Georgie Porgie

For other uses, see Georgy Porgy.

"Georgie Porgie" Roud #19532
Written by	Traditional
Published	1840s
Written	England
Language	English
Form	Nursery rhyme

"Georgie Porgie" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19532.

Lyrics

The most common modern lyrics are:

Georgie Porgie, Puddin' and Pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry,

When the boys came out to play

Georgie Porgie ran away.

Origins and meaning

The first recorded version of the rhyme was collected by James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-nineteenth century with the lyrics:

Rowley Powley, pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry;

When the girls began to cry,

Rowly Powley runs away.

However, the version with Georgie Porgie was known to George Bernard Shaw (b. 1856) in his childhood and so may be at least as old.

There are various theories that link the character Georgie Porgie to historical figures including George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1592-1628), Charles II (1630-1685) and George I (1660-1727), but there is no evidence to corroborate such claims.

Cultural references

In literature

• Kaori Yuki's gothic manga "Godchild" features the common version of the nursery rhyme.

• Neil Gaiman's short story entitled "The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds" features this character.

• Roald Dahl's short story "Georgy Porgy" is about a priest and his "odd" relations with women.

• Rudyard Kipling recites the George Bernard Shaw version of the nursery rhyme as the opening lines for his short story Georgie Porgie.

• In the novel The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde which stars a number of nursery rhyme characters, Giorgio Porgia is 'Readings one time crime boss and self-proclaimed menace to society.'

• A reference is made in the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" by Edward Albee when Martha says to George--"Poor Georgie-Porgie, put-upon pie [...]"

• A reference is made to the rhyme in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), Chapter five:

Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,

Kiss the girls and make them One.

Boys at one with girls at peace;

Orgy-porgy gives release.

In film

• Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die is the US title of the 1966 James Bond parody Se Tutte le Donne del Mondo.
• Kiss the Girls is the title of a 1995 James Patterson detective novel, adapted as a film with Morgan Freeman in the major role in 1997.

In music

• The Reggae singjay artist Eek-a-Mouse recorded a song called "Georgie Porgie" for his 1991 album "Wa-Do-Dem (Remastered)" originally released in 1982. The chorus to the song contains the most common modern lyrics in full.

• The rock group Toto recorded a song called "Georgy Porgy" on its 1978 debut album that includes lines from the nursery rhyme. The song, which was written by Toto keyboard player David Paich [1], was covered in 1999 by Eric Benét with Faith Evans on Benét's "A Day in the Life" album.

• The rock band Clutch recorded a song called "Juggernaut" for their 1991 EP Pitchfork which quotes the Huxley lines above.

• Rapper MC Lyte charted with the song "Poor Georgie" in 1991.

• On the Highball With The Devil CD (1996) by Les Claypool there is a song 'George E. Porge' which goes: 'But George E. Porge, he's kissed the girls and felt he's rather kiss the boys. And speculates if now is not the time'.

• The Deep South Rapper Devin the Dude also recorded a song called "Georgy" on his album entitled The Dude, released in 1998. The chorus to the song is the refrain, "Georgie, Georgie, Kissed the girls and made them cry."

• 2 Live Crew references Georgie Porgie in the lyrics of "Me So Horny" (from their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be, released in 1989): 'I'm just like that man they call Georgie Puddin' Pie/ I **** all the girls and I make 'em cry/ I'm like a dog in heat, a freak without warning/ I have an appetite for sex, cause me so horny'.

• DJ Screw and his brother DJ Lil Randy appear on a long freestyle track with the name "Georgie Porgie" on one of the many Screw Tapes