Lyr Add: Father, Dear Father

Subject: Lyr Add: FATHER, DEAR FATHER
From:
Date: 20 Jul 98 - 11:38 AM

Hi,

I'm hoping someone out there can help me fill in some lyrics of a song we call Father, dear Father. The words I have come from an Uncle who learned it at College MANY years ago (Penn State Ag School) Herewith what I have:


FATHER, DEAR FATHER

'Twas Saturday night in an old mining town
Jake's bar room was merry and gay
While far from the laughter, a mother did wait
For Pop to come home with his pay
What's keeping dear Father? Why doesn't he come?
The daughter exclaimed through her tears.
Her Mother replied, "I'm sadly afraid
You're Pa has stopped in for some beer."

CHORUS: Oh, the doors swing in and the doors swing out
And some pass in and others pass out
You Father, I fear has his nose in a beer
Behind those swinging doors,
Behind those swinging doors.

"Oh, I shall go fetch him." the daughter declared.
"He shan't bring disgrace to our name."
And straightway she ran to the corner saloon
To save her poor Father from shame.
"O Father, dear Father, come home with me now
The clock in the steeple strikes two.
Oh, won't you come home, Pa, the rent must be paid.
Don't spend all your money on brew."

Oh, the door swing in and the doors swing out
And some pass in and others pass out
Through the smoke and the haze
There stood Pa in a daze
Behind those swinging doors
Behind those swinging doors

Each Saturday night at the corner saloon
The miners come in with their gold
And Father blows in all his wages for sin
And Nellie goes home in the cold
*missing
*missing
*missing
*missing

Oh, the doors swing in and the doors swing out
And some pass in and others pass out.
The story is told of the fool and his gold
Behind those swinging doors
Behind those swinging doors.


Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: Richard Wright
Date: 20 Jul 98 - 11:49 AM

I think you will find it in Rise Up Singing.

I have all the words and versions here and will send them later. Just running out the door now. It was popular in the 1860s I know, as parodies were written at that time here in B.C.

Try RUP and I'll check later.

Richard

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: Bruce O.
Date: 20 Jul 98 - 12:02 PM

Imitation of Henry Clay Work's "Come Home, Father!" of the 1860's.

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From:
Date: 20 Jul 98 - 12:43 PM

Hi,

Thanks for the leads but I've already tried RUS. It IS very related to Come Home Father (which is also in DigiTrad) but it's not the same. I've been trying to find the lyrics to this version for a long time and am hoping someone "out there" has sung this tongue in cheek version. If you know of any singers who hung around Penn State in the early fifties??? Maybe??? Thanks again

Mary Beth

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: Art Thieme
Date: 05 Aug 98 - 11:43 PM

^^
Father, oh, dear father
I hope that you won't care,
I want to wed my lover,
My lover, John Adair!

Daughter, oh, dear daughter,
You're gonna have to find another,
You cannot marry John Adair 'cause he is your half brother!

Father, oh, dear father...
...frown
I want...
...my lover Jimmy Brown.

(same as verse 2)

THE GAL GOES TO HER MOTHER

Mother, oh, dear mother,
Lord, I am undone,
Every boy I love,
Turns out to be my father's son!

Daughter, oh, dear daughter,
Go ahead and make your vow,
It aint' no sin 'cause you aint' no kin,
To your daddy anyhow!

Got this from the singing of Jimmy Driftwood--many years ago! Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: GUEST,~m
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 02:20 AM

you had::

Each Saturday night at the corner saloon The miners come in with their gold And Father blows in all his wages for sin And Nellie goes home in the cold *missing *missing *missing *missing

my mother sang the remaining lines as:

dear mother she wailed, my mission i failed, my father will never mend his ways,

the mother exclaimed, we'll suffer the shame, its always the woman who pays.

ohhhhh ohhh the doors swing in and the doors pass out. etc

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 03:38 AM

Did your mother's version have the 'clock in the steeple' lines? I ask because that bit looks more like a blow-in than an imitation - would there even be a steeple in a 'small mining town'?

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 07:14 AM

Steve parkes (mudcatter)
does or at any rate did a victorian parlour ballad version of this one

father Dear father come home to us now
the clock in the kitchen strikes ten

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: kendall
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 08:23 AM

..Father dear Father come home with me now
The clock in the steeple strikes three
The house is so lonely the hours are long
For poor weeping Mother and me
Yes, we are alone, poor Benny is dead
And gone with the angels of light
And these are the very last words that he said,
"I want to kiss Papa goodnight"...

Emotional rape.

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: GUEST,Working Radish
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 08:59 AM

I've done "Come home, father" a few times. I sing it pretty straight, but it always raises a laugh - perhaps it's just too manipulative to take seriously.

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: GUEST,Longlankin
Date: 29 Sep 08 - 10:59 AM

There is also a parody of "Father Dear Father . . " called "The Death of the Donkey" in which the house is gradually cleared out by the bailiffs and the donkey gets more and more sick. It ends:

Father, Dear Father come home with me now,
The clock in the hal it strickes three,
The house it is ransacked and left empty quite
There's no-one but donkey and me.
The cat's on the roof tiles, the donkey is dead,
His soul it has taken its flight,
But all is not lost, the horse doctor says,
He'll be turned into sausage tonight.

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: GUEST,pchadek
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 04:58 PM

Here's music and lyrics to a song from the 1930's:

http://mainemusicbox.library.umaine.edu/musicbox/pages/full_record.asp?id=VP_017398

Subject: RE: Father, dear Father
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Oct 08 - 10:19 PM

The sheet music for COME HOME, FATHER by Henry Clay Work, 1864, can be viewed at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music.

The lyrics have been posted in another thread.