
For his smutty dears near drove him mad;
There was Hungkee Monkee, short and tall,
With Tuzzee Muzzee, and Keeko Pall,
And some of then swore they would have all
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

One day the king invited most
All of his subjects to a roast,
For half his wives gave up the ghost,
The King of the Cannibal Islands.
Of fifty wives he was bereft,
And so he had but fifty left.
He said with them he would make shift,
So for a gorge all set off swift,
The fifty dead ones were roasted soon,
And all demolished before the noon,
And a lot of chiefs vowed to have soon
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

When they had done, and the bones picked clean,
They all began to dance I ween;
The fifty wives slipped out unseen,
From the King of the Cannibal Islands.
He turning around soon missed them all,
So for his wives began to bawl,
But not one answered to his call.
He sprung out through the muddy wall;
Then into the woods he went with grief
And found each queen ‘long with a chief,
And swore he’d Macadamise every thief,
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

He sent for all his guards with knives
To put an end to all their lives,
The fifty chiefs and fifty wives -
The King of the the Cannibal Islands.
Those cannibal slaveys then begun
Carving their heads off one by one,
And the king he laughed to see the fun,
Then jumped into bed when all was done,
And every night when he’s asleep
His headless wives and chiefs all creep
And roll upon him in a heap,
The King of the Cannibal Islands.

Lyrics and chords of many of my songs are no longer available, as my website has expired. I am currently posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos and those that are too long to post in full will be found here: https://raymondsfolkpage.wordpress.com