Bingo Was His Name-O

 “Bingo Was His Name-O” is an English language children’s song without a clear origin.

The song is sung and includes the omission of certain letters in the lyrics, replaced by hand claps or barking.

The earliest known reference to any aspect of the song comes from the title of a piece of sheet music published way back in 1780. That attributed the song to William Swords, an actor a the Haymarket Theatre of London.

Early versions of the tune were called “The Farmer’s Dog Leapt o’er the Stile” “A Franklyn’s Dogge” or even “Little Bingo.”

An early transcript of the song, sans title, dates back to 1785, and the songbook The Humming Bird, which reads:

The farmer’s dog leapt over the stile,
his name was little Bingo,
the farmer’s dog leapt over the stile,
his name was little Bingo.
B with an I — I with an N,
N with a G — G with an O;
his name was little Bingo:
B—I—N—G—O;
His name was little Bingo.

The farmer loved a cup of good ale,
he called it rare good stingo,
the farmer loved a cup of good ale,
he called it rare good stingo.
S—T with an I — I with an N,
N with a G — G with an O;
He called it rare good stingo:
S—T—I—N—G—O;
He called it rare good stingo

And is this not a sweet little song?
I think it is —— by jingo.
And is this not a sweet little song?
I think it is —— by jingo.
J with an I — I with an N,
N with a G — G with an O;
I think it is —— by jingo:
J—I—N—G—O;
I think it is —— by jingo.

Later Versions of Bingo

A similar transcription to the above dates back to 1840 as part of The Ingoldsby Legends.

The transcribing for that is credited in part to Mr. Simpkinson from Bath. That version drops several of the repeated lines found in the above 1785 version and the newer ones used more archaic spelling.

The first line reads, “A franklyn’s dogge” rather than “The farmer’s dog.”

Another version, similar to the Ingoldsby offering, is also known from 1888, though it has some different spelling variations.

The song’s presence was known in the United States, noted by Robert M. Charlton in 1842.

English folklorist Alice Bertha Gomme recorded eight different forms of the song in 1894.

Highly-differing versions were recorded in Monton, Shropshire, Liphook and Wakefield, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, and Endborne. All of these were associated with children’s games, with slightly different rules, depending on the locale.

Early versions of the song were also said to be adult drinking game songs.

Variations of the tune’s lyrics include the dog belonging to a miller or a shepherd. Sometimes the dog is named Bingo, other times Pinto.

In some versions, a variation of the third stanza is added to read:

The farmer loved a pretty young lass,
and gave her a wedding-ring-o.
R with an I — I with an N,
N with a G — G with an O;
(etc.)

To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(clap)-I-N-G-O
(clap)-I-N-G-O
(clap)-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(clap)-(clap)-N-G-O
(clap)-(clap)-N-G-O
(clap)-(clap)-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-G-O
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-G-O
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-O
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-O
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)
(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)-(clap)
And Bingo was his name-o.