Origins: Tod & the Sow

Subject: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: GUEST,Julia L
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 12:52 PM

Okay- here's one I can't seem to find anywhere else- help?

Tod & the Sow
Murchie Harvey, Houlton, ME 8/30/1942
Helen Hartness Flanders collection

?Oh I used to dress well and I cut a fine swell
with a fine beaver hat on me head?
I'd several fine suits and both five dollar boots
and a good-looking chap they all said?
Until Mr. Toddy got hold of my body
he tore up my coat and deceiver
?And then Jack Arroughdy he tore up me trousers
and kicked the crown out of my beaver.

Oh, it was a dark night and the people all tight
and my money all spent for grog then
?I'd no place to go to bed, in my woe
so that night I slept in the hog pen?
The old sow was pleased, she snuffled and sneezed,
she tangled her toes in my hair.?
She grunted and cried and fond-e-ly plied
and told me to move if I dared.
Next morning so early I rose up so surely.
I found myself covered with dirt.
?She'd done up my hat, 'twas both greasy and fat
and chewed the tail off of my shirt.

?Twixt Toddy and sow they've ruined me now,
but I'll tell you just what I will do.?
I go to the west and I'll do my damn best
and I'll muster a prodigal crew
On back I will come with four gallons of rum,
my fingernails pointed with steel?
I'll murder old Toddy and bury his body
and make the old sow squeal

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 04:58 PM

Julia,

Could you expand about the H.H.Flanders collection?

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Time is short.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: GUEST,Julia L
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 06:24 PM

Helen Hartness Flanders was a collector who began recording singers in Vermont USA in the late 1930's. She started collaborating with other collectors including Fanny Hardy Eckstorm in Maine and expanded her collecting efforts with the help of her colleague Marguerite Olney. Eventually her collection included over 3000 recordings from people in homes and woods camps throughout New Englnad. I have been transcribing those she found in Maine.
You can find out more about her here
https://sites.middlebury.edu/flanders/

The recordings have been digitized but are low quality and, though there is an index, they are difficult to find as they were randomly transferred to 45 minute cassettes and not organized, nor are there time codes. They are available at archive.org

Whenever I transcribe a song I notate the location with a recording nmber and time code. My book "Bygone Ballads of Maine Vol 1 Songs of Ships and Sailors" has a complete index of the location of all Maine seafaring songs I could find.

I'm currently working on volume 2

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 09:53 PM

Julia's book is a wonderful piece of work, Gargoyle.

Bygone Ballads of Maine Vol 1 Songs of Ships and Sailors

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: GUEST,Julia L
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 10:44 PM

Thanks , Joe Offer! This next volume is going to be tough- so many interesting and unusual songs... agh! May have to be a volume 3?!!

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 10:45 PM

Three volumes? Go for it!!!

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: cnd
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 08:35 AM

In case it helps, the song is the first recording on this link: https://archive.org/details/HHFBC_tapes_D29A/D29A+sideA.mp3

(I may have a few gentle corrections to the lyrics, if you're interested, but nothing that would change the meaning of the song significantly. I'll have to listen again more closely later today.)

I did find one song in the Max Hunter Collection and the University of Arkansas' Ozark Folksong Collection which matches it, referred to as either the Drunkard's Song or In a Hog Pen. It was sung by Fred High of High, Arkansas twice; once on February 12, 1958, and once on April 15th, 1950. I'll post them both in separate messages.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: cnd
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 08:39 AM

From the Max Hunter Collection: link. I've made a few minor corrections.

IN A HOG PEN
Cat. #0025 (MFH #287) - As sung by Fred High, High, Arkansas on February 12, 1958

I used to dress well
And cut a big swell
With a fine beaver hat on my head
Wore several fine suits
With five dollar boots
A very fine chap it was said

One night I drunk free
Got on a big spree
The landlord, he sold me the toddy
He beat me with blows
He thumped my red nose
So roughly he handled my body

So, I thought I'd take it by little
Digest my vittles
And make a new boiler, make steam
My money all spent for got-vim
How bitter the woe
Had nowhere to go
That night I lodged in a hog pen

Hog's bein' displeased
They snuffled an' sneezed
And they covered me up with their noses
They chewed up my hat
Both greasy and flat
And tore up one-half of my shirt

An' th girls they would cry
When me they did spy
And the boys, they would giggle and shout
Says, look at his head
O, ain't his nose red
By jollies, his eyes are jobbed out

With my hat brim tore
Hung down before
An' my nose it stuck straight out between
An' th girls they would cry
When me they did spy
And the boys, they would giggle and shout
Says, look at his head
O, ain't his nose red
By jollies, his eyes are jobbed out


This goofy little song was sung by Fred High.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: cnd
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 08:46 AM

From the Ozark Folksongs Collection: link

Collected by Merlin Mitchell
Transcribed by Kyle Perrin

Reel 34
Item 6

Fred High
High, Ark.
April 15, 1950

Drunkard's Song

I use to dress well,
And cut a big swell,
With a fine beaver hat on my head;
Wore several fine suits
With my five dollar boots,
And a very fine chap, it was said.

So I'd take it by littles,
Digest my vittles,
Making a new boiler make steam;
One night I drunk free,
Got on a big spree,
And the landlord he sold me the toddy;
He beat me with blows,
He thumped my red nose,
So roughly he handled my body.

My money all spent,
Forgot then,
For bitter the woe,
Had no where to go,
That night I lodged in a hog pen.

Hogs being displeased,
They snuffled and sneezed,
And they covered me up with their noses;
They chewed up my hat
Both greasy and flat,
And tore up one half of my shirt;
With my hat brim tore,
Hung down before,
And my nose it stuck straight out between.

The girls they would cry
When me they did spy,
The boys would giggle and shout;
Says, look at his head!
Oh, haint his nose red!
By jolly his eyes is jobbed out.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: cnd
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 09:03 AM

There's a good bio of Fred High in Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector by Sarah Nelson, which, if Google is nice to you, can be read here.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 04:01 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: GUEST,Julia L
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 07:30 PM

Thanks all, for your detective work! It certainly is a version of Harvey's song.
Fred and I have decided a "deceiver" is a dickie or false shirt front worn by dandies to impress. Of course, the beaver is a hat. I'm intrigued by the "fingernails pointed with steel" in the last verse!

I'll post the tune as we get it transcribed

best- J

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 09:03 PM

It's Roud Number 15800 - I see that cnd has already found the second and third major entries.

Subject: RE: Origins: Tod & the Sow
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 09:13 PM

Julia - thank you.

I will purchase the books.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle


Maine - is one of my obtuse collections.