Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day

Subject: Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 04:13 PM

Gambling on the Sabbath Day [Laws E14]

DESCRIPTION: A young man murders his comrade and is condemned to die. His family's pleas for him are in vain; despite repenting, he is hanged. His downfall is blamed on his habit of gambling on the sabbath day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (recording, George Reneau)
KEYWORDS: gambling homicide execution
FOUND IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Laws E14, "Gambling on the Sabbath Day"
Henry-SongsSungInTheSouthernAppalachians, pp. 105-106, "Gambling on the Sabbath Day" (1 text)
Randolph 137, "Gambling on the Sabbath Day" (3 texts plus 2 excerpts, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen-OzarkFolksongs-Abridged, pp. 170-173, "Gambling on the Sabbath Day" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 137A)
DT 624, CMBLSBTH (?! -- if this doesn't work, try GMBLSBTH)
Roud #3544
RECORDINGS:
William Hanson, "Gambling on the Sabbath Day" (OKeh 45529, 1931; rec. 1930)
George Reneau, "Gambling on the Sabbath Day" (Vocalion 15149, 1925)
NOTES [29 words]: Ozark lore attributes this song to one Bill Walker, executed May 10, 1889. Since some people believe they learned the song before this time, the attribution is doubtful. - RBW
File: LE14

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GAMBLING ON THE SABBATH DAY (DT Lyrics)

A poor unworthy boy who dares
To disregard a father's cares,
Who smiles to see a sister's tears
An' scorns to hear a mother's prayers.

From their advice he turned away,
At dice an' cards he learnt to play,
An' then a comrade he did slay
While gamhlin'on the Sabbath day.

His father, sixty years in age,
The best ol counsel did engage,
To see if something could be done
To save his disobedient son.

But nothin' could the coursel do,
The testimony was too true,
'Twas he the bloody weapon drew
An' pierced his comrade's body through.

His weepin' mother standin' by,
To hear them tell the reason rvhy,
Her son in prison had to lie
Till on the scaffold he must die.

Don't weep for me, my mother dear,
When I am safely laid away,
For on the scaffold I must pay
For gamblin' on the Sabbath day.

The sheriff cut the slender cord,
His soul has went to meet his Lord,
The doctor cried the wretch is dead.
The soul has from the body fled.

His weepin' mother cried aloud,
God save and pity this gazin' crowd,
That they may all be turned away
From gamblin' on the Sabbath day.

From Ozark Folksongs, Randolph
Collected from Mrs. Martha Duckworth, MO 1933
DT #624
Laws E14
@murder @gambler
filename[ GMBLSBTH
TUNE FILE: GMBLSBTH
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

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Subject: RE: Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 04:15 PM

more to come

Subject: RE: Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day
From: GUEST,cnd
Date: 06 Sep 22 - 10:35 AM

Looking forward to what you come up with on this one. I may do some digging on it in the meantime

Subject: RE: Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day
From: cnd
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 12:17 PM

The earliest reference I've yet found is a title-only mention from 1891, in Cedar Vale, Kansas's The Cedar Vale Star of June 12th, where it was performed in a Chautauqua program. (link)

The earliest text I've found is from the April 1st, 1897 edition of the Moulton (Ala.) Advertiser -- see link. Lyrics below.

A SONG
For the Moulton Advertiser.

A A poor unworthy boy who dared
To disregard a father's prayer,
Who came to see a sister dear,
And would not hear a mother's prayer.

Oh who can tell a mother's thought,
When first to her the news was brought?
The Sheriff said her son was sought,
And into prison he was brought.

Only a mother standing by
To hear him tell the reason why;
Her son in prison had to lie
Till on the gallows he must die!

His father sixty years of age
The best of counsel did engage,
To see if something could be done
To save his disobedient son.

But nothing could the counsel do,
The testimony was so true--
It was he the bloody weapon drew,
And pierced his comrade's body through!

To hear him on the gallows tell,
His weeping mother fare-thee-well!
My soul now feels a mental hell,
For soon with deamons [sic] it must dwell!

Darling sister, do not weep,
For soon with deamons [sic] I must sleep;
And on the gallows I must pay,
For gambling on the Sabbath day.

The Sheriff cut the slender chord--
His soul has gone to meet its God!
The Doctor said the wretch is dead;
And his spirit from his body fled!

His weeping mother cries aloud,
Oh God do save the gaping crowd,
That they shall not be cast away,
For gambling on the Sabbath day.

A substantially-similar version of the song (minus the intro, which feels different but much clunkier) was printed in Baxter Spring, Kansas's Cherokee County Republican later that month; see link

The song seems to be popular in the Kansas area, as yet another edition turned up the following year in Mulberry, Kansas's Mulberry Sun; see

The song was mentioned in print sporadically until the 1920s and 1930s, when it was requested and subsequently furnished in a number of exchange columns of newspapers.

Subject: RE: Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day
From: cnd
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 12:43 PM

Another version of the poem was collected by John A. Lomax in his 1910 Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads under the title "Macaffie's Confession" (link. It's got a very long and different introduction than the above versions but rounds out about the same in the end. It almost seems like two disparate songs were merged together; the parents go from dead by the age of 15 to alive after his sentencing, and from first person to third.

MACAFFIE'S CONFESSION

NOW come young men and list to me,
A sad and mournful history;
And may you ne'er forgetful be
Of what I tell this day to thee.

Oh, I was thoughtless, young, and gay
And often broke the Sabbath day,
In wickedness I took delight
And sometimes done what wasn't right.

I'd scarcely passed my fifteenth year,
My mother and my father dear
Were silent in their deep, dark grave,
Their spirits gone to Him who gave.

'Twas on a pleasant summer day
When from my home I ran away
And took unto myself, a wife,
Which step was fatal to my life.

Oh, she was kind and good to me
As ever woman ought to be,
And might this day have been alive no doubt,
Had I not met Miss Hatty Stout.

Ah, well I mind the fatal day
When Hatty stole my heart away;
'Twas love for her controlled my will
And did cause me my wife to kill.

'Twas on a brilliant summer's night
When all was still; the stars shone bright.
My wife lay still upon the bed
And I approached to her and said:

"Dear wife, here's medicine I've brought,
For you this day, my love, I've bought.
I know it will be good for you
For those vile fits,--pray take it, do."

She cast on me a loving look
And in her mouth the poison took;
Down by her infant on the bed
In her last, long sleep she laid her head.

Oh, who could tell a mother's thought
When first to her the news was brought;
The sheriff said her son was sought
And into prison must be brought.

Only a mother standing by
To hear them tell the reason why
Her son in prison, he must lie
Till on the scaffold he must die.

My father, sixty years of age,
The best of counsel did engage,
To see if something could be done
To save his disobedient son.

So, farewell, mother, do not weep,
Though soon with demons I will sleep,
My soul now feels its mental hell
And soon with demons I will dwell.

. . . . .

The sheriff cut the slender cord,
His soul went up to meet its Lord;
The doctor said, "The wretch is dead,
His spirit from his body's fled."

His weeping mother cried aloud,
"O God, do save this gazing crowd,
That none may ever have to pay
For gambling on the Sabbath day."

Subject: RE: Origins: Gambling on the Sabbath Day
From: cnd
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 12:45 PM

Further searching shows that Lomax's poem above was indeed an amalgam of Gambling and McAfee's Confession; see, for example, UArk's Folksong Collection or even Mudcat.