“Christopher Columbo”

Description

Columbo, that navigating, masturbating son-of-a-bitch, sails the world round-o, master and crew engaging in a variety of sexual practices on land and sea.

Notes

This song frequently borrows verses -- identifiable by their internal rhyme in the third line or "limerick form" -- from "The Good Ship Venus."

This would not pass muster as a history of Christopher Columbus' voyage of 1492. - EC

A distinct understatement.

Incidentally, it is not clear whether this was originally clean or dirty. The 1893 date cited above is for a clean version, of which John Garst writes, "We all know 'Christofo Columbo' as a bawdy ballad, but in the Robert W. Gordon papers at the University of Oregon there is a 'clean' version, 'Written and Composed by Francis J. Bryant,' 'Copyright, 1893, by M. Witmark and Sons. Entered at Stationers' Hall, London.... If you wonder how the chorus could be 'clean,' here it is:

He knew the earth was round, ho! that land it could be found, ho!

The geographic, hard and hoary navigator, gyratory Christofo Columbo."

Shay's clean version has the chorus

Oh, Christofo Columbo,

He thought the world was round-o;

That pioneering, buccaneering,

Son-of-a-gun, Columbo! - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "The Good Ship Venus" (lyrics)

Recordings

• Anonymous singer, "Christopho Columbo" (on Unexp1)
• Arkansas Charlie [pseud. for Charlie Craver], "Oh Christofo Columbo" (Brunswick 410, 1930)
• Billy Jones, "Christofo Columbo" (CYL: Edison [BA] 5008, prob. 1925)
• Billy Jones & Ernest Hare, "Christofo Columbo" (OKeh 40397, 1925)
• Andy Kirk & his Mighty Clouds of Joy, "Christopher Columbus" (Decca 729, 1936)
• Old Ced Odom & Lil "Diamonds" Hardaway, "Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-Two (Christopho Columbo)" (Decca, uniss.; rec. 1936)

References

1. Harlow, pp. 55-58, "Christopher Columbus" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Cray, pp. 308-315, "Christopher Columbo" (3 texts, 1 tune)
3. Randolph-Legman I, pp. 502-505, "Christopher Columbo" (2 texts, 1 tune)
4. Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 207-212, "Christofo Columbo" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. DT, COLOMBO COLUMB2*
6. Roud #4843
7. BI, EM308