Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song

Subject: Lyr Add: THE FAMOUS PIG SONG
From: Tiger
Date: 28 May 00 - 08:54 AM

Here are the words from old songbook pages. The bottom of the page with the copyright info is worn away. I'd guess the 30's, that fits with the active years for Van Ness and Klickmann, and with the collecting time frame of the person I got it from.

Can't also guarantee this is the original version, but it's the kind of music these guys did. The title page says "Special version by....." so it could conceivably be a songbook cover version. Definitely not a fakebook, since it's 4 pages with elaborate chords, melody staff and piano arrangement.

Enjoy....Tiger

THE FAMOUS PIG SONG
Words by Clarke Van Ness, music by F. Henri Klickmann

'Twas an evening in October, I'll confess I wasn't sober,
I was carting home a load with manly pride,
When my feet began to stutter and I fell into the gutter,
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.
Then I lay there in the gutter and my heart was all a-flutter,
Till a lady, passing by, did chance to say:
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,"
Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.

Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,"
Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.

Then I heard a gentle mooing, it was like a pigeon cooing,
As a home returning cow stopped in her stride,
And her eyes were big and gentle; her expression sentimental,
As she curtsied low and sat down by my side.
Then I saw her eyelids flutter and a tear fell in the gutter,
As the owner of the cow did loudly say:
"Leave that brute this moment, Sonja, or your milk will curdle on ya,"
Then the cow got up and slowly walked away.

Walked away, walked away,
She was really too particular to stay.
"Leave that brute this moment, Sonja, or your milk will curdle on ya,"
Then the cow got up and slowly walked away.

Then the moon began to shine in that old gutter I reclined in,
Thinking of the weakness of the human race,
When a dog sat down beside me, and I thought he came to chide me,
Till he gently licked the stubble on my face.
In the gutter, still reclining, I began "Sweet Adeline-ing,"
While the dog raised up his head to loudly bay;
Then his mistress said, "Come, Fido, that disgusting man may bite you,"
Then the dog got up and slowly walked away.

Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.
Then his mistress said, "Come, Fido, that disgusting man may bite you,"
Then the dog got up and slowly walked away.

Down the street there came a clatter, and a gentle pitter-patter,
As a pair of goats along the gutter ran;
And it seemed that Billy knew me, for he quickly drew up to me,
While his wife munched on an empty sardine can.
Then again my pulse did flutter, and my heart was soft as butter;
Till the Nanny goat, unto her mate, did say:
"William dear, your social status don't include men such as that is,"
Then the goat got up and slowly walked away.

Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.
"William dear, your social status don't include men such as that is,"
Then the goat got up and slowly walked away.

Then I started in to mutter and I rose up from the gutter,
Then I sadly went about my lonely way;
I was weary, sick and busted; I was really quite disgusted,
And I vowed to sign the pledge that very day.
For each humble, lowly creature, a great lesson he can teach ya,
Like the one learned while I in the gutter lay;
In the tavern, do not tarry, when you've got all you can carry,
But take up your load and slowly walk away.

Walk away, walk away,
For the "Horrors" is an awful price to pay,
In the tavern, do not tarry, when you've got all you can carry,
But take up your load and slowly walk away.

CODA
Now lately I've been thinking that I will quit my drinking.
I'm going to leave off whiskey, beer and grog,
For there's no consolation, but only aggravation,
You can't even find friendship with a hog.

(Alternate last stanza)
I began to scratch the gravel, on my all fours I did travel,
I rambled down the road the best I could.
When I awoke next morning, just as the day was dawning,
I was in a hog pen away out in the woods.
Then the hogs began to grumble, I started and I stumbled,
I fell right in their midst and there I lay.
Then one by one they started, till all the herd departed,
Yes, every hog got up and walked away.

Walked away, etc.

^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: MMario
Date: 28 May 00 - 09:00 AM

Thanks Tiger. I've known this a while, but only the first verse.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: TerriM
Date: 28 May 00 - 02:25 PM

Thank you for this absolute treasure, like Mmario, I only knew the first verse

Subject: Lyr Add: THE PIG GOT UP AND SLOWLY WALKED AWAY
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Aug 02 - 05:11 PM

Transcribed from the sound file here (They might require you to register before you can access that page, but it's worth it because they let you listen to entire cuts!)

THE PIG GOT UP AND SLOWLY WALKED AWAY
(as sung by Frank Crumit)

One evening in October,
When I was about one-third sober,
And was taking home a load with manly pride,
My poor feet began to stutter,
So I lay down in the gutter,
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.
Then we sang a song, "Fair Weather"
And "Good Fellows Get Together"
Till a lady passing by was heard to say:
She says, "You can tell a man who boozes
By the company he chooses,"
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.
As the pig got up and slowly walked away,
Slowly walked away, slowly walked away,
As the pig got up and he turned and winked at me
As he slowly walked away.

I also well remember
One evening in November
When I was creeping home at break of day,
For in my exhilaration,
I engaged in conversation
With a cab-horse, right on the corner of Broadway.
I was filled up to the eyeballs
With a flock of gin and highballs,
So I whispered to the cab-horse old and gray.
I says, "It's these all-night homeward marches
That gave us both fallen arches."
And the old horse laughed and slowly walked away.
As the old horse laughed and slowly walked away,
Slowly walked away, slowly walked away,
And the old horse laughed and he turned and winked at me
As he slowly walked away,
As he slowly walked away.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Aug 02 - 05:12 PM

Three versions appear in the DT:

PIG AND THE INEBRIATE
PIG AND THE INEBRIATE 2 (long version)
PIG AND THE INEBRIATE 3

And other versions appear in these Forum threads:

straight & sober song circle
A pig song
Wanted: Songs for alcoholics!
Source Req: I Was Lyin' in the Gutter
Songs that no one likes but you

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: M.Ted
Date: 26 Aug 02 - 05:46 PM

Thanks for lyrics! As a Crumit fan, I know only his version, and the additional verses are delightfully new to me!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: Bill D
Date: 27 Sep 02 - 01:06 PM

using this thread to get in.....couldn't access threads directly

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 27 Sep 02 - 03:49 PM

I believe it can also be found in "My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions," compiled by Shay and illustrated by Held. Good luck in your trackback.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: GUEST,muzza
Date: 02 Nov 10 - 06:43 AM

ANOTHER VERSION....narrow escape for the pig!

'Twas an evening in October, I'll confess I wasn't sober,
To keep my feet from wandering I tried,
When my feet began to stutter and I fell into the gutter,
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.
We sang "never mind the weather" just as long as we're together
Till a lady, passing by, did chance to say:
"All self respect he loses when such company he chooses,"
Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.

Yes the pig got up and slowly Walked away, walked away,
He was really too particular to stay.

One morning Pat O'Reilly, said to his missus, shyly
Tonight some friends of mine are dining here,
Said his wife,who comes from Bantree
"There is nothing in the pantry"
And the family pig collapsed in mortal fear,
Mrs.Pat said "What the dickens- I can kill a pair of chickens
Or would Pork and sage and onions be ok?"
"Are these friends some men I'm knowin'?"
Pat said "Isaac,Stein and Cohen"
And the pig got up and slowly walked away

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: open mike
Date: 02 Nov 10 - 01:57 PM

That reminds me of this joke about a pig...with a wooden leg...

A travelling salesman of agricultural machinery was on a three week tour through the hinterlands of southern Arkansas and was visiting one particular farmer. He was standing, alongside of the farmer, leaning on the corral rail – as he always did before pitching "the new line of tractors" – and looking at all of the farm animals in the barnyard. Seeing one particular pig, he said: "Say, that sure is a fine hog, but, you know, I have never seen a pig with one wooden leg before." The farmer said: "You see, that there pig is one valuable animal, I can tell you. That there hog saved my life three times."

"The first time was about a month ago. My wife fried potatoes for supper, just the way I like them, and left the frying pan on the stove. About midnight or so, the pig must have smelled the smoke, but be broke out of his pen, butted the house door open with his snout, woke us up and we got out of the house just in time."

"And it wasn't but two weeks later and I was mowing on the back forty and I tipped the tractor over and it pinned me under the rear wheel. Gas was leaking out of the tank onto the hot manifold and that pig must have heard me yelling, because he broke out again, ran up to me, saw what had happened, ran to the neighbour, got help and the neighbour came with his tractor and pulled me free."

"And just last week, I was leading the old dairy bull out to pasture, and he raised up and pulled the ring out of his nose and, quick as two shakes of a dog's tail, he knocked me down. He jumped on me and straddled me with his horns and was about to gore me, when the old pig heard what was going on, broke out again, ran up, got a firm hold on the old bull's tail and I got away."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Having heard the explanation, the salesman said: "All well and good, but that doesn't explain why that hog has got a wooden leg." The farmer replied: "Well, in a way, it does. A pig that is that valuable is way too valuable to eat all at one time".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Nov 10 - 11:30 PM

THE FAMOUS PIG SONG appeared in "Clarke's Comedy Song Folio," by Clarke Van Ness and Frank Henri Klickmann (New York: Rialto Music Pub. Corp., 1935)

I'm not sure, but I think this might be its first publication.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: GUEST,Flyer
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 10:31 AM

Hello,
Does anyone know or have the sheet music or sound file to this tune? The link in the posting by Jim Dixon in August of '02 is no longer valid.
Thank you in advance.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Famous Pig Song
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 12:03 PM

The Pig (Frank Crumit)