ADD: there was an old man and he had two sons

Subject: RE: ADD: there was an old man and he had two sons
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 22 Apr 12 - 05:06 PM

Louis Lambert appears to have been a pseudonym for Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore (also wikipedia PJS), who published When Johnny Comes Marching Home under that name.

Mick

Subject: RE: ADD: there was an old man and he had two sons
From: GUEST,Anneliese Kennedy
Date: 22 Apr 12 - 04:15 PM

Also just posted this in another thread about the same song. Hope you don't mind me posting it again here.

This song was taught to my father by his mother in Tennessee, and he used to sing it to my six siblings and I when we were kids, especially on long trips (Dad was in the Army). I always forget the same two lines, which I will enclose in parentheses - I think I remember the first one, and will put asterisks on the second. My brother knows them, and I have asked him to help me. Must have a mental block for those two, as they are the same ones I forget every time. Don't know where it came from, but this was the traditional version in our family - I think my grandmother learned it from her father, or his mother. We still sing it when we all get together - last time was my niece's wedding in Oct 2011. BTW, Dad knew about Moody and Sankey, but he said his mother always sang it as "Moody and Sanctity" - I guess she felt it went better with "sanctimonious".


The Prodigal Son

There was an old man and he had two sons,
He did, he did.
He lived on the farm so the story goes,
He did, he did.
He lived by the Moody and the Sanctity Plan*
Right next to the New Jerusa-lam
And the situation don't matter a damn,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

Now the older son was goodly man,
He was, he was.
He lived by the Moody and the Sanctity Plan,
He did, he did.
He wore his sanctimonious face,
And he spoke of love and undying grace,
And he hoped for a home in that heavenly place,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

Now the younger son was a son-of-a-gun,
He was, he was.
He'd shuffle them cards and he'd play for money,
He would, he would.
He wore red socks and a high-standing collar,
Get out with the boys, get full, and holler,
Oh, he's a reg'lar jim-dandy-dollar,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

To divide on the square, he did his best,
He did, he did.
So the younger son took his share and went out West,
He did, he did.
Fell in with boys and had a good time,
Woke up the next mornin' without a dime,
Stranded in some foreign clime,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

Now the old man's purse was long and fat,
It was, it was.
And the Prodigal, y'all know, was onto that,
He was, he was.
So he, bein' used to a knock-down fate,
Took off his suspenders and put on his skates,
And headed home like a Limited freight,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

(Now the older son was out on the farm,
He was, he was.
****************
***,***)
And the old man said, "Bring in the fatted calf,
And kill him now, and begin to laugh,
For the son of night has come to light,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

Now this is my story, all well told,
It is, it is.
I've gone as far as the parable goes,
I have, I have.
I don't know what became of Pa,
But the older son is drivin' a car,
While the younger son is tendin' bar,
Sing tra-la-la-la-la-day.

Shave and a haircut, two bits.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE PRODIGAL SON (Louis Lambert)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Feb 11 - 01:42 AM

From Popular College Songs compiled by Lockwood Honoré (Cincinnati: The John Church Co., 1891), page 113:


THE PRODIGAL SON
Words, Louis Lambert. Air: When Johnny Comes Marching Home.

1. There was an old man, so the story runs, it does, it does.
The father of two blooming sons he was, he was.
He owned a place, so runs the psalm,
Down by the elder Jerusalem.
Vicinity doesn't matter a blank.
Larry, fill up the can.
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry, fill up the can.

2. The oldest was a nice young man, he was, he was.
Built up on the Moody and Sankey plan, he was, he was.
He wore a white necktie and pulled a long face.
He talked of religion and saving grace.
He wanted a home and a comfortable place.
Larry, fill up the can.
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry fill up the can.

3. The youngest was a terrible son, he was, he was.
He went with a gang of which he was one, he was, he was.
He wore a red necktie and high standing collar.
He'd go out at night with the boys and holler.
He was technically know to the trade as a lalla.
Larry, fill up the can.
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry, fill up the can.

4. The old man's purse was long and fat, it was, it was.
The prodigal son was onto that, he was, he was;
And the nice young man with the heavenly smile
Had also his lights on the old man's pile
With a view to grabbing it after a while.
Larry, fill up the can.
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry, fill up the can.

5. To divide on the square the old man did his best, he did, he did.
The prod took his share and lit out for the west, he did, he did.
Got in with the boys, had a lively time,
Woke up in the morning with nary a dime
But a counterfeit nick in that foreign clime.
Larry, fill up the can.
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry, fill up the can.

6. The telegraph man sat in his offúss, he did, he did,
When in rushed a seedy and tough-looking cuss, he did, he did.
"Oh, cable this message along the track:
The prod's out west but he's coming back.
Put plenty of veal for one in the rack."
Larry, fill up the can.
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry, fill up the can.

7. He turned up at home with his lawyer one day, he did, he did;
Sued his father and brother for time while away, he did, he did;
Got judgment and turned the old folks out.
That's the kind of a prod I'm singing about,
That's the kind of a prod for whom I shout:
Larry, fill up the can,
With a one, three, five, seven, Larry, fill up the can.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 02:40 AM

If anyone is still following this thread, the song that Edward raised in 1999 is one my grandfather (English, served in WWI in the Canadian trenches, came home to Port Alberni, BC, Canada)taught me in the 1950's. I was never sure who wrote it but it sounds like Edward knows it as well. If anyone has any information about who wrote it I'd be delighted to know. Lindley Roff, Kamloops, BC Canada

The first verse goes something like
"There was an old man and he had two sons,
He had, he had
XXXXXXXXXXXso the story goes
It does, it does
He wore a high hat and a stand up collar
And when he went out he went out and did holler
And he was a regular ten dollar roller
Sing tra lalal la la

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From: Edmund Flynn
Date: 19 Nov 99 - 09:11 PM

I think I have a line wrong in the 1st verse.
(There are only 4) Here are verses 2, 3, and 4:

One of the sons was a goodly man.
He was, he was.
He lived on a sanctimonious plan.
He did, he did.
He had a most acrimonious face.
He hoped of living and dying in grace.
He dreamed of a seat in the heavenly place.
Sing Tra la la la, la la

OH....

The other son was a son-of-a-gun.
He was, he was.
Sat up all night to cop the mon.
He did, he did.
Went out one night to have a good time.
Woke up in the morning with nary a dime.
Stranded alone in a foreign clime.
Sing tra la la la, la la.

OH...

The telegraph man in his office sat.
Out West, out West.
When in rushed a man without hat or coat.
Or vest, or vest.
"Send message home in very quick time.
The prodigal son would like to dine.
Kill fatted calf, have everything prime."
Sing tra la la la, la la
Sing .. tra la la la, la la

Many thanks for the answers so far ... I didn't think I would get any. Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 19 Nov 99 - 11:34 AM

For a bunch of variants of the song, go up to the DigiTrad Lyrics search at the top of the page, type in MILLER SONS (caps are optional) and see what comes up.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From:
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 07:39 PM

That miller one is one of the 3 sons one I was thinking of.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 07:28 PM

I think that old miller always had three sons, didn't he? He certainly did when old Horton Barker sang the song for me.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From: dulcimer
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 07:25 PM

Is this is song about the father leaving the mill to the son that proved the shrewdest in dealing with buying and selling corn?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: there was an old man and he had two
From:
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 07:08 PM

How about another line or two. I can think of ones with three sons, but two is unusual. What's the song about?

Subject: there was an old man and he had two sons
From: Edmund Flynn
Date: 18 Nov 99 - 06:42 PM

This is my first post .. hope I get it right.

I'm looking for the lyrics of a song that I learned from my father over 50 years ago as we killed the weary hours on the roadff on a fishihng trip to Florida.

I think I have it right except maybe for one or two lines.

I plan to teach it to my grandkids as it is a fun song and deserves to survive.

Thanks for any help you can give me