The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #116137   Message #2512268
Posted By: Richie
10-Dec-08 - 11:36 PM
Thread Name: Origins: The authors of the 'Carter Family songs'
Subject: Lyr Add: NO TELEPHONE IN HEAVEN
No Telephone in Heaven was recorded by the Carter Family in 1930.

Meade refernces Delaney's Recitations #3 (Willian W. Delaney Circa 1910) as an early source

The song is based on the 1899 Werner's Readings and Recitations. Here is the link:
http://books.google.com/books?id=THsCAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA171&dq=No+Telephone+in+Heaven&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html


NO TELEPHONE IN HEAVEN- (A.P. Carter)

"Now I can't wait on baby," the smiling merchant said
As he stooped and softly toyed with his golden curly head.
"I want to call up mama," came the answer full and free.
"Could you telephone and ask her when she is coming back to me?"

CHORUS: "My child," the merchant murmured as he struck the anxious brow,
"No telephone connection where your mother lives at now.
No telephone in heaven!" And the tears spring in her eyes.
"I thought God had everything with him up in the skies."

"Tell her that I get so lonesome, that I don't know what to do.
And papa cries so much, I guess he must be lonesome too.
Tell her to come to baby 'cause at night I get so 'fraid
With no one there to kiss me when the lights begin to fade.

"All through the day I wander since my dolly's got so sore
From the awful punching brother give it with his little sword.
They ain't no one to fix it since mama's gone away,
And poor little lonesome dolly is getting thinner every day."