Lyr Req: Pinkham Compound / Lydia Pinkham

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 09:37 AM

The arrangement used by 'The Scaffold' which topped the UK charts in 1968, can be found Lily The Pink here.

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Hrothgar
Date: 08 Jun 02 - 06:46 AM

And there's one about "Grandma's Lysol" that is related. The chorus goes:

Let's hear it loud and strong for Grandma's Lysol
Good for everything around the place
For your clothes, and dirty dishes,
For your hands, and for your face.

The verses are fairly similar to those in "Lydia Pinkham."

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From:
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 08:12 PM

Susan, most of the replies don't know what the words really are. I have a recording of "Bawdy Songs and Bar- Room Ballads" by Oscar Brand. Was foryunate to see/hear him 'live' in '57. His concert was at S.U.N.Y @ Farmingdale L.I. so his songs were not as 'risque' as his album. The churus to "Lydia Pinkham" is; " So let us drink, drink, drink to Lydia Pinkum, Pinkum, Pink, and her love for the human race. She invented a VEGETABLE Compound and the papers published her face. Want more.... I'll try to figure out how.
duda_64 [phone]

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 05:40 PM

None of these versions rings a bell, and I know I grew up listening to a song about Lydia Pinkham's pills. I'll have to think about this, see if I can find Dad's version.

SRS

Subject: Lyr Add: LYDIA PINKHAM
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 05:35 PM

A Treasury of American Ballads: Gay, Naughty, and Classic edited with an Introduction and Notes by Charles O'Brien Kennedy, The McBride Co., New York, ©1954, First Edition, page 366.

LYDIA PINKHAM
Anonymous
The fame of this obscure but enterprising woman of New England became nationwide. Her product still marches on.

1. Let us sing of Lydia Pinkham
And her love for the human race:
How she sells her veg'table compound,
And the papers publish her face.

2. Mrs. Brown had female weakness;
Couldn't have a child at all,
Till she took some veg'table compound;
Now she has triplets every fall

3. Oh, it sells for a dollar a bottle,
Which is very cheap you see,
And if it doesn't cure you
She will sell you six for three.

4. Now she's dead and gone to Heaven,
Mourned by all the human race;
Still they sell her veg'table compound,
And the papers publish her face.

The American Songbag Carl Sandburg, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: Harvest Books Series, ©1927, ISBN 0-15-605650-X, notes:

"Only two of the many verses of this song are presented here. As a satire the piece has its points and touches more than the surface of current life, manners and morals."

The two verses given are the first and third from Kennedy above.

Sandburg includes a "piano/lyric score" in 9/8 time, but it does not "scan well" with the lyric given.

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Click to play Sandburg Tune

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Volume II, Folk Song Encyclopedia, Jerry Silverman, ©1975, Chappel & Co, dist Hal Leonard, has the same first verse, uses the Kennedy third verse as the second, and a modified third verse,

3. Mrs. Jones, she had no children,
Though she loved them very dear.
So she bought some vegetable compound,
Now she has them twice a year.

Silverman gives a tune, in 3/4 time, with guitar chords.

The "vulgar" version posted - From: Bob Landry 03-Jun-97 - 06:44 PM is from:

A Book of Vulgar Verse, "by A Man About Town," ©1981 Checkerbooks, Inc, Toronto, dist by Book Sales, Inc, Secaucus N.J., ISBN 0-89009-411-X (in my copy).

John

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From:
Date: 07 Jun 02 - 12:04 PM

Please email me the original version, so I can sing it to my grandchildren. Thanks Roz

Subject: Lyr Add: LYDIA PINKHAM
From: GUEST,ap of morristown
Date: 24 Aug 01 - 11:51 PM

LYDIA PINKHAM

Oh we sing we sing we sing of Lydia Pinkham
She's the benefactress of the human ra-a-ace
She invented a Vegetable Compound
And now the papers print her fa-a-ace

Mrs. Smithe had bladder trouble
That is to say she could not pe-e-e
She took ten pounds of the Compound
And now they pipe it to the sea-e-e

Mrs. Brown had baby trouble
She couldn't have any children dear
She took ten pounds of the Compound
And now they come three times a year-ear-ear

Lydia Pinkham was indeed an over the counter potion sold in pharmacies in the 1940's. It was probably invented by a snake oil salesman, was indeed high in alcohol content, and was used by menopausal women to relieve hot flashes etc. My mother was a user of the stuff!

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 25-Jun-02.

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 08:36 PM

We always appreciate more verses. There IS a version (six verses) in the database.

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Bob Landry
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 07:58 PM

I'll have to ask my buddy about the name of the book. I only copied some of the pages (for personal study only, of course) and forgot the title page. It make take some time as he is out of town for a while.

Bob

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Murray
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 07:52 PM

Another 2 verses and a variant:

Now Mr. Brown had a very small penis
He could hardly raise a stand
So they gave him the vegetable compound
Now he comes in either hand.

Now Master Brown had very small knackers
They were just like a couple of peas
So they gave him the vegetable compound
Now they hang below his knees.

Now Mrs. Brown had invisible bosoms
They scarcely showed beneath her blouse
So they gave her the vegetable compound
Now they milk her with the cows.

The text given by Bob Landry is practically identical with that in Cray's book [1968 edition, page 56, with music], but not that first stanza. Where's it from? My text is out of the British collection "More Rugby Songs" [London: Sphere Books, 1968], page 105.

Another song [clean] that is similar was recorded way back on the flip side of a comedy record called "It's in the Book", being a parody of a hellfire sermon, the text examined being "Little Bo-Peep", and the song was presented as a good ol' gospel song. Very funny, I thought at the time. [I seem to remember this mentioned on another thread...] Words included [I THINK this is accurate]:

Little Herman and Cousin Sherman
Had an aversion to washing their ears
Washed them out with Grandma's Lysol,
They haven't heard a word in years.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 20-Oct-02.

Subject: Lyr Add: LYDIA PINKHAM
From: Bob Landry
Date: 03 Jun 97 - 06:44 PM

OK, Vissjoy, you asked for it. I took the liberty of ***ing out two words. You can use your imagination on those. The sentiments expressed are not mine, though I'll admit to a certain degree of prurient mirth. The lyrics are taken from a book that a friend of mine picked up at a garage sale. It's full of dirty little ditties that would make Oscar Brand proud.

LYDIA PINKHAM
(Anonymous)

Have you ever heard of Lydia Pinkham
And her compound so refined?
It turns pr***s into glowing fountains,
And makes c***s grow on behind.

CHORUS: So we'll sing, we'll sing, we'll sing of Lydia Pinkham,
Saviour of the human race.
How she makes, she bottles, she sells her Vegetable Compound,
And the papers publish her face.

Widow Brown, she has no children,
Though she loved them very dear,
So she took, she swallowed, she gargled some Vegetable Compound,
And now she has them twice a year. CHORUS

Willie Smith had peritonitis
And he couldn't piss at all,
So he took, he swallowed, he gargled some Vegetable Compound,
And now he's a human waterfall. CHORUS

Mrs. Jones had rotten kidneys;
Poor old lady couldn't pee,
So she took, she swallowed, she gargled some Vegetable Compound,
And now they pipe her to the sea. CHORUS

Geraldine, she had no breastworks,
And she couldn't fill her blouse,
So she took, she swallowed, she gargled some Vegetable Compound,
And now they milk her with the cows. CHORUS

Arthur White had been castrated,
And had not a single nut,
So he took, he swallowed, he gargled some Vegetable Compound,
And not they hang all 'round his butt. CHORUS

Walter Black was a bearded lady,
And his pecker wouldn't peck,
So he took, he swallowed, he gargled some Vegetable Compound,
Now it's as long as a giraffe's neck. CHORUS

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 20-Oct-02.

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Bob Schwarer
Date: 28 May 97 - 05:31 PM

The Irish Rovers did a version of "Lily the Pink".

Bob S.

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From:
Date: 28 May 97 - 02:05 PM

I have a version that says "Most efficacious in every case"

Frank Phillips

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From:
Date: 28 May 97 - 01:28 PM

Thanks for the non-crude lyrics. If you wish to keep this website "clean", perhaps you can e-mail the other version to me. Thanks.

Subject: Lyr Add: LILY THE PINK
From: Bob Landry
Date: 28 May 97 - 11:33 AM

Here's the tame version. I have to key in the other version and it's quite lengthy. Risqué is too mild a word for that one.

LILY THE PINK
CHORUS: Oh, we'll drink a drink, a drink,
To Lily the Pink, the Pink, the Pink,
The saviour of the human race.
She invented medicinal compound.
'Twas deprecatious, in every case.

Now here's a story, a little bit gory,
A little bit happy, a little bit sad.
Of Lily the Pink and, her medicinal compound,
And how it drove her, to the bad.

Well Ebeneezer thought, he was Julius Caesar,
So they put him, in the home.
And they gave him, medicinal compound.
Now he's the Emperor of Rome. CHORUS

Pretty Gregor, the opera singer
Could break a glass with, his voice they said.
Rubbed his tonsils with, medicinal compound.
Now they break the glasses, over his head.

Johnnie Hammer, had a t-t-terrible stammer,
He could hardly, s-s-say a word.
So they g-g-gave him medicinal compound,
And now he's s-s-seen, but never heard. CHORUS

Uncle Paul, he was very small.
He was the shortest man in town.
Rubbed his body, with medicinal compound,
And now weighs only, half a pound.

Lily died and, went up to heaven.
All the church bells, they did ring.
She took with her, medicinal compound,
Hark the Herald Angels sing. CHORUS

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Almost identical to the version added to the DT Oct 97 - (click)

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From:
Date: 28 May 97 - 08:31 AM

Since I heard this on the radio, I guess it's the radio version I want. However, now that I'm mature, maybe I could stand to see a risque version.

Thanks.

Subject: RE: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From: Bob Landry
Date: 28 May 97 - 12:12 AM

Do you want Lily the Pink, a version that can be aired on commercial radio or Lydia Pinkham the version that makes me blush?

(Dick - How crude are we allowed to be in this forum?)

Subject: PINKHAM COMPOUND
From:
Date: 24 May 97 - 04:50 PM

When I was young(er), there was a song about taking Lydia E. Pinkham's Pills or Compound for PMS.
The tune used was the one from the gospel hymn "I Will Sing of My Redeemer".
Anyone still remember the words to this one?

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I Will Sing of My Redeemer at Cyberhymnal.org