Date Collected
Fall 11-30-2017
Place item was collected
Logan, Ut. Informant's Apartment.
Informant
Elise Teichert
Point of Discovery/Informant Bio
My name is Elise Teichert. I am 24 years old and am currently living in Logan with my husband, Bronson, attending Utah State. I plan to get my Bachelors Degree in Social Studies Composite Teaching and am considering furthering my education and obtaining a Masters Degree in School Counseling. I am also a licensed cosmetologist and do hair out of my apartment. I also have a part-time job working at a small business that manufactures industrial floor cleaners. I grew up in the small town of Ferron, Utah and love every bit of small town living. I have also lived in Atlanta, Georgia and neighboring cities while I served a mission for the LDS church. I enjoy singing, playing the piano, riding horses, camping, fishing, and relaxing with my family. One could say I am an active bearer of family folklore and traditions because reliving memories and passing on information about my family is one of my passions. Family is very important to me and I find great satisfaction in being with them.
Context
This song has been a part of almost every family trip since I was little. It was seen as an accomplishment when I could finally pronounce all of the words in the song and sing it correctly, this finally happened when I was probably five or six years old. I’m not sure where the song originally came from but I do remember learning it from my mom. For the longest time I envisioned this young boy inside of a “whale” instead of a “well”. It wasn’t until I was older and actually listened to the words that I realized I had been mistaken. Even though I know I associated it with the wrong kind of “well”, whenever I see an illustration of a whale I think of this song. I remember singing it most while in the car, when we were traveling as a family, whether it was two or all of us. As I got older, mainly in my early teens, I taught it to my friends and we sang it at different events like girls’ camp and youth trips. The skill in singing the song is not only found in singing Eddie’s name correctly but to see how fast you could sing it, making it a competition between us.
Text
Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna Tossa Narrie Tossa Nossa Samma Camma Wackie Brown
Fell into the well, Fell into the well,
Fell into the deep dark well.
Susie Jones, milking in the barn.
Saw him fall,
And ran inside to tell her mom that,
Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna Tossa Narrie Tossa Nossa Samma Camma Wackie Brown
Fell into the well, Fell into the well,
Fell into the deep dark well.
Susie’s mom, making cracker bread,
Ran to tell,
To tell old Jed that Susie said that,
Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna Tossa Narrie Tossa Nossa Samma Camma Wackie Brown
Fell into the well, Fell into the well,
Fell into the deep dark well.
Old Jed, grabbed his cane and ran.
Ran to tell, to tell the town
That Susie’s mom said,
Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna Tossa Narrie Tossa Nossa Samma Camma Wackie Brown
Fell into the well, Fell into the well,
Fell into the deep dark well.
What a shame, everybody came,
What a shame,
It took too long to say his was
Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna Tossa Narrie Tossa Nossa Samma Camma Wackie Brown
Who?
Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna Tossa Narrie Tossa Nossa Samma Camma Wackie Brown
Drown.
Texture
The tune of the song is very bouncy and rhythmic. The speed is fairly fast and the more the song is sung, the faster it gets with the final two lines repeating his name being the faster portion of the song. Singing Eddie’s name is the main point of the song and it is said in one breath. The other lyrics about Susie, her mom, and Old Jed are sang a little slower and can have breaths or short pauses in between. There are no hand or body movements other than the occasional finger pointing in the air in concentration to get all the words in the right order. Most of the song is sung at a higher pitch, with notes going up and down. The final note on the word “drown” is very low and final with less enthusiasm as the other lyrics. The winner or champion of the song is the one that can get through the entire song, at the fastest speed, without messing up on one word.
Course
Introduction to Folklore 2210/English 2210
Instructor
Dr. Lynne McNeill
Semester and year
Fall 2017
Theme
G5: Child and Young Adult Songs
EAD Number
1.9.8.5
Recommended Citation
Teichert, Elise, ""Eddie Cutsa Catsa Canna" Song" (2017). USU Student Folklore Fieldwork. Paper 186.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/student_folklore_all/186