Skip to My Lou

"Skip to My Lou" was featured in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis. Sections of the song arranged by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane are sung to the tunes of "Kingdom Coming" and "Yankee Doodle". In the 1951 film Across the Wide Missouri it is sung by Clark Gable (while playing a Jew's Harp) and others throughout the movie. In the classic Western The Searchers (1956), Ken Curtis uses the song to serenade Vera Miles. In the film Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Pee Wee is slowly driven to distraction by an old man riding in a box car, who will not stop singing verse after verse of the song. The song has been recorded by various artists including Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Elizabeth Mitchell, The Blue Sky Boys, Dickie Bishop and His Sidekicks, and Dale Warland Singers, among others. The song remains a favorite piece performed by various classic choirs with a popular arrangement by Paul Busselberg. In the Thomas & Friends fourth series episode "Peter Sam & The Refreshment Lady", Peter Sam sings "I'm Peter Sam I'm running this line" which has a similar melody. The song is mentioned and referred to a number of times in Stephen King's horror book "The Shining". ==Lyrics ==

Common version Skip, skip, skip to my Lou, Skip, skip, skip to my Lou, Skip, skip, skip to my Lou, Skip to my Lou, my darlin'. (Changing verse here) (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darlin'. Lou, Lou skip to my lou (×3) Skip to my Lou my darlin' The changing verse: • Fly in the buttermilk, shoo, fly, shoo. • There's a little red wagon, paint it blue. • I lost my partner, what'll I do? • I'll get another, as pretty as you • Can't get a red bird, jay bird'll do. • Cat's in the cream jar, ooh, ooh, ooh. • Off to Texas, two by two. Another version Fly in the buttermilk, Shoo fly, shoo, shoo! (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling! (repeat 1×) Lou, Lou skip to my Lou! (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling. Cows in the pasture two by two! (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling! (repeat 1×) Lou, Lou skip to my Lou, (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling. (sound sad) Lost my partner, What'll I do? (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling! (repeat 1×) Lou, Lou skip to my Lou, (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling. (sound happy) I'll find another one better than you! (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling! Found my partner love is true! (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling! Lou, Lou skip to my Lou! (3×) Skip to my Lou, my darling. ==References==