Three Jovial Chinamen

Melody -

There were three jovial Chinamen,
As I have heard men say,
Who gaily went a-hunting
Upon a holiday.

And all day long they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing with the wind.

One said it was a ship,
The second he said, "Nay";
The third he said it was a house,
With the chimney blown away.

And all night long they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But the moon a-gliding,
A-gliding with the wind.

One said it was the moon,
The second he said, " Nay ";
The third he said it was a cheese
And half of it cut away.

And all the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a hedgehog in a bramble bush,
And that they left behind.
  One said it was a hedgehog,
The second he said, " Nay ";
The third, it was a pin-cushion
With the pins stuck in wrong way.

And all the night they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a brown hare in a turnip field,
And that they left behind.

One said it was a hare,
The second he said, " Nay ";
The third he said it was a calf,
And the cow had run away.

And all the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a wise owl in a holly tree,
And that they left behind.

One said it was an owl,
The second he said, " Nay ";
The third said 'twas an old man
With his hair a-growing grey.


| Deutsche Volkslieder | Ahnenforschung | Ferienaufenthalt | Folksongs | Hymns | Genealogy | Pacific Holiday | HOME PAGE | SEARCH | Email |