Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Baby Died of Spinal Meningitis'
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 08:57 AM

I used to work at a tenant/landlord counseling center and we came up with a whole series of "occupational gallows humor" ditties including "Love Me, I'm Your Landlord," "I Ripped Off All I could," "Landlord's Lullaby," "Retalitory Eviction Ditty," all in the spirit of the 1940's classic "Pity the Downtrodden Landlord." They brightened our day in some odd way, although most did not rise to the threshold of "good taste."

Cordially,
Landlady's Daughter

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Baby Died of Spinal Meningitis'
From: Joybell
Date: 06 Dec 04 - 07:51 PM

I was a nurse too. Thank you alanabit for your well put comments. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: GUEST,richard
Date: 02 Feb 14 - 08:53 AM

My father used to sing it to me when I was two and three in New York in 1941-2

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 06:57 AM

My mother used to sing this song to us when we were kids and I try to carry on the tradition by singing it to my nieces. Mom had a different version, though. This is her's:

Last night at ten our baby died,
Some said it died of suicide,
Some say it died to spite us,
of spinal menenigitis.

It was a nasty old baby anyway,
And cost us forty dollars,
Without a shirt,
To keep it's little body warm.

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 04:19 PM

I'm completely disgusted by these lyrics, they're obscene. It amazes me that people are squeamish about using the 'n' word, yet can write these cruel, dreadful words and even contemplate singing them. I don't think 'sick' begins to describe it. 'Evil' maybe. YUK!

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: and e
Date: 06 May 16 - 11:32 PM

Here is more of the song pre-Songfest. The quote below is from Desmos of Delta Sigma Delta February, 1908.

A TOUCHING SENTIMENT.

It has always been the desire of the Editor to seek out the Good, the True and the Beautiful in art and literature. We . believe that the moral influence of a grand poem, a beautiful picture or strains of touching melody, can not be overestimated. They refine the perceptions, arouse the sensibilities and are altogether bang-up and delerious. With this thought in mind, we print below the words of a favorite song of the justly celebrated Columbia Club Silver Heel Double Quartette. This double quartette is composed of some of the most talented and villainous musicians in the middle west and the rumor that the other members of the Club have applied for a permanent injunction against the Editor singing tenor is absolutely false. It was an ax they called for, not an injunction.

It is to be profoundly regretted that we are unable to print the simple, yet pleasing melody that accompanies the words but the melody is enshrined in the hearts of the members of the quartette and whenever you meet one of them, ask him to hum it for you. The song has almost replaced that touching ballad, popular for years, "Green Leaves, Oh, green s" It is entitled "The Nasty Baby," and runs as follows:

'Twas a nasty baby anyhow
And he only came to spite us.
But he died one night quite suddenly
With the spinal meningitis.
Underneath the sod our baby lies;
And he never cries or hollers.
Oh, he lived just twenty-seven days,
And he cost us forty dollars.

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: GUEST,Hootennanny
Date: 07 May 16 - 05:05 PM

Re Life Presents a Dismal Picture

I heard this in the Royal Army Medical Corps where our sergeant used to sing it. I seem to remember the tune he used was Silver Threads Among the Gold or it might have been the tune of the song that gets bellowed out by all those bloody awful Welsh male voice choirs the title of which I can't remember.

He also used something along the lines of:

Sister Mary's up the spout    (pregnant for you non English)
Little Johnny has just Farted
Turned his arse hole inside out

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: GUEST,J
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 09:50 AM

I am 82, and my mother sang a version of this song to me when I was a small child. She had a few other weird nasties as well, all short and sadistic. I think they date from the late 1920's or 30's, along with the sadistic Little Audrey stories. The Ruthless Rhymes featuring the horrid misdeeds of Little Willie (and the calm way his mother accepts them) are even older--can be dated to the 1890's. Our Edwardian and Victorian ancestors were not as prim as we sometimes imagine.

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: leeneia
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 10:07 AM

"What is interesting, is why they exist at all."

Too much beer, probably.

Subject: RE: Origins: Our Baby Died Last Night
From: and e
Date: 14 Dec 24 - 09:33 PM

OUR BABY DIED LAST NIGHT

Our Baby died last night
It lived for 48 hours
And it cost a hundred dollars
It was a lousy baby, anyway.

His head it turned to mush;
It skwushed between my fingers;
The memory still lingers;
It was a lousy baby, anyway.

Although he tried to bite us
He died for just to spite us
Of spinal meningitus
It was a lousy baby, anyway...

(spoken:) So we ate it.....cold.

ca 2000. SONGS NOT SUITABLE FOR ANYBODY. Text file song collection of songs sung at the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).

Retrieved from www.textfiles.com/music/music/sgons-x5.txt on Nov 28, 2008.