The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #174500   Message #4231537
Posted By: Robert B. Waltz
11-Nov-25 - 04:10 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: Charles Guiteau
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Charles Guiteau
Lighter wrote: Is there still another "Garfield" song?

The two Garfield songs with significant traditional popularity are:
Charles Guiteau (Roud #444)
Mister Garfield (Roud #9138)

I note that this already makes Garfield the president about whom the most song versions have been written.

Art Rosenbaum collected a song called "Garfield" which he thinks is about the President. (I'm not convinced. Roud lumps it with "Mister Garfield," but I think that's one of his lumps-because-it's-too-much-work-to-look-elsewhere.)

I've read five Garfield biographies, and several mention the outpourings of poetry after his death. No evidence that any of the things went into tradition, but they existed.

Guiteau himself wrote a sort of hymn about his execution, though it isn't this. The basic words are "I'm going to the Lordy, I am so glad."