Scoutscan.com Song Database

Princess Pat

"Princess Patricia, after consenting to the use of her name by the Regiment, made a "camp" color of her own design and which incorporated her personal cipher. This color was presented to the Regiment on 23 August, 1914 at a parade in Landsdowne Park, Ottawa. On 28 January, 1919 it was consecrated as the PPCLI Regimental Color. The Color is commonly referred to as the RIC-A-DAM-DOO (gaelic for "cloth of thy mother") and is now located in The Hall of Honor in the Regimental Museum within the Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At a farewell parade at Bramshot, England, on the 21 February, 1919 Princess Patricia decorated her Color with a wreath of laurel in silver gilt (known as the "Wreath of Immortelles"). The Ric-A-Dam-Doo is a song written about the PPCLI. All was written about the Regiment in WW1.The song is about their Regimental Colours (called "the Ric-A-Dam-Doo") which were actually handmade by Princess Patricia of Connaught herself, granddaughter to Queen Victoria, daughter of our (then) Governor General and Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment. It regales the exploits of the Regiment since it's inception.

The Princess Pat's Battalion
They sailed across the Herring Pond,
They sailed across the Channel too,
And landed there with the Ric-A-Dam-Doo
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

The Princess Pat's Battalion Scouts
They never knew their whereabouts.
If there's a pub within a mile or two,
You'll find them there with the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

The Lewis Guns are always true
To every call of the Ric-A-Dam-Doo.
They're always there with a burst or two
Whenever they see the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

The Bombers of the Princess Pat's
Are scared of naught, excepting rats,
They're full of pep and dynamite too,
They'd never lose the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

The Transport of the Princess Pat's
Are all dressed up in Stetson hats.
They shine their brass and limbers too
I believe they'd shine the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

Old Number Three, our company
We must fall in ten times a day.
If we fell out 'twould never do
For then we’d lose the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

Old Charlie S., our Major dear,
Who always buys us rum and beer,
If there's a trench in a mile or two
You'll find him there with the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

Old Ackity-Ack, our Colonel grand,
The leader of this noble band,
He'd go to Hell and charge right through
Before he'd lose the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

Old Hammy Gault, our first PP,
He led this band across the sea,
He'd lose an arm, or leg or two
Before he'd lose the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

The Ric-A-Dam-Doo, pray what is that?
'Twas made at home by Princess Pat,
It's Red and Gold and Royal Blue,
That's what we call the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.


* The Herring Pond is the Atlantic Ocean
* The Channel is the English Channel
* Bombers are Grenade Throwers
* Scouts are used for reconnaissance and information-gathering behind enemy lines
* A Lewis Gun is a light machine gun
* The Transport Troops wear Stetsons because the wagons were horse-drawn in WWI
* Charlie S. is Major Charles Stewart who commanded No 3 Company on 1916
* Ackity-Ack refers to Lieutenant-Colonel A.S.A.M. Adamson, the regiment’s commanding officer during the Battle for Vimy Ridge.
* Hammy Gault is Hamilton Gault of Montreal who created the regiment, and equipped it at his own expense, for overseas service during WWI.

The Actions:

The Princess Pat (Egyptian hand movement & hips)
Lived in a tree (Arms up over heads, making a tree bow)
She sailed across (wave hands over water)
The seven seas (Seven fingers, wave hands over water)

She sailed across (Repeat hand wave over water)
the Channel too (thumb and finger channel, two fingers)
and took with her (sling bag over shoulder)
a rickabamboo (hands wave down move hips)

(chorus)

A rickabamboo (hands wave down)
Now what is that
Its something made
For the Princess Pat (repeat Egyptian move)
Its red and gold (hand on right hip)
and purple too (hand on left hip)
That's why its called
a rickabamboo (repeat motion)

(chorus)

Now Captain Dan (stand at Alert)
and loyal crew (salute)
They sailed across the channel too (as above)
but their ship sank (hold noses and move body down)
and your's will too (point out and finger two)
if you don't take (sling bag over shoulder)
a rickabamboo (hands wave down)

Variations:

(This song is sung to the tune of "The Littlest Worm," "The
Cutest Boy,"
"The Other Day, I met a bear" and other (in)famous scouting
songs. The motions really make the song,.

Leader sings a line and group repeats the line and motions

The Princess Pat
Lived in a tree.
She sailed across
The seven seas.
She sailed across
the channel, too.
And she took with her
A Wrigga-Bamboo.

(refrain--still repeated)

A Wrigga-Bamboo,
Now what is that?
It's something made
By the Princess Pat.
It's red and gold
And purple too.
That's why it's called

Now Captain Jack
Had a mighty fine crew.
He sailed across
The ocean blue.
But his ship sank,
And so will you,
If you don't take
A Wrigga-Bamboo.

(Chorus)

Sent in by Some User (user@willamette.edu):

A Camp Director I know sings the riggabamboo part "ricket-and-dew".
Apparently a "ricket-and-dew" is the stopper in the bathtub and
the chain attatched to it. Just another version to confoud you . . .

Sent in by john rei (jrei@kitimat.sno.net)

Only difference I know is that the line you have as "lived in a
tree" in the version from my childhood was "light infantry".

Sent in by MISS MARY MARGARET THOMAS (MXCG94C@prodigy.com):

When we sing "Princess Pat" at my camp, we use the words
"wide infantry" instead of "lived in a tree," and the thing the 
Princess Pat brings with her is a "ricky-dan-doo." I have no idea
what that is, but it is how I learned it as a camper and is what
we teach our campers now!