"The Bragging Song" - Head 'Em Straight

“The Bragging Song“

Alternative Titles:”I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago”, “I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago”,
“I Was Born About Four Thousand Years Ago”

Recorded by:
Kelly Harrell – 1925
Rev. Harold Hunter – 1958
Val Doonican – 1966
Elvis Presley – 1971

Traditional

Version I

I was born ten thousand years ago
And there’s nothing in this world that I don’t know.
I saw Pater, Paul, and Moses playing ring around the roses
And I’ll lick the guy that say it isn’t so.

I saw Satan when he looked the garden o’er.
I saw Eve and Adam driven from the door
And behind the bushes peepin’, saw the apple they were eatin’
And I swear that I’m the guy that ate the core.

I saw Jonah when he was within the whale
And thought he’d never live to tell the tale.
But old Jonah’d eaten garlic, and he gave the whale the colic,
So he coughed him up and let him out of jail.

I saw Israel in the battle of the Nile.
The arrows were flying thick and fast and wild.
I saw David with his sling pop Goliath on the wing;
I was doing forty seconds to the mile

I saw Sampson when he laid the village cold.
Saw Daniel tame the lions in their hold.
I helped build the Tower of Babel up as high as they were able
And there’s many other things I haven’t told.

I taught Soloman his little A-B-C’s.
I helped Brigham Young to make limberger cheese,
And while sailing down the bay with Methusala one day
I saved his flowing whiskers from the breeze.

Queen Elizabeth, she fell in love with me.
We were married in Milwaukee secretly.
But I schemed around and shook her, then she went with General Hooker
To shoot mosquitoes down in Tenessee.

I remember when the country had a king.
I saw Cleopatra pawn her wedding ring,
And I saw th flags a’flyin’ when George Washington stopped lyin’
On the night when Patty first begin to sing.

So, you see I am an educated man.
To keep my brains in my head I plan,
Cause I been on earth so long, that I use to sing a song
While Abraham and Issac played the band.

I was born ten thousand years ago
And there’s nothing in this world that I don’t know.
I saw Peter, Paul and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses;
And I can lick the guy that says it is’nt so.
Based upon a transcription as recorded by Val Doonican

Version II

I was born ten thousand years ago
And there is nothin’ in the world that I don’t know.
I saw Pater, Paul, and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses
And I’ll bash the guy that says it isn’t so.

I saw Satan when he looked the Garden o’er.
I saw Adam and Eve a-driven from the door
And from behind the bushes peepin’, saw the apple they was eatin’
And I swear I was the guy that ate the core.

I taught Samson how to use his mighty hands.
I first showed Columbus where to find this land,
And for Pharoah’s little kids, I went and built the Pyramids
And to Sahara carried all the sand.

I taught Soloman his simple A-B-C’s.
I was the first man to eat Limburger cheese,
And while floatin’ down the bay with Methusala one day
I saw his beard a-floatin’ in the breeze.

I saw Nero fiddlein’ while he burned up Rome.
And I told him it looked like his future home,
And when he had the nerve to swear, well I dragged him from his chair
And I burst the whiskey bottle on his nose.

Then the Queen of Sheba fell in love with me
And we were married up in Dublin secretly.
But I got tired of naggin’, so I bought a covered wagon
And I took the wagon train to Tennessee.

I was born ten thousand years ago
And there is nothin’ in the world that I don’t know.
I saw Pater, Paul, and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses
And I’ll bash the guy that says it isn’t so.
Based upon a transcription by Mel Priddle – August 2005

“I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago”

I saw old Pharaoh’s daughter bring Moses from the water;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so.

I was born about ten thousand years ago.
There ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
I saved King David’s life and he offered me a wife;
I said now you’re talkin’ business, have a chair.

Yeah, I was born about ten thousand years ago.
There ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
Saw Peter, Paul and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so.

I was born about ten thousand years ago.
There ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
I saw old pharaoh’s daughter bring Moses from the water;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so.

I was there when old Noah built the Ark.
And I crawled in the window after dark.
I saw Jonah eat the whale and dance with the lion’s tale
And I crossed over Canaan on a log.

Yeah, I was born about ten thousand years ago.
There ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
I saw old pharaoh’s daughter bring Moses from the water;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so.

Yeah, I was born about ten thousand years ago.
There ain’t nothing in this world that I don’t know.
Saw Peter, Paul and Moses playin’ ring-around-the-roses;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so.

I was there when old Noah built the Ark
And I crawled in the window after dark.
I saw Jonah eat the whale and dance with the lion’s tale
And I crossed over Canaan on a log.

Well, I was born about ten thousand years ago.
There ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
Yeah, I saw old pharaoh’s daughter bring Moses from the water;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so

I was born about ten thousand years ago.
Ain’t nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
Saw Peter, Paul and Moses playin’ ring-around-the-roses;
I’ll lick the guy that says it isn’t so

Bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-doh-doh-doh-doh-doh-doh
Yeah, bah-bah-baa-bah, I was born about ten…………FADE
Based upon a transcription by Mel Priddle in August 2005 from an adaptation by Elvis Presley

“I Was Borned About Four Thousand Years Ago”

I was borned about four thousand years ago.
There’s nothin’ in this world that I don’t know.
I saw King Frodoth’s daughter fishin’ Moses out’a the water;
I can whip the man that says it wasn’t so.

I was there when Satan looked the Garden o’er.
I saw Eve comin’ out the door.
In the bushes I was peekin’ at th apple she was eatin’;
I can prove that I’se the man that ate the core.

I saw Cain slay Able on the glade.
I don’t know what the game they played.
It was there in the scrub, he killed ‘im with a club;
I can whup the man that says it isn’t so.

I saw Noah build the famous Ark.
I slipped in the window after dark.
I saw Jonah and the whale an’ I grabbed ‘im by the tail;
I can whup the man that said it wasn’t so.

I saw Adam an’ Eve driven from the door.
An’ I’m the man that picked the fig leaves that they wore.
I saw little Paul and Moses playin’ ring-around-the-roses;
An’ I can whup the man that says it isn’t so.

Now you may not believe what I told you is true.
But what difference does it really make to you.
I’m shootin’ you a line just to pass off the time,
But I’m quittin’ now because I’m through.

Website source: http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/t/thebraggingsong.shtml
Punctuation added

“The Bragging Song”