Songs About Self-Castration

Subject: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Jack Campin
Date: 16 May 14 - 06:37 PM

I just came across this in the Shakers' first song collection, Millennial Praises (1813):

                   There are Eunuchs

                IN ancient days, the scripture says,
                That lust was so despised,
                To get a name of better fame,
                Some chose to sacrifice it:
                For their distaste to things unchaste,
                Great princes sought their favour,
                To guard the place from actions base,
                And all unclean behaviour.

                2
                Bed chambers were their constant care,
                Hence they obtain'd their title,
                Which simply means, female guardians,
                Who every passion bridle.
                Such foes to lust, when put to trust,
                Were faithful in their station,
                And by their fruit gain'd such repute,
                They almost ruled the nation.

                3
                From eunuchs then, tho' made of men,
                Much light and truth descended,
                Since by that line, God did foresign
                The work which he intended.
                By all the wise, who virtue prize,
                The name was still revered,
                Till in that name the substance came,
                And Christ himself appeared.

                4
                Hence from his throne he then made known
                The way of self-denial,
                And eunuchs were call'd forth to bear
                The gospel's fiery trial:
                Lust-hating men were chosen then,
                Unto a work still greater,
                And their employ was to destroy
                The beastly law of nature.

                5
                He comes again, on earth to reign,
                His court is now erected,
                A mansion sure, for virgins pure,
                Where they can be protected;
                While eunuchs clean, are their guardians,
                His glory in the center,
                No lustful man, then ever can
                His sacred chambers enter.

                6
                Tho' men of wit, search sacred writ,
                And read the lifeless letter,
                And rack their sense with vain comments,
                It never makes them better.
                The case is plain, who now shall reign,
                The elder or the younger?
                And who shall be the sapless tree,
                The eunuch or fleshmonger?

                7
                Ye, who were led from nature's bed,
                Like bullocks to the slaughter,
                You have a name of better fame,
                Than that of son or daughter;
                Your root, we know, will spread and grow,
                Sap'd with the Holy Spirit,
                And none but these green olive trees,
                Christ's Kingdom shall inherit.

No tune mentioned, though. ("Mr Tambourine Man" sorta fits).

And according to this srticle on the Castrators of Russia, they had quite a lot of their own religious songs:

http://etor.h1.ru/castrati.html

though there is no mention of any being written down or recorded.

Is there anything singable out there?

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 16 May 14 - 07:58 PM

Ahhh... now I know why I haunt these boards!

Yes, "After the ball is over..."

Anyway, self-castration is a little out of my league, but there's David Massengill's The Eunuch's Lament:

I am a eunuch brave and true
I am a eunuch through and through
With a hey ninny ninny
High ninny ninny
Hey ninny high nanny poo
O in this life I've had no fun
I've had no gun to bang the bun
With a hey tooter shooter
High dangler banger
Hey tooter high banger boo

I have no ding to dong the queen
I have no use for the latrine
With a hey zipper dipper
High zapper dapper
Hey zipper high dapper doo

O as a lover I am a flop
I've never heard a cherry pop
With a hey piggy squealer
High fanny squasher
Hey piggy high squasheroo

The Queen is hot but I am not
For long ago my wad was shot
With a hey blapper nipper
High blapper whapper
Hey blipper high whapper woo

The clocks go tick the bells go bong
I'd give my arm for an eight-inch wong
With a hey wonger bonger
High wanger banger
Hey wonger high bangeroo

I am a sexless shepherd bred
I'll never prod where others tread
With a hey gooser moocher
High gander masher
Hey gooser high masher coo

O all the plums of Italy
Will never peel their bush for me
With a hey beaver basher
High pubic poacher
Hey beaver high poacher chew

My feet are flat and not only that
I've got no balls to beat the bat
With a hey weener peeler
High tater nailer
Hey weener high nailer blue

The dames go chit the dames go chat
I cannot wipe their welcome mats
With a hey weezer squeezer
High asser splasher
Hey weezer high splasher poo

John Dillinger had a twelve inch prick
It's fellers like him who make me sick
With a hey super drooper
High party pooper
Hey super high pooperoo

The time has come to bid good riddance
Til the eunuch makes his next appearance
With a hey fuck you
High fuck you
--And I mean that with all my heart...on--
Fuck you and your big whalzoo


The song is available from Smithsonian Folkways and some other sites on the Net.

Just the thing for your next song circle!


Jay

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST
Date: 16 May 14 - 08:04 PM

I always liked Tony Rose's version of Sheath and Knife. But it's not explicit.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 16 May 14 - 10:37 PM

Nice addition.

JACK...I know you are a MC newbie...

What is. YOUR source? (hb book? web archive?)
Where did YOU discover "Shakers' first song collection, Millennial Praises (1813)"



Sincerely,
Gargoyle


nice addition ... much better than posting to "Lyric Added" which seldom get off a single post.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,John Foxen
Date: 17 May 14 - 10:42 AM

There are First Cut Is The Deepest and Phil The Fluter's Ball but the person to ask is rapper Andre Johnson (aka Christ Bearer) who has just cut off his own Wu-Tang.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 17 May 14 - 01:12 PM

subject is addressed in works by GERSHON LEGMAN.

Thomas.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 17 May 14 - 03:26 PM

"Sheath and Knife. But it's not explicit."
Explicit enough,
"He's gi'en himsel' a wound full sair,
He'll ne'er ride to the broom nae mair".
Can't speak of Tony Rose's version of it; that's the text I know.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 17 May 14 - 05:24 PM

I posted the following in April 2011, on This Thread.
Dave the Gnome said that in future 'he' wanted to be known as 'Polly'. It was then suggested as a suitable subject for a Song Challenge, hence:

THE GNOMES SEX CHANGE
Nigel Parsons 14/4/11   (apologies to Ewan MacColl)

I'm a gnom-ee, I'm a gnom-ee from Manchester way
I've taken my pleasures the good laddish way
Renouncing that may seem quite churlish
But now I want pleasures quite girlish.

The day was just ending, as I was descending
To Glasto, just South of the Tor
And being quite dense, I jumped over a fence
The wire ripped through the britches I wore.
It also ripped right through my manhood (gnome-hood?)
Leaving me terribly sore.
And the doctor he said, without laughing!
That I could be a dad-gnome no more!

I'm a gnom-ee, I'm a gnom-ee from Manchester way
I've taken my pleasures the good laddish way
Renouncing that may seem quite churlish
But now I want pleasures quite girlish.

The specialist said I'd lost more than my 'head'
In truth, I'd lost most of my dick.
And tho' skin's quite elastic; still with surgery plastic
I'd more chance of a 'cave' than a 'pick' (sorry, dwarvish joke, I couldn't resist it despite the pain!)
I made up my mind in a jiffy
Though what I was losing was small.
The internal workings are iffy
The unkindest cut of them all!

I'm a gnom-ee, I'm a gnom-ee from Manchester way
I've taken my pleasures the good laddish way
Renouncing that may seem quite churlish
But now I want pleasures quite girlish.

Now I go where I will, over valley & hill
And I don't care what other gnomes think
I remember my fate, I use stile or gate!
And my beard I've dyed a light pink
So I can still go on a bender
When to folk club, or folk fest I roam.
For no-one there questions my gender.
It matters to none but a gnome.

I'm a gnom-ee, I'm a gnom-ee from Manchester way
I've taken my pleasures the good laddish way
Renouncing that may seem quite churlish
But now I want pleasures quite girlish.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,..gargoyle
Date: 17 May 14 - 08:06 PM

Dear Mr.Thomas...friends will cut you some grace...if you will do the same... like Jack you are obvious MC newbies.

PLEASE ... expand upon your post "GERSHON LEGMAN."

url?
HBbook?
insider joke?
writer, publisher, or YOUR original contact?

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

imagine an postgraduate accessing this thread a decade from now

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,..gargoyle
Date: 17 May 14 - 08:06 PM

Dear Mr.Thomas...friends will cut you some grace...if you will do the same... like Jack you are obvious MC newbies.

PLEASE ... expand upon your post "GERSHON LEGMAN."

url?
HBbook?
insider joke?
writer, publisher, or YOUR original contact?

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

imagine an postgraduate accessing this thread a decade from now

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 18 May 14 - 04:11 AM

Gargoyle
Gershon Legman was a folklorist who spacialised in sexual folklore and humour.
I think the work being referred to is 'The Horn Book' (wonderful title), but his better known work was the two-volume 'Rationale of the Dirty Joke' - particularly volume two, 'No Laughing Matter', which deals with the 'dirty, dirty joke'.
His masterwork was his edition of the Vance Randolph collection of "Unprintable" Ozark Folksongs and Folklore, vol 1, 'Roll me in Your Arms' folksongs and music) and vol. 2, 'Blow the Candle Out' (folk rhymes and other lore).
He did a similar job with the much-pirated The Limerick
A scholar who very much 'stood out' in his field of research, you might say.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 May 14 - 05:55 AM

What is. YOUR source? (hb book? web archive?)

Probably the same one anybody would find. Did someone cut your googles off?

Where did YOU discover "Shakers' first song collection, Millennial Praises (1813)"

Somebody here mentioned it a few years ago as the source for "Babylon is Fallen". I was looking for other Shaker songs.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Shimbo Darktree
Date: 18 May 14 - 06:35 PM

I am impressed. I'm knackered if I can think of any such songs.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,Brian May
Date: 18 May 14 - 07:07 PM

I presume all these songs are rendered in a painful falsetto?

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 May 14 - 06:25 PM

The late Mike Soar of Selby wrote an absolute classic on getting the snip (from personal experience). He appropriated the tune and some of the words of 'Banks of Sweet Primroses'. Well worth including here if anyone has a copy.

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,LynnH
Date: 20 May 14 - 01:30 PM

Is this a follow on from the various transgender threads here?

Subject: RE: Songs About Self-Castration
From: GUEST,Marianne S.
Date: 20 May 14 - 01:57 PM

No.