Why May I Not Love Johnny?
Why May I Not Love Johnny?
Children's Song
Johnny shall have a new bonnet
And Johnny shall go to the fair
And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon
To tie up his bonny brown hair
And why may not I love Johnny?
And why may not Johnny love me?
And why may not I love Johnny
As well as another body?
And here is a leg for a stocking
And here is a foot for a shoe
And he has a kiss for his daddy
And two for his mammy, I trow*
So why may not I love Johnny?
And why may not Johnny love me?
And why may not I love Johnny
As well as another body?
Notes
*"I trow" means "I reckon" or "I'll bet".
Comments
Kelsey wrote me, "(here is an) English song that's not very well known, but I gather it used to be quite popular in its day. At first glance, it looks like a love ballad, but on closer inspection of the text, you can see that it's not meant to be so much romantic as it is familial. (Mom and Dad are dressing Johnny together so they can go to the fair, etc....)"
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Kelsey Forbes for contributing this song in January 2005. The illustration comes from The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright.
Thanks so much!
