There Was an Old Man

[ A ]
	The Brighton locale identifies this as English in origin.  It is from the Canfield collection made in the United States in 1926.

There was an old man at Brighton last year,
Whose hobby was swimming around the pier.

He dove and he swam way out to the rocks,
And amused all the ladies by shaking his --
	Fist at the copper who stood on the shore,
	The very same copper who pulled him before.

They pursued in small boats, but were unable to pass
For the thrifty old rascal would thens how his --
	Wondrous maneuvers in swimming so fine,
	His wonderful msucles before and behind.

This man had a sister at Brighton last year,
Whose hobby was swimming around the same pier.

She dove like a dog and swam like a duck
And showed by her motions she knew hot to --
	Frolic in water quite uop to her chin
	And not be drawned as so many have been.

Her suit of blue serge was the finest of fits,
And showed to advantage the swell of her --
	Tidy contour from her head to her feet.
	Twas just the right thing and exceedingly neat.

When tired of swimming, for shells she would hunt,
And go through the motions of washing her --
	Clothes in the ocean so deep and so blue,
	Thinking thereby she would make them look new.

When tired of swimming, for shore she would start,
And enjoy the strange pleasure of letting a --
	Fresh swell roll over her dainty toes,
	And wash the sand from off her hose.

[ B ]

One day I was sunning myself on the beach
And observed the form of a wonderful peach.
She dived, and she rolled and she swam like a duck
And she showed by her motions that she knew how to --

Swim in water way up to her chin
Though she never was drowned as others had been.
And whenever in front of rock she would pass
I observed the shape of her wonderful --

Swimming in water way up to her chin.
Though she never was drowned as others had been.
And whenever I got a good view of her front
I admired once more her wonderful --

Swimming in water way up to her chin.
Though she never was drowned as others had been.
And whenever I think of this girl in a dream,
I always wake up half smothered in --

Great big waves way up to my chin
And nearly am drowned as others have been.

	This unusual form of the teasing song, with a "chorus" embedded in the first lines of the verses, is from the Canfield collection, dated to 1926.