Rattling Bog

A traditional song so widely varied that tracing an "original" version would be difficult, if not impossible. "Rattlin' Bog" belongs to a family of songs common to several European cultures, with examples noted in Welsh, Breton, Yiddish, and German, as well as several English-language versions from the British Isles and North America, among others. Titles include the traditional Welsh song "Y Pren ar y Bryn" ("The Tree on the Hill"), the Appalachian "The Green Grass Grew All Around", "The Everlasting Circle", "The Rattling Good Yarn", or any number of other pieces. Similar songs and texts have also been noted in Asian cultures. The concept is simple enough that it's often impossible to say with certainty if certain versions are related to others or independent inventions.

The Longest Johns perform a variant of it on their livestreams, and it is a festival favourite. The lyrics vary in most performances, but the format is cumulative, with each verse growing progressively longer and the tempo increasing throughout, with generally frenetic results.

## Factoids

"Rattling" here is a slang usage meaning "remarkably good". Some folk etymologies claim a connection to Rathlin Island in northern Ireland, but no known evidence supports this claim.

## Lyrics

These lyrics are based on the versions performed by the Longest Johns in their livestreams.

>
> {Chorus}
>
> Oh, ho, the rattlin' bog,
>
> The bog down in the valley-oh,
>
> Rare bog, the rattlin' bog,
>
> The bog down in the valley-oh.
>
>
>
> And in that bog there was a hole,
>
> A rare hole, a rattlin' hole!
>
> Hole in the bog, and the bog down in the valley-oh
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And in that hole there was a tree,
>
> A rare tree, a rattlin' tree,
>
> Tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-oh
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And on that tree there was a branch,
>
> A rare branch, a rattlin' branch,
>
> Branch on the tree and the tree in the hole...
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And on that branch there was a limb,
>
> A rare limb, a rattlin' limb,
>
> Limb on the branch and the branch on the tree...
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And on that limb there was a nest,
>
> A rare nest, a rattlin' nest,
>
> Nest on the branch and the branch on the limb...
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> In that nest there was an egg,
>
> A rare egg, a rattlin' egg,
>
> Egg in the nest and the nest on the branch...
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And in that egg there was a bird,
>
> A rare bird, a rattlin' bird,
>
> Bird in the egg and the egg in the nest...
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And in that bird there was a worm,
>
> A rare worm, a rattlin' worm,
>
> Worm in the bird, and bird in the egg...
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And on that worm there was a tick,
>
> A rare tick, a rattlin' tick,
>
> Tick on the worm and the worm in the bird....
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> And on that tick there was a louse,
>
> A rare louse, a rattlin' louse,
>
> Louse on the tick and the tick on the worm...
>
>
>
> {Chorus 2x}
>
>
>
>

## Recordings

#### Gig Videos

* Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival, 2019
* The Three Tuns - Bristol (29 Nov 2018)
* Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival (9 Sep 2018)
* Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival, 2015

#### Full Band Streams

* The Longest Johns, Album Launch gig/party (19 Jun 2018)
* The Longest Johns and Friends, El Pony Pisador! (12 Aug 2018)
* The Longest Johns and Friends, March. w/Sam Brookes (22 Mar 2019)
* The Longest Johns Early Octobermas (2 Oct 2019)
* TLJ & Friends! | Natalie Holmes (27 Nov 2019)
* The Longest Johns In Quarantine (after failed intro + love to @El Pony Pisador ) (18 Mar 2020)
* Album Launch Party! Cures What Ails Ya, Available June 10th (Preorder Now) (10 Jun 2020)
* We're Going to Wellermania! | The Longest Johns Full Band Stream (14 Apr 2021)
* Be Stream And Not Heard (6 Oct 2021)
* Stream America (15 Mar 2022)
* Blue Stream of Death! (29 Jun 2022)
* A Midsummer Nights Stream (5 Jul 2023)

#### Gaming Streams

* Anyone for a Shanty? | Sea of Thieves Singing Live Stream!! (Part 2) (23 Sep 2020)
* Sail & Sing! Lets get damp and sing shanties! - 08/06/2020
* Sea of Thieves Tall Tales Marathon for Charity : Full VOD Part 2 (24 Jun 2020)
* Sea of Sings. Tonight we hit the high C's... - 10/07/2020
* Sea of Sings! Let's get boaty! - 20/07/2020
* Yarr harr fiddley dee and all that. Sea of Sings! - 28/09/2020
* Sea of Sings! with KroTukk! SHANT! - 3/11/2020
* Boo! Surprise Sea of Sings! - 21/01/2021
* Shanties?!?! On the sea?!?! Why yes it is... With Krotukk and Kharites\_ - 02/04/2021
* Season Two!! New skins, new voyages, same old Kharites\_! - 16/04/2021
* To the boatmobile! There's DROPS! - 01/10/2021

1. ↑ https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=57991
2. ↑ "rattling, adj. and adv." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2022, www.oed.com/view/Entry/158573. Accessed 29 May 2022.