Trad. American Drinking Songs?

Subject: RE: Trad. American Drinking Songs?
From: Ferrara
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 12:21 PM

I suspect that "Rum by Gum" [AWAY WITH RUM] and "The Nurse Pinched the Baby" are true American drinking songs. Both are tongue-in-cheek temperance songs.

Also, you get bawdy cowboy songs such as "The Old CHISHOLM TRAIL" which I'm sure were sung in dance halls etc by a rowdy drinking crowd. But that doesn't quite make them drinking songs because they are only incidentally about drinking.

When I was in college, we had dozens of favorites including "THE WINNIPEG WHORE," to the tune of "GOOD FISH CHOWDER," and "HAVE SOME MADEIRA, M'DEAR" which is of course not trad. Then there were crude things like "WALTZ ME AROUND AGAIN, WILLIE" and "ROLL YOUR LEG OVER." I think those would have to count. Also "THE LADY IN RED," i.e. "'Twas a cold winter's evening, the guests were all leaving, O'Leary was closing the bar...." My two-year-old cousin learned that from his grad-student dad in 1963 or so, which means he learned it in the oral tradition QED. Then there was "THE DRUNKEN MOUSE," ie "The liquor was spilled on the barroom floor ... " and The THE FROZEN LOGGER. The trouble with American drinking songs, perhaps, is that "real" folkies don't consider them folk songs because everybody sings them, not just folkies! -- Think about it. - Rita F

This is fun! - Rita F

Subject: RE: Trad. American Drinking Songs?
From: Ferrara
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 12:13 PM

Is "DOOLEY" trad? I doubt it, but it's a good song.

How about "HOT CORN, COLD CORN, bring along a demijohn"? Well, there's songs about whiskey and drinking, such as "COPPER KETTLE," but that's not the same as the songs that folks actually sang in bars, etc. There were elaborate drinking and tavern songs written in the 17th and 18th centuries, such as "The Tippling Philosophers," (words and tune on request, but you'd better really want it, because it's a *lot* of work), but they aren't trad even though they're old. They never passed into the oral tradition because they were too hard to sing.

This is a good question, Dick! A real challenge.

Subject: RE: Trad. American Drinking Songs?
From: Fadac
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 11:07 AM

Is "Chug-a-Lug" American? Makes you want to holler "Hiddy Hoooo"

-Fadac

Subject: Trad. American Drinking Songs?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 11:03 AM

I was having a discussion on this subject with Jeff Warner, who introduced "Boys, Shove Your Grog Around" [RAFTSMAN'S SONG] as the only traditional American Drinking song he knew. I countered with "Johnny, fill up the bowl" [FOR BALES], "RYE WHISKEY", "LITTLE BROWN JUG", "MOUNTAIN DEW" and "FAREWELL TO GROG"

Looking particularly for others that were current in the 19th Century. While I agree that there's no U.S. drinking song tradition to compare with those of England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany, I also think that there should be some others.

Suggestions?