Origins: The Dodger Song

Subject: RE: Origins: The Dodger Song
From: GUEST,Sandy Paton
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 11:05 PM

I believe the version of "The Dodger Song" sung by the Almanac Singers came from Emma Dusenberry in Mena, Arkansas, probably by way of Lee Hayes, who worked at the Commonwealth School in Mena for a time. If my memory is faulty, which is altogether possible, I'm sure the information is available via SING OUT! archives.
    I'm delighted to have the information provided by Joybell above. I'd no idea the song had British music hall antecedents.
    By coincidence, my father was raised in Mena, Arkansas, and all of my summer vacations were spent there in the mid-1930s. My grandparents never mentioned the presence of a "radical" school in their Ozark community, but they wouldn't have approved, even if they'd known of it.

Subject: Origins: The Dodger Song
From: Joybell
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 07:54 PM

It's here in the database under this title. Not to be confused with the song about draft dodging.(Sorry I thought I'd mastered clickies but I haven't). The Almanac Singers recorded it. It was collected by several people including Vance Randolph. Sometimes it's called "We're All Dodging". It is based on an earlier song - according to some sources from the singing of Oklahoma farmers.

I've been researching a certain 19th Century character for about 6 years now and in the process I came across this little piece of information.

From about the 1840s many performers, among them Sam Cowell, John Lawrence Toole and George Coppin, were including a character in their acts called "The Artful Dodge(er)" (The same fellow Dickens used) His song was called "We're all Dodging". Sam Cowell and George Coppin (and most likely others) took this character from the UK to America. George Coppin used him in Australia.
Here in Australia a song called "We're all Cheating" seems to be related.
Anyway I believe this song comes from the singing of these early Musichall performers - for what it's worth.