I WAS BORN TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO
(Traditional)
Aka: "The Bragging Song"
Aka: "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago"
Aka: "I Was Born About Four Thousand Years Ago"

Kelly Harrell - 1925
Rev. Harold Hunter - 1958
Val Doonican - 1966
Elvis Presley - 1971



I was born ten thousand years ago
And there's nothing in this world that I don't know
I saw Pater, Paul, and Moses playing ring around the roses
And I'll lick the guy that say it isn't so

I saw Satan when he looked the garden o'er
I saw Eve and Adam driven from the door
And behind the bushes peepin', saw the apple they were eatin'
And I swear that I'm the guy that ate the core

I saw Jonah when he was within the whale
And thought he'd never live to tell the tale
But old Jonah'd eaten garlic, and he gave the whale the colic
So he coughed him up and let him out of jail

I saw Israel in the battle of the Nile
The arrows were flying thick and fast and wild
I saw David with his sling pop Goliath on the wing
I was doing forty seconds to the mile

I saw Sampson when he laid the village cold
Saw Daniel tame the lions in their hold
I helped build the Tower of Babel up as high as they were able
And there's many other things I haven't told

I taught Soloman his little A-B-C's
I helped Brigham Young to make limberger cheese
And while sailing down the bay with Methusala one day
I saved his flowing whiskers from the breeze

Queen Elizabeth, she fell in love with me
We were married in Milwaukee secretly
But I schemed around and shook her, then she went with General Hooker
To shoot mosquitoes down in Tenessee

I remember when the country had a king
I saw Cleopatra pawn her wedding ring
And I saw th flags a'flyin' when George Washington stopped lyin'
On the night when Patty first begin to sing

So, you see I am an educated man
To keep my brains in my head I plan
Cause I been on earth so long, that I use to sing a song
While Abraham and Issac played the band

I was born ten thousand years ago
And there's nothing in this world that I don't know
I saw Peter, Paul and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses
And I can lick the guy that says it is'nt so


******


As recorded by VAL DOONICAN:


I was born ten thousand years ago
And there is nothin' in the world that I don't know
I saw Pater, Paul, and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses
And I'll bash the guy that says it isn't so

I saw Satan when he looked the Garden o'er
I saw Adam and Eve a-driven from the door
And from behind the bushes peepin', saw the apple they was eatin'
And I swear I was the guy that ate the core

I taught Samson how to use his mighty hands
I first showed Columbus where to find this land
And for Pharoah's little kids, I went and built the Pyramids
And to Sahara carried all the sand

I taught Soloman his simple A-B-C's
I was the first man to eat Limburger cheese
And while floatin' down the bay with Methusala one day
I saw his beard a-floatin' in the breeze

I saw Nero fiddlein' while he burned up Rome
And I told him it looked like his future home
And when he had the nerve to swear, well I dragged him from his chair
And I burst the whiskey bottle on his nose

Then the Queen of Sheba fell in love with me
And we were married up in Dublin secretly
But I got tired of naggin', so I bought a covered wagon
And I took the wagon train to Tennessee

I was born ten thousand years ago
And there is nothin' in the world that I don't know
I saw Pater, Paul, and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses
And I'll bash the guy that says it isn't so


(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - August 2005)


******


As recorded by ELVIS PRESLEY:


I WAS BORN ABOUT TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO
(Traditional - Adapted by Elvis Presley)


I saw old Pharaoh's daughter bring Moses from the water
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
I saved king David's life and he offered me a wife
I said now you're talkin' business, have a chair

Yeah, I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
Saw Peter, Paul and Moses playing ring-around-the-roses
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
I saw old pharaoh's daughter bring Moses from the water
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

I was there when old Noah built the Ark
And I crawled in the window after dark
I saw Jonah eat the whale and dance with the lion's tale
And I crossed over Canaan on a log

Yeah, I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
I saw old pharaoh's daughter bring Moses from the water
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

Yeah, I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothing in this world that I don't know
Saw Peter, Paul and Moses playin' ring-around-the-roses
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

I was there when old Noah built the Ark
And I crawled in the window after dark
I saw Jonah eat the whale and dance with the lion's tale
And I crossed over Canaan on a log

Well, I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
yeah, I saw old pharaoh's daughter bring Moses from the water
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

I was born about ten thousand years ago
There ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
I saved king David's life and he offered me a wife
I said now you're talkin' business, have a chair

I was born about ten thousand years ago
Ain't nothin' in this world that I don't know
Saw Peter, Paul and Moses playin' ring-around-the-roses
I'll lick the guy that says it isn't so

Bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah
Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-doh-doh-doh-doh-doh-doh
Yeah, bah-bah-baa-bah, I was born about ten............FADE


(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - August 2005)


******


Alternate Version:


I WAS BORNED ABOUT FOUR THOUSAND YEARS AGO


I was borned about four thousand years ago
There's nothin' in this world that I don't know
I saw King Frodoth's daughter fishin' Moses out'a the water
I can whip the man that says it wasn't so

I was there when Satan looked the Garden o'er
I saw Eve comin' out the door
In the bushes I was peekin' at th apple she was eatin'
I can prove that I'se the man that ate the core

I saw Cain slay Able on the glade
I don't know what the game they played
It was there in the scrub, he killed 'im with a club
I can whup the man that says it isn't so

I saw Noah build the famous Ark
I slipped in the window after dark
I saw Jonah and the whale an' I grabbed 'im by the tail
I can whup the man that said it wasn't so

I saw Adam an' Eve driven from the door
An' I'm the man that picked the fig leaves that they wore
I saw little Paul and Moses playin' ring-around-the-roses
An' I can whup the man that says it isn't so

Now you may not believe what I told you is true
But what difference does it really make to you
I'm shootin' you a line just to pass off the time
But I'm quittin' now because I'm through


******


Alternate Irish Version:


THE LIAR
(Tommy Makem)

The Balladeers

Also recorded by:
Tommy Makem



I was born about ten thousand years ago
In Bellmullet in the County of Mayo
It was me that chased the vermin, while St. Patrick preached the sermon
And I'll whoop the man that says it isn't so

Singing rightful too-ra-laddie too-ra-lee
There is no one who can tell a lie like me
You can search until you tire, you won't find a bigger liar
I've been lying since the dawn of history

I saw Eve go pickin' apples off a tree
She came over and she offered one to me
I turned and said, "Dear madam, go try your luck with Adam
I'm going home to have some fish and chips and tea."

Singing rightful too-ra-laddie too-ra-lee
There is no one who can tell a lie like me
You can search until you tire, you won't find a bigger liar
I've been lying since the dawn of history

I saw Delilah cuttin' Samson's hair
She snipped away until his head was bare
When he couldn't run away, she married him next day
And they opened a barber shop in Clare

Singing rightful too-ra-laddie too-ra-lee
There is no one who can tell a lie like me
You can search until you tire, you won't find a bigger liar
I've been lying since the dawn of history

With King Billy at the Boyne I heard them call
On his followers to follow till they fall
Then he said, "We'll win quite easy, and we'll canonize, young Paisley"
Then he up and sang a verse of Derry's Walls

Singing rightful too-ra-laddie too-ra-lee
There is no one who can tell a lie like me
You can search until you tire, you won't find a bigger liar
I've been lying since the dawn of history

In was back in sixty-two in Donoghue's
I was singing there with Luke and Ronnie Drew
Luke sez, 'Nick your singing's grand, so let's form a ballad band
And a great big hairy beard I went and grew

Singing rightful too-ra-laddie too-ra-lee
There is no one who can tell a lie like me
You can search until you tire, you won't find a bigger liar
I've been lying since the dawn of history

It was during World War II I met them all
There was Roosevelt and Churchill and De Gaulle
Then one day I nearly fainted, I was having my house painted
There was Hitler hanging paper in the hall

Singing rightful too-ra-laddie too-ra-lee
There is no one who can tell a lie like me
You can search until you tire, you won't find a bigger liar
I've been lying since the dawn of history


*****