Lyr Req: Prohibition Song

Subject: Prohibition Song
From: GUEST,Dave
Date: 24 Nov 04 - 09:26 PM

I'm looking for the real title and full lyrics to a song that includes the following

Mother's in the kitchen washing out the jugs,
Sister's in the pantry bottling the suds,
Father's in the cellar mixin' up the hops,
Johnny's on the front porch watchin' for the cops.

I can't find any more of it but I remember it from a record from the sixties that also contained Red River Valley, Bennington Rifles (possibly under a slightly different but related title), and St. James Infirmary. For that matter; I'd like to get more info about the old record as I haven't seen it in 20+ years and I'd love to find a copy.

Subject: req: Prohibition song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 01:26 AM

Hmmm. We don't have it. I checked every site that came up in the Google search, and all had the same four lines, all unattributed except for this page (click), which says it comes from Collier's Weekly, Sept 1,1928.

Now, I did find out that Tom Glazer recorded "Bennington Rifles" on an LP titled Namu, the Killer Whale, and Other Ballads of Adventure. Does that ring a bell?
Happy hunting.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Prohibition Song
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 09:36 AM

I'm familiar with a verse from "The Original Talking Blues" which goes:

Mama's in the kitchen, preparin' to eat
Sister's in the pantry, lookin' for the yeast
Papa's in the cellar, mixin' up the hops
Brother's at the window, lookin' for the cops!

Makin' home brew!

Makes ya happee!   

Hic! Hic!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: Lyr Add: TALKING BLUES (from Silber & Silber)
From: Joe Richman
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 11:21 AM

From Silber & Silber, 1973, Folksinger's Workbook (Oak Publ.)

TALKING BLUES

If you want to get to heaven, let me tell you what to do:
You gotta grease your feet in a little mutton stew,
Slide right out of the devil's hand,
And ease over to the Promised Land.
Take it easy. Go greasy!

I was down in the holler just a-settin' on a log,
My finger on the trigger and my eye on a hog.
I pulled the trigger and my gun went zip,
And I grabbed that hog with all of my grip.
'Course I can't eat hog eyes, but I love chitlins.

Down in the hen house on my knees,
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze,
But it was only the rooster sayin' his prayers,
Thankin' the lord for the hens upstairs.
Rooster prayin', hens a-layin', little pullets just pluggin' away best they know how.

Mamma's in the kitchen fixin' the yeast.
Poppa's in the bedroom greasin' his feet.
Sister's in the cellar squeezin' up the hops.
Brother's in the window just a-watchin' for the cops.
Drinkin' home brew-- makes you happy.

I'll do the rest of the verses in a few min. Minimum caps in my typing due to poor typing skills. Sorry.

Subject: Lyr Add: TALKING BLUES (continued)
From: Joe Richman
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 11:29 AM

Here's the last two:

Now I'm just a city dude a-livin' out of town.
Everybody knows me as Moonshine Brown.
I make the beer and I drink the slop.
Got nine little orphans that call me pop.
I'm patriotic-- raisin' soldiers, Red Cross nurses.

Ain't no use me workin' so hard.
I got a gal in the rich folks' yard.
They kill a chicken, she sends me the head.
She thinks I'm workin'. I'm a-layin' up in bed,
Just dreamin' about her-- havin' a good time-- two other women.

Some verses similar to other songs e.g. "How many biscuits can you eat?" No info on author or when written, sorry.

Joe

Subject: RE: Prohibition Song
From: Joe Richman
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 11:34 AM

Chords given with verses
Line 1 : G                      C
Line 2:       D7                G
Line 3   G7             C
Line 4:       D7       G
subsequent lines (improvise) : C   D7 G C   D7   G

Joe

Subject: RE: Prohibition Song
From: GUEST,Dave
Date: 25 Nov 04 - 07:53 PM

Thanks Joe! That's not quite how I remember it but I remember a couple of those verses exactly.