They all went to heaven in a little row boat

Posted by Lewis on June 30, 2008 at 10:28

In Reply to: They all went to heaven in a little row boat posted by Casey on June 30, 2008 at 09:14:

: I want to know where the phrase "they all went to heaven in a little row boat" came from. It's in a Radiohead from 2001, a Tom Waits song from 1985 and a Buck 65 song from 2007. I imagine its in even more songs that I don't know. I want to know where the phrase came from. Why is it in a number of very good songs?

it's from "the Clapping Song" - Shirley Ellis 1965 - it's based on jump-rope/skipping songs.

"Three, six, nine
The goose drank wine
The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line
The line broke, the monkey got choked
And they all went to heaven in a little row boat

clap hands"...etc

it's an early form of rap IMO.

Lewis