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NOBODY ASKED YOU

In the frosty mornings and the chilly evenings when they went to milk the cows, Laura and Lena wore shawls snug over their heads and pinned under their chins... And they sang while they milked -- By the Shores of Silver Lake, Chapter 30, "Breaking Camp"

"Nobody Ask'd You" (or "Where Are You Going, My Pretty Maid") is historically considered to be an old Mother Goose nursery rhyme, dating from at least the 18th century. There are many variations on the "pretty maid" theme, with a number of songs including similar questions and answers as in the song Wilder included in both manuscript and published version of By the Shores of Silver Lake. However, Wilder's inclusion of the line "Nobody asked you, she said," suggests the popular 19th century song, "Nobody Ask'd You." Music for this song is attributed to a number of composers.

In the sheet music from the Lester Levy Collection, "Nobody Ask'd You" is undated, but the music includes the notation at the top that it was "printed and sold at Carrs Music Store Baltimore." Benjamin Carr (1760-1831) was a composer, organist, and music publisher who was born in London but came to the United States in 1793. He ran a number of stores, but his Baltimore store closed in 1822 and he left the publishing business entirely in 1831. Any music actually printed by him would have dated prior to 1831.

The song "Where Are You Going, My Pretty Maid" was popular during the life of Edward Jenner (1749-1823). Jenner, a doctor, noticed that milkmaids who had suffered the disease of coxpox didn't contract the deadly disease, smallpox. He believed the two diseases were similar and experimented with innoculating people with coxpox to protect them from smallpox. He named this "vaccine" after the Latin word for cow (vacca), and thus the now-common practice of "vaccination" was born.

NOBODY ASK'D YOU

"Where are you going, my pretty maid?
Where are you going, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"I'm going a-milking, Sir," she said.

"Shall I go with you, my pretty maid?
Shall I go with you, my pretty maid?"
"You're kindly welcome, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"You're kindly welcome, Sir," she said.

"What is your father, my pretty maid?
What is your father, my pretty maid?"
"My father's a farmer, Sir," she said.
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"My father's a farmer, Sir," she said.

"What is your fortune, my pretty maid?
What is your fortune, my pretty maid?"
"My face is my fortune, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"My face is my fortune, Sir," she said.

"Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid.
Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid."
"Nobody asked you, Sir," she said,
"Sir," she said, "Sir," she said,
"Nobody asked you, Sir," she said.

NOBODY ASKED YOU (from By the Shores of Silver Lake)

Where are you going, my pretty maid?

I'm going a-milking, sir, she said.

May I go with you, my pretty maid?

Oh, yes, if you please, kind sir, she said.

What is your fortune, my pretty maid?

My face is my fortune, sir, she said.

Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid.

Nobody asked you, sir, she said.

Use the navigation bar above to listen to "Nobody Asked You". If you do not see the midi player above, click HERE to listen.

Click on the above images to view a copy of original sheet music of "Nobody Ask'd You."

This music is archived in the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, part of Special Collections at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library of The Johns Hopkins University. The collection contains over 29,000 pieces of music and focuses on popular American music from 1780-1960.

For more information:

For a complete list of songs from the "Little House"� books, go to the SONG INDEX.

A copy of music for "Nobody Ask'd You" was included in Songs of the Prairie, compiled by Margaret Irwin, 1968. Published in De Smet, this book is now out of print.