Lyr Add: Horse Pistol

Subject: Lyr Add: BELINDA
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 11:19 AM

From The Yale Song Book: Compiled from Yale Songs, Yale Glees and Yale Melodies (New York: G. Schirmer, 1906), page 112:

BELINDA

1. Not a long time to come—I remember it well—
Alongside a poorhouse a maiden did dwell.
She lived with her parents; her life was serene.
Her age it was red and her hair was nineteen.

2. This maid had a lover, who nearby did dwell—
A cross-legged ruffian and bow-eyed as well.
Said he, "Let us fly by the light of yon star,
For you are the eye of my apple, you are."

3. "Oh, no," said the maiden. "Be cautious and wise,
Or my father will scratch out your nails with his eyes.
If you really love me, don't bring me disgrace,"
Said the maid as she buried her hands in her face.

4. But when she refused him, he knocked down the maid,
And silently drew out the knife of his blade.
He then cut the throat of the maiden so fair,
And dragged her around by the head of her hair.

5. Just then her old papa appeared, it appears,
And gazed on the sad scene with eyes in his tears.
He knelt down beside her; her pale face he kissed,
Then he rushed with his nose at the murderer's fist.

6. He looked at the lover and told him to bolt.
He drew a horse pistol; 'twas raised from a colt.
Said he, "Now I die, if I stay, it is true."
Said he, "Now I fly," and he flew up the flue.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MAID OF YORK BEACH
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 10:48 AM

From Student's Songs: Comprising the Newest and Most Popular College Songs..., 11th edition, edited by William Henry Hills (New York: Moses King, 1886), page 52:

THE MAID OF YORK BEACH

1. Oh, sometime to come, I remember it well,
Ting! ting!
'Way down on York Beach a maiden did dwell;
Ting! ting!
She dwelt with her father and mother serene.
Her age it was red and her hair was nineteen.
Ting-a-ting! ting! ting! ting! ting! ting!
Ting-a-ting! ting!

2. Now close to this maiden her lover did dwell,
Ting! ting!
He was cross-legged in both eyes, and knock-kneed as well,
Ting! ting!
Said he, "Fly with me by the light of yon star,
For you are the eye of my apple, you are!"
Ting-a-ting! ting! etc.

3. She answered him simply, "My heart knows no fear,
Ting! ting!
See the passion I feel by this glittering tear.
Ting! ting!
Let us de-part to-night, ere my father discerns,
The love of the fervor that in each of us burns."
Ting-a-ting! ting! etc.

4. Now when the old par-i-ent heard of the raid,
Ting! ting!
He quickly did open the knife of his blade,
Ting! Ting!
And went with his throat at the lover's fond steel,
Saying, "I'll cure you both of this passion you feel.' "
Ting-a-ting! ting! etc.

5. Now this lover sank down, and reposed in his gore,
Ting! ting!
And the fond maiden's fair tears availed her no more!
Ting! ting!
What a tragedy, now, for a maiden so fair,
Whose age it was red, and nineteen was her hair!
Ting-a-ting I ting! etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Horse Pistol
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 05:13 PM

Typos!

Please make that "cites" para 1, and "tiple" above, para 2

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Horse Pistol
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 02 Nov 14 - 05:10 PM

I can identify your song, if the identification doesn't make more of a mystery.

Gus Meade's invaluable Country Music Sources book says the original song, dated 1881, is titled "Maid of York Beach (Her Age It Was Red). It sites only an arranger, M. McG. Noyes, so the song may be older but harks back certainly to some (almost certainly American) music hall original.

It was recorded by the Golden Melody Boys (Phil Featherstone and Dempsey Jones) accompanied by tuple and guitar, on Part 1 of "Uncle Abner and Elmer at the Rehearsal," a two-part humorous record, Paramount 3153, c. October 1928.

It goes to the tune of "Villekins and His Dinah," which also (slightly altered) formed the melody for "Sweet Betsy From Pike."

A version called "Backward Song" was recorded for the Library of Congress by transplanted Missourians Russ and Joy Pike in Visalia, California in 1941 (search it on American Memory the Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker collection 1940-41.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Horse Pistol
From: GUEST,lakelady
Date: 01 Nov 14 - 08:41 PM

SO glad to finally have to full text of Horse Pistol. My dad and his 6 brothers would recite that along with other silly poems. BTW, my Dad was born in 1902, the oldest of the 7. When they went to school, they were expected to memorize lots of these type old poems. There was also one about a window pane that was broken. Thanks again for writing that down!

Subject: RE: ADD/tune req: Horse Pistol
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 04:08 PM

For some reason, the first post was marked with a three-winged ^^^ harvesting birdie, which is supposed to mean that the lyrics are already in the Digital Tradition (hence, the redundant third wing). But Susan of DT doesn't have the song and I can't find it in the DT, and so I can't figure out why the harvesting birdie was there.
If somebody knows, please contact me by personal message. In the meantime, I deleted the harvesting marks.

I suppose this is yet another set of lyrics that would work with "Villikins and His Dinah," but we don't need any more songs sung to that tune....

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 01:33 PM

TJ,

Also used to refer to the cavalry pistols with holsters on the saddle ( Dragoons, in the US).

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 12:26 PM

sings well to "Kerry Recruit"

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 11:04 AM

Horse Pistols were actually a pair of heavy flintlock single shot pistols with a cord connecting the two so that they could be suspended over the saddle for easy access in battle. So much for the technical stuff. I may have to invent a tune for this one if nobody recalls the original.

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: Leadfingers
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 06:14 AM

The 'A Horse Pistol he'd raised from a Colt' is a Superb phrase !

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 04:56 AM

Lyveden New Bield, in Northants.

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: open mike
Date: 22 Dec 09 - 01:04 AM

habitat destruction..save the ghosts..where can one go for a good haunting these days?

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: Amos
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 11:29 PM

I have toured the Winchester house. The ghosts have been driven out by automobiles and tourists....

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: open mike
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 11:24 PM

In the fire wood stealing thread there was mention of showing them Mr. Winchester. In San Jose calif. there is a house built by Sarah Winchester, the gun dude's wife. it has numerous winding passage ways
staircases that lead no where and an upper room for seances. she wanted to keep the hammers and saws busy to drown out the sound of the ghosts of the many people who had been killed by the Winchseter rifles
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/ it took 38 years to build it.

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: GUEST,Kendall
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 03:49 PM

I was all set for a serious discussion about antique firearms.
Sam Colt built a big six shooter that weighed about 4 pounds. It was named for a man named Walker, some sort of hero in some war or other.

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: Amos
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 02:19 PM

Wow--what a storing touchey!!


A

Subject: RE: Horse Pistol
From: open mike
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 02:11 PM

why, that's utter nonsense!
if it had a cow in it it would
be udder nonsense..

i never heard that before..
i hope that more info will
be submitted...

sounds like a rhyme we used
to recite as kids...
with contradictions in every line:

admission is free, pay at the door
pull up a chair and sit on the floor..

Subject: Lyr Add: HORSE PISTOL
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 21 Dec 09 - 01:49 PM

One evening in around 1960, a singer in our local Fresno, CA coffee house sang a nonsense song which contained this partial line: "He pulled out a horse pistol he'd raised from a colt." For some reason, that line keeps bubbling up in my consciousness, but I have never been able to find the song which contains it - until, perhaps, now.
Does anyone else know this song or different versions of it? Does anyone know the tune?

HORSE PISTOL

In past days to come, I'll remember it well,
How a wealthy, young maid in a poorhouse did dwell.
She lived with her father; her life was serene.
Her age it was red, and her hair was nineteen.

The maid had a lover who nearby did dwell
A cross-legged villain, and bow eyes as well.
He said, "Let us fly by the light of yon star,
For you are the eye of my apple, you are!"

"No, no!" said this maiden. "Be cautious and wise.
My father would scratch out your nails with his eyes.
If you really love me, don't bring me disgrace!"
She cried as she buried her hands in her face.

When he heard this refusal, he rushed to the maid,
Silently drawing his knife from the blade.
He then cut the throat of this maiden so fair,
And dragged her around by the head of her hair.

And then it appears that the father appeared,
And gazed on the scene with eyes in his tears.
He stooped o'er the maiden; her fair lips he kissed,
Then rushed with his nose at the murderer's fist.

He rushed at the varlet, who started to bolt.
He drew a horse pistol he'd raised from a colt.
Said the villain, "I'll die if I stay here; that's true."
And turning he ran and he flue up the flew.