Lyr Req: Yankee Reuben Glue (Kennett, Udall, 1898)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Yankee Reuben Glue'??
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 11:23 PM

I have discovered that Palatkin was a chief of the Spokane Indian tribe around the time of the Spokane–Coeur d'Alene–Paloos War of 1858, but without doing a lot of reading, I am unable to say why he was considered important enough to mention in this song.

Subject: Lyr Add: YANKEE REUBEN GLUE (Kennett, Udall, 1898)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 10:54 PM

The trick to reading this was to download the PDF version of the book. It contains actual page images, which you can enlarge to a legible size. Fortunately the book is only 20 pages long. I'm glad it wasn't 500!


YANKEE REUBEN GLUE
Copyright, 1898, by Howley, Haviland & Co.      English Copyright secured
Written by Karl Kennett.      Music by Lyn Udall.

We pick him up in Cisco,
In Florida or Frisco;
  And teach him to manipulate a gun.
We mount him on a pony,
That's razor back'd and bony,
  And set him chasing Indians for fun.
His name may be Mullaly,
Gugheimer or Pizzali.
  It doesn't matter so he wears the blue;
And tinker, clerk or cooper,
When once he's turn'd a trooper,
  He'll answer to the name of Reuben Glue.

CHORUS.
You may talk of your Palatkins,
Your Turks, or Tommy Atkins,
  We know 'em and we rather like 'em too;
But when it comes to citing
The chaps to do the fighting,
  We pin our faith to Yankee Reuben Glue.

When border troubles vex us,
We send him down to Texas,
  To make a blooming blister of his face.
And when the gay Comanches
Cut up and burn the ranches,
  He goes and gently puts them back in place.
As often as they've got him,
Where they could safely pot him,
  He's died as Yankee troopers ever do;
He's not a howling beauty,
But then he knows his duty,
  And does it like a Yankee Reuben glue.—Chorus.

We hardly ever see him.
We wouldn't like to be him.
  We all have other irons in the fire.
But when the Yankee Nation,
Gets up a celebration,
  We want him there in holiday attire.
And so may heaven speed him,
He's there if we should need him,
  As almost any day we're apt to do;
There isn't many of him,
So all the more we love him,
  And here's a health to Yankee Reuben Glue.—Chorus.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Yankee Reuben Glue'??
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 03:53 PM

Thanks, Jim. I found the 'whiskers' one too.
I don't think this kind of comedy would sell nowadays.

To give someone the 'huckleberry' meant to give them bad treatment (from 1883 in print, see Lighter). Lighter roughly equates it with giving the 'raspberry'. Thus 'huckleberry doo' might mean Reuben got the raspberry, but it might also mean the 'bum's rush'.
I couldn't find it as a phrase, but huckleberry seems to have been common in slang phrases in the later 19th c.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LITTLE BUNCH OF WHISKERS ON HIS CHIN
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 02:38 PM

Here's a different "Reuben Glue" song--

From The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music:


THE LITTLE BUNCH OF WHISKERS ON HIS CHIN.
Words by William Jerome. Music by Andrew Mack.
New York: T.B. Harms & Co., 1894

VERSE 1. A "Jay" came to the city once, to see the funny sights
With a little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
He'd heard about the cable cars and grand electric lights
With his little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
Says he, "I'll take in ev'rything, have all the fun I can."
As he got off the cars, the sharpers after him they ran,
And quickly then in tow they had this little countryman,
With his little bunch of whiskers on his chin.

CHORUS 1: Reuben Glue thought he knew a thing or two;
Said that he would surely like the place!
Whoa! But he went back to the town of Hackensack
With a very funny look upon his face!

VERSE 2. He went into a restaurant to get a bite to eat
With a little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
He was as welcome in there as he was out in the street,
With his little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
He ate a plate of pork and beans, and when he went to pay,
The man charg'd him five dollars. "That's too much," old Rube did say.
"I know it is," the man said, "but I need the cash today,"
And he pulled the little whiskers on his chin.

CHORUS 2: Reuben Glue got the huckleberry doo;
Said he knew he wouldn't like the place!
Whoa! And he went back to the town of Hackensack
With a very funny look upon his face!

VERSE 3. Into a poker game he sat, to pass the time away,
With a little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
A "Jackpot" it was opened and old Reuben says, "I'll stay,"
With his little bunch of whiskers on his chin;
And when it came to drawing cards, old Reuben he took one!
Says he, "I'll show these city sharps a little bit of fun!"
Old Reuben held four aces, but the sharper held a gun
At the little bunch of whiskers on his chin.

CHORUS 3: Reuben Glue from the table quickly flew;
Said he knew he wouldn't like the place!
Whoa! And he went back to the town of Hackensack
With a very funny look upon his face!

VERSE 4. He went into a beer saloon to try and quench his thirst
With a little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
The gang inside got fighting about which one saw him first,
With his little bunch of whiskers on his chin.
They nail'd his shoes down to the floor. He couldn't get away.
For all the drinks they had that night, old Reuben had to pay.
They pulled his leg so hard he had to buy a crutch next day,
Also had to cut the whiskers off his chin.

CHORUS 4: Reuben Glue didn't do a thing to you.
Said he knew he wouldn't like the place!
Whoa! Then he hopped back to the town of Hackensack,
But he hadn't any whiskers his face!


[p.s.: What's a huckleberry doo?]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Yankee Reuben Glue'??
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 02:34 PM

From Fibre & Fabric : A Record of American Textile Industries in the Cotton and Woolen Trade, v. 12 (Aug. 30, 1890-Feb. 21, 1891), page 9:

...I also met Johnnie Prindle, the famous comedian of "Reuben Glue" fame there, and had a long, enjoyable chat with him also. He will star the country next year in the funniest play ever put on the boards, he says, entitled "Zeb Holler," an extravagant yankee creation of his....

From Northwest Ohio Quarterly, v. 49-52, 1976-1980:

... On Jan 13, 1889, the Johnnie Prindle Company brought Reuben Glue to Toledo. Odell says, "This is a comic piece I do not regret having missed." Mr. Prindle played the part of the hayseed Reuben, who was associated with a bunch of bushrangers....

Subject: Lyr Req: 'Yankee Reuben Glue'??
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:48 PM

Wehman Brothers Song and Joke Book No. 3 is on line, typescript, but too many errors make it difficult to understand the lyrics.
The following is copied directly (leaving out symbols). Can anyone provide the missing lyrics (and correct spelling) to this comic song?

Yankee Heiteeit Glue

by Howley, Haviland ft Co.

We pick him up in Cisco,

In Florida or Frisco: ..
And teach him to manipulate a gun.

We mount him on a pony.
That's razor back'd and bony.

Ans set him chasing Indians for fun.
His name may be Mnllaly, Gnghelmer or Piszall,

It doesn't matter BO he wears 'he blOto;
And tinker, clerk or cooper.

When once he's tnrn'd a trooper, [turned]
He'll answer to the name of Reuben Glue. ,

CHORtls. "   [Chorus]

Ton may talk of your Palatkins,   [palladins? ]

Your Turks, or Tommy Atkins,

We know 'em and we rather like 'em too;

But when it comes to citing
The chaps to do the fighting

We pin our faith to Yankee Renben Glne .

When border troubles vex ne.

We send him down to Texas,
To make a blooming blister of his face.

And when the gay Comanches
Cut up and burn the ranches,

He goes and gently puts them back in plaoft [place?]
As often as they ve got him.

When they could safely pot him.
He's died as Yankee troopers ever do ;

He's not a howling beauty
But then he knows his duty
And does it like a Yankee
Reuben Qlat.-
Chomik

We hardly ever see him.
We wouldn't like to be him,

We all have other irons in the fire.

But when the Y'ankee Nation,
Gets up a celebration,

We want him there in holiday attire.
And HO may heaven speed him,

He's there if we should need him.   y; 1 V ...
As almost any day we're apt to do ;...

There isn't many of him, ' ...
So all the more we love him. '

And here's a health to Yankee Renben Olae. - C^ortt*

Couldn't find in American Memory, Levy, or google.