The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #83465   Message #1534405
Posted By: Abby Sale
03-Aug-05 - 07:34 PM
Thread Name: Folklore: Sen. Joe McCarthy
Subject: RE: Folklore: Sen. Joe McCarthy
Consulting the Happy file for May 18, May 26 & June 7, I file "The Refugee." This is a well-established folk song by any (except one person's) definition and by Gene Raskin, (who also wrote: 'Those Were The Days,' & 'Kretchma.') There are many variations but the last verse commonly:

        Well, the Reds kicked me out, yes out in the cold,
        All I had left was some rubies and gold.
        They gave me the gate, the gate without pity,
        Now I take mine revenge on McCarthy's committee.

(I learned it from Banjo Bob Baldwin {DownEast Bob} c.1959)

On McCarthy's death, this changed to "on the UnAmerican Committee" McCarthy sat (as a guest) in the "Army-McCarthy" hearings, not HUAC - he was a senator, HUAC was a House committee, 1st on TV= 4/22/1954. It is also said that the song predates McCarthy and was originally "on Dies' committee." Greenhaus claims he learned it in the 40s when HUAC was chaired by Martin Dies.)

(Option: (spoken): Ah yes. I was penniless. But the Czar! Ah! He was...Nicholas.

There is at least one other McCarthy song I can't place at the moment.