"Ticklish Reuben" is a

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

written by

Cal Stewart Cal Stewart (b. 1856 Charlotte County, Virginia, d. December 7, 1919) was an American comedian and humorist who pioneered in vaudeville and early sound recordings. He is best remembered for his comic monologues in which he played "Uncle Josh" ...

in 1900. Released on the Victor Label, the song is a prime example of the "laughing song" genre. Initially, the tune starts off normally, then descends into jolly, rhythmic laughing.

Lyrics as follows

''Oh'',
''My name is Ticklish Reuben
'' ''From way down in old

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

'' ''And ev'rything seems ticklish to me
'' ''I've been tickled by a feather
'' ''I've been tickled by a wasp
'' ''I've been tickled by a yellow bumblebee
'' ''I have always got a tickled sort of way about my clothes
'' ''It doesn't really matter where I be
'' ''I am tickled in the morning and I'm tickled in the night
'' ''Something's always sure to tickle me
'' ''hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah
'' ''hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah'' (repeat x12) ''Once I put some pepper into Dad's snuffbox
'' ''And the way he acted was a sight to see
'' ''Well he coughed and he sneezed till I thought he'd have a fit
'' ''And then he took me out to tickle me
'' ''I was always getting tickled by someone about the house
'' ''So why they take to ticklin' I could never see
'' ''And the apple-butter paddle it is all in splinters now
'' ''Daddy wore it out a-ticklin' me
''

Other versions

The song became popular among hillbilly artists in the 1920s.Russell, Tony. Rural Rhythm: The Story of Old-Time Country Music in 78 Records. United States: Oxford University Press, 2021. page 81. Among the most influential was the version by

Uncle Dave Macon David Harrison Macon (October 7, 1870 – March 22, 1952), known professionally as Uncle Dave Macon, was an American old-time banjo player, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Known as "The Dixie Dewdrop", Macon was known for his chin whiskers, ...

as "Something's Always Sure to Tickle Me" on

Vocalion Records Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

, changing the lyrics of the first verse to name himself "little Davie" and the home state to "Tennessee". It was recorded as part of the Bristol Sessions by the Smyth County Ramberlers on October 27, 1927 and released on

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

40144. The song was performed by brothers Alfalfa and Harold Switzer in the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

'' short film ''

Teacher's Beau ''Teacher's Beau'' is a 1935 '' Our Gang'' short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 136th ''Our Gang'' short (48th talking episode) that was released. Plot On the last day of school, the gang learns that their beloved teacher Miss Jon ...

'' (1935). It was included on the

Cathedral Quartet The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott Fow ...

's 1970 album ''It's Music time'' as "Laughing Song".

External links

Biography of Cal Stewart, from Tim Gracyk's website
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References

American folk songs 1900 songs {{folk-song-stub