We have two versions of this song in the Digital Tradition, but here's another, from Sigmund Spaeth's Read 'Em and Weep: The Songs You Forgot to Remember (1927). Spaeth does not give a title, so I'll use the one from the other DT versions.
THE GOOD BOY
I have led a good life, full of peace and quiet,
But I shall have an old age steeped in rum and riot;
I have been a nice lad, careful of my morals—
I shall be a grandad full of vice and quarrels.
I have never cut throats—even when I've yearned to;
Never sung the queer songs that my fancy turned to.
I have been a good boy, cowed by smug conditions;
I have tied my real self tight in inhibitions.
I have been a sweet boy, wed to peace and study;
But I shall have an old age ribald, coarse and bloody—
With white hair and red face—full of hell and likker—
When I get a bad thought I shall let her flicker.
I shall quit the good life, full of peace and quiet,
And I shall be a Falstaff steeped in rum and riot—
I shall leave the straight path, which I've walked dejected;
I shall be an old bum—loved and unrespected.
Spaeth's notes:Malcolm (" Mike") Ross, who works for the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York, has brought the old Gambolier tune up to date, with a set of words that beautifully state the case for the rebel against morality. He divides credit, however, with Ralph ("Gee Gee") Albertson, who daims only a partial responsibility....
There are many other sets of words to this universal tune, some of them of an unprintable vulgarity, but widely circulated, nevertheless, in the true folk-song style.
Spaeth suggests The Son of a Gambolier ("I'm a Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech") for a tune. It also works with the Boy Scout tune for Dunderbeck. "Dunderbeck"is what led me to this song, since Spaeth groups Dunderbeck, "Good Boy," and The Young Oysterman together as songs that use the "Gambolier" tune.
Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on the song:
Good Boy, The
DESCRIPTION: "I have led a good life, full of peace and quiet. I shall have an old age, full of rum and riot. I have been a good boy, wed to work and study. I shall be an old man, ribald, coarse, and bloody." The once-good boy describes what he will now do
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag)
KEYWORDS: rebellion age virtue
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag, p. 203, "The Good Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-ReadEmAndWeep, pp. 80-81, [no title] (1 text, tune referenced)
Shay-BarroomBallads/PiousFriendsDrunkenCompanions, p. 113, "(no title)" (1 text)
DT, GOODBOY
Roud #13612
NOTES [85 words]: Various authors have claimed this piece (the Digital Tradition lists Lemuel F. Parton, though Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag merely describes him as a source; Shay-BarroomBallads/PiousFriendsDrunkenCompanions also lists Lemuel F. Parton, and calls him a New York newwpaperman. Spaeth offers Malcolm Ross and Ralph Albertson). Since versions differ dramatically in character, with only the first line or two being constant, one suspects that all these alleged "authors" are in fact customizing a generic piece. - RBW
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