Lyr Req: There's a Long, Long Trail (parodies)

Subject: Gene? Long, Long Trail Awinding
From:
Date: 09 Nov 97 - 04:38 PM

Dear Gene, if you are working on WWI songs, have you run across any of the parodies of "There's a Long, Long Trail Awinding?". I only know of one -- "A Long, Long Worm A'Crawling Along the Roof of My Tent", but I was once told there was a myriad others. Anyone? Yours, Peter T.

Subject: Lyr Add: LONG, LONG TAIL
From: rich r
Date: 14 Nov 97 - 12:42 AM

What a long, long tail our cat's got,
And it's all covered with fur;
But it's sure no good to fight with,
And it's no help to purr.
She can't wag it like a dog does,
Nor give the bad flies a bat;
Don't laugh or sigh, but tell me why
There's a tail on a long-tailed cat.

rich r

Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'S A LONG, LONG TRAIL (parodies)
From: rich r
Date: 14 Nov 97 - 01:10 AM

2. You can tell a man from ______. (put your favorite state, city etc. here, e.g. "Texas" "Fargo")
You can tell him by his talk.
You can tell a man from _______.
You can tell him by his walk.
You can tell him by his manner,
By his appetite and such.
You can tell a man from ______,
But you cannot tell him much.

3. It's a short, short life we live here,
So let us laugh while we may,
With a song for every moment
Of the whole bright day.
What's the use of being gloomy,
Or what's the use of our tears,
When we know a mummy's had no fun
For the last three thousand years?

4. There's a long, long trail a-winding
Where my hair used to be,
And the flies, they dance and skate
Upon my ivory.
There's a long, long night of waiting
For the work of herpicide
Till all the hairs live again
That look like they have died.

(I don't know what that last part means. Herpicide sounds like something to kill snakes)

5. There's a long, long nail a-grinding
Up through the sole of my shoe,
And it's ground its way into my foot
For a whole mile or two.
There's a long, long hike before me,
And what I'm dreaming about
Is the time when I can sit me down
And pull that long nail out.

6. There's a long green worm a-winding
Upon the roof of my tent,
And the rising bell is ringing,
And it's time for me to went.
There's some cold, cold water waiting
For me to take a morning dip,
So when I return I'll find that worm
Upon my pillowslip.

rich r

Subject: RE: Gene? Long. Long Trail Awinding
From: Peter T.
Date: 16 Nov 97 - 10:49 AM

Thank you, Rich, "there's a long long thread awinding". Yours, Peter

Subject: RE: Gene? Long. Long Trail Awinding
From: AndyG
Date: 17 Nov 97 - 09:05 AM

A somg about a endanged species of snail threatened by a by-pass.

Written by Joy Rutherford, (see The Bold Librarian in the DB)
I'll try to get the lyrics when I next see her.
The chorus goes something like this:-

Chorus:

We are the Valiant Snails of England,
sliding along the by-pass.
Leaving silvery trails behind us,
on the wet, green grass.
And we have no hooves to trample,
and no wings for to fly.
Only our houses on our shoulders,
and our horns held on high.

AndyG

Subject: RE: Gene? Long. Long Trail Awinding
From: toadfrog
Date: 03 Jun 01 - 03:31 PM

An item you may want to add to digitrad: THERE'S A LONG, LONG, TRAIL was written by Stoddard King and first performed by John McCormack, in or about 1915. The Field Artillery parody, almost certainly from WW I, ran:

There's a long, long trace a winding
Round the hocks of my team,
And the martingale is twisted
Round the off brake beam.
I've got the off-horse saddled backward;
I've got the crupper round his neck!
It's all so darned peculiar, but I'll get there yet, by heck!

Subject: RE: Gene? Long. Long Trail Awinding
From: Peter T.
Date: 03 Jun 01 - 03:43 PM

Long, long, loooong trail a winding: thanks toadfrog.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Gene? Long. Long Trail Awinding
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 03 Jun 01 - 04:44 PM

Hey! Peter T.!

I guess I missed this one back in 97...???

but answer woulda been the same...didn't have any ---

Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'S A LONG, LONG TRAIL (King, Elliott
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 May 05 - 08:18 AM

Here's the original, apparently. It's only slightly different from the one in DT.

From The University of South Carolina Sheet Music Collection:

THERE'S A LONG, LONG TRAIL
Words, Stoddard King. Music, Zo Elliott. 1917.

1. Nights are growing very lonely.
Days are very long.
I'm a-growing weary only
List'ning for your song.
Old remembrances are thronging
Through my memory,
Till it seems the world is full of dreams
Just to call you back to me.

CHORUS: There's a long, long trail a-winding
Into the land of my dreams,
Where the nightingales are singing
And a white moon beams.
There's a long, long night of waiting
Until my dreams all come true,
Till the day when I'll be going down
That long, long trail with you.

2. All night long, I hear you calling,
Calling sweet and low.
Seem to hear your footsteps falling
Ev'rywhere I go.
Though the road between us stretches
Many a weary mile,
I forget that you're not with me yet
When I think I see you smile.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: There's a Long, Long Trail (parodies)
From: Emma B
Date: 19 May 05 - 03:42 PM

Thanks - not heard the "Long long worm a'crawling......." since I was a Girl Guide (an awfu'long long time ago!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: There's a Long, Long Trail (parodies)
From: GUEST,Joe_F
Date: 19 May 05 - 06:25 PM

I believe there was a W.W. I soldiers' version that began

"There's a long, long trail a-winding

Into the trenches of France",

but I don't know any more.

--- Joe Fineman    [e-mail]

||: We have had artificial _foolishness_ for a long time. :||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: There's a Long, Long Trail (parodies)
From: rich-joy
Date: 19 May 05 - 09:43 PM

Regarding the "original" of this song :

I have seen many different dates on various websites, from 1913 (when Sto & Zo apparently wrote it as Yale seniors) to 1914 to 1915 and now (from Jim's post) - 1917!

One site mentions that John McCormack recorded it upon 7 June 1917 (the opening day of the Battle of Messines) - I wonder if this is part of the confusion???


Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: There's a Long, Long Trail (parodies)
From:
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 10:51 PM

Tune: There's a Long, Long Nail a Grinding into the sole of my shoe
Camp song

There's a long, long nail a grinding
into the sole of my shoe
And digs a little deeper every mile or two
There's a long, long hill before me
And what I'm dreaming about
Is the day when I can sit me down
And pull that darn nail out

Mother taught us kids this back in the 50's.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: There's a Long, Long Trail (parodies)
From: GUEST,Shauna
Date: 15 Sep 16 - 03:54 AM

There's a long, long worm a crawling
Across the rim of my plate
And I can hear the captain calling
"Eat up all that's on your plate!"
So I gobble him up quickly
With a mouthful of glee
Cos if I hadn't had him for my dinner
I'd have had him for my tea.