Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle

Subject: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 07:50 AM

In this thread I'll be posting examples of the song "'Twas Only an Old Beer Bottle"
along with some evidence about the tune "Sing a Song of Cities" which seems
to be derived from a 1905 song "Starlight".

To the tune of "Sing a Song of Cities" --

'Twas only an old beer bottle, a-floating on the foam,
'Twas only an old beer bottle, a million miles from home;
Inside there was a paper, these words were written on:
"Whoever finds this bottle will find the beer all gone!"

Posted by GUEST to the Short Songs/Parodies thread on mudcat on Sep 22, 2010.


See here: https://mudcat.org/detail_pf.cfm?messages__Message_ID=2991723

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 07:57 AM

The song "Tell Me Why (The Kappa Pin Song)" has the "'Twas Only an Old Beer Bottle /
Sing a Song of Cites" tune as part of a medley. Track #14 on the Black Greek Soundz
Kappa Alpha Psi CD. 2002.

Link to the part that has the tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNpdMCwpwmg&t=98s

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:08 AM

It was only an old beer bottle
A-foating on the foam
It was only an old beer bottle
A-many a mile from home
And in it was a piece of paper
With these words written on
Whoever finds this bottle
Will find the beer all gone.

Posed by Lucien Holmes on Jun 17,200. Sung by him and his father. His father learned this
as a camp song in the 1950s. The tune is "Sing a Song of Cities".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=N5XFHYQHK14

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:10 AM

58. Only An Old Beer Bottle

This is another popular favorite known by both
college men and women, which is sung at almost
any kind of informal campus song fest.

¥, Edson Richmond reports learning this song as
far back as 1930 from an aunt who sang it in the
1920's, The earliest variant I have discovered
is a text collected by James Breckenridge in New
York in 1945 (NYSHAFA Br), set to the tune of
"Aloha Oe". Printed appearances, none of them
very much different from one another textually,
include the IOCA Song Fest (1948, p, 9), the New
Song Fest (1955, p. 116), and Songs For Swingin'
Housemothers (1961, p, 14), The song is also
given in "Old American Ballads" (1952, p, 36),
and there are over twenty texts collected at
Michigan State in the IUFA, Isolated variants
have also been reported from Indiana University,
Western Kentucky and elsewhere.

Variation in the lyrics of this song, in common
with others of a similar semi-popular nature
among college students (#56-64 in this
collection), is noticeable but distinctly minor
in character. An excerpt from a text collected
by Phyllis Southman at Michigan State in 1948,
when compared to the field item below,
illustrates this kind of secondary textual
change:

Just an old beer bottle
Floating in from sea:
Just an old beer bottle
Came floating in to me...

The tune most often listed by the students at
Michigan State for these lyrics is "Sing A Song
of Colleges (or Cities)," a piece with which I am
unfamiliar. The reader will note, however, that
the music is very close to that used for the B
text of "Just Put Her in the Corner" (#3).

58, Clay McMullen, Ray Brandell, and Forest Redding
learned this variant in the Indiana University Kappa
Delta Rho fraternity. They sang it on December 6, 1963.

'Twas only an old beer bottle
A' floating on the foam,
'Twas only an old beer bottle
A thousand miles from home.
And in it was a message
With these words written on:
"Whoever finds this bottle
Find the beer all gone,"

An Annotated Field Collection of Songs from the American College Student Oral Tradition by Richard Reuss. Pgs 299-301.

See online here: https://archive.org/details/1965annotatedfieldcollectionofsongs/page/299/mode/2up?q=%22old+beer+bottle%22

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:13 AM

The "Put Her in the Corner" song which was collected from Linda Rethmeyer,
Alpha Xi Delta sorority at Indiana University, December 8, 1963 and recorded
by Richard Reuss has a tune very similar to "'Twas Only an Old Beer Bottle /
Sing a Song of Cities".


Listen online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzH8W8CSLXc

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:15 AM

'Twas only an old beer bottle
A' floating on the foam,
'Twas only an old beer bottle
A thousand miles from home.
And in it was a message
With these words written on:
"Whoever finds this bottle
Find the beer all gone."

Field recording December 6, 1963. Tape Recording - College Songs from
Indiana University and DePauw University Students. The tune is "Sing a Song of Cities".


Listen online here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qD2gk9PDRY

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:33 AM

An Old Beer Bottle

An old beer bottle
Came foating on the foam
An old beer bottle
A thousand miles from home
And in it was a message
With these words written on
Whoever find's this bottle
Will find the beer all gone.

An old beer bottle (Spoken: An old beer bottle?)
Came floating on the foam
An old beer bottle (Spoken: Oh, an old beer bottle)
A thousand miles from home
And in it was a message
With these words written on
Whoever find's this bottle
Will find the beer all gone. (The beer all gone!)

Listen online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYcQy9CDA9U

"An Old Beer Bottle" by the Stargazers. 1954. The tune is the same as the 1963
field recording "Sing a Song of Cities".

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:36 AM

The Beer Bottle
(Tune: Sing a Song of Cities)

'Twas only an old beer bottle, floating on the foam.
'Twas only an old beer bottle, a thousand miles from home.
Inside was a piece of paper, with these words written on;
"Whoever finds this bottle, finds the beer all gone,
The beer all gone, the beer all gone,
Whoever finds this bottle, finds the beer all gone."

The New Song Fest. pg 116. Copyright 1948, 1955. Thirteenth Printing, May, 1963. The tune used, "Sing a Song of Cities", is on page 80.

See online:

https://archive.org/details/newsongfest0000unse/page/116/mode/2up?q=%22old+beer+bottle%22

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:39 AM

JIMMIE KOMACK
An Old Beer Bottle...... 70
CORAL 61322--This is a cute and
hokey piece of material which tells
the story of a beer bottle brought in
to shore--and what the message was.
It gets a gang-sing reading and should
get spins around New Year's Eve
time (Trinity, BMI)

Billboard, Jan 8, 1955.

See here: https://books.google.com/books?id=zxkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32-IA4&lpg=PA32-IA4&dq=%22an+old+beer+bottle%22+komack&source=bl&ots=haWVw4MJsG&sig=ACfU3U11TI4NhK4IvrqTSbgGmp6Z07hdHw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjI_4OOnf-EAxVCMlkFHeAWDvYQ6AF6BAgZEAM#v=onepage&q=%22an%20old%20beer%20bottle%22%20komack&f=false

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 09:00 AM

AN OLD BEER BOTTLE

An old beer bottle
Came floating on the foam
An old beer bottle
A thousand miles from home
And in it was a message,
These words were written on
Whoever finds this bottle
Will find the beer all gone

Spoken:
One day while strolling along a rocky beach,
I noticed something floating by just outside my reach
A shiny flashing something bobbing in the sea
On closer look I saw it was a bottle floating free
I tried to reach it with a stick, I threw at it with rocks
And then in desperation I took off my shoes and socks
I started wading out to it as it floated on the seas
And before I realized it, I was in up to my knees
Further, further, get that bottle. Who cares if clothes get wet?
Further, further, get that bottle. There's a treasure map I bet
And finally I reached it, after swimming about a mile
Exhausted I swam back to shore and rested for a while
Well, you all know I've told you what the message said
That's not what makes me burn,
cause written on the outside was no deposit, no return

I'm like this empty bottle,
thrift in helpless lead
Without a heart,
since we're apart,
There's nothing
left for me

1954. "An Old Beer Bottle" by The Mariners. The tune is "Sing a Song of Cities".

Listen online: https://archive.org/details/78_an-old-beer-bottle_the-mariners-leis-grean-spencer-odom_gbia0113350b

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 09:07 AM

The tune for "Sing a Song of Cities" in "Street Urchin's Medley",
Barber Shop Balladeers, Vol 6. matches the tune used for
"It Was Only an Old Beer Bottle".

Listen online here:

https://youtu.be/Hi0WSqlyRIQ

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 09:10 AM

Beer Drinker's Medley

It was only an old beer bottle,
Floating on the foam.
It was only an old beer bottle,
Far away from home.
Inside, there was a message,
With these words written on:
"Who ever finds this bottle,
Will find the beer all gone."

How dry I am I How dry I am !
Nobody cares, or gives a
Show me the way to go home.
I'm tired end I want to go to bed.
I had a little drink about and hour ago
And it went right to my head.
Wherever I may roam,
O'er land or sea or foam ,
You can always hear me
Singing this song.
Show me the way to go
I don't want to go
But I gotta go home.

Drunk last night,
Drunk the night before,
Gonna' get drunk tonite
Like I never got drunk before.

For when I'm drunk,
I'm as happy as can be,
For I am a member of the Souse Family.
The Souse family is the best family.
That ever came over from old Germany
There's the Lowland Dutch,
And the highland Dutch,
The Rotterdam Dutch,
And the Goddam Dutch.
God made the Irish
And he didn't make much,
But they're a damn-site better
Then the Goddam Dutch.

Sing glorious, sing glorious.
One keg of beer for the four of us.
Glory be to God that
There are no more of us
For one of us could
Drink it all alone.-

Goodby my Coney-Island baby
Farewell to thee my own true love.
I'm gonna' sail away and leave you,
Fever to return .
So you can have the dishes Mabel.
I'm gonna' sail away
On an old ferry boat.
Happy as the day is long.
So goodby, so-long, farewell forever
Goodby my Coney Island
I said my Coney Island
I mean my Coney Island baby.

Song Book of the Wild Hares. [1945]

See here: https://archive.org/details/1945songbookofthewildhares/page/n11/mode/2up?q=%22an+old+beer+bottle%22+%22all+gone%22

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 09:11 AM

ONLY AN OLD BEER BOTTLE

It was only and old beer bottle,
A-floating on the foam.
It was only and old beer bottle,
A thousand miles from home.
Inside was a piece of paper,
With these words written on,
"Whoever finds this bottle,
Finds the beer all gone."

Aloha Jigpoha. February, 1945. Honolulu. [compiled by Robert D. Thornton]

See online here: https://archive.org/details/1945alohajigpoha/page/35/mode/2up?q=%22an+old+beer+bottle%22+%22all+gone%22

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 09:14 AM

THE BEER BOTTLE

T’was only an old beer bottle
Floating on the foam;
T’was only an old beer bottle,
A thousand miles from home.
Inside was a piece of paper.
With these words written on,
"Whoever finds this bottle.
Finds the beer all gone."

IOCA Song-Fest. First Edition. [1938]. Pg 11.

https://archive.org/details/1938iocasongfest/page/11/mode/2up?q=%22old+beer+bottle%22

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:14 AM

(It Was Only) An Old Beer Bottle

It was only an old beer bottle
A floatin' on the foam
It was only an old beer bottle
A million miles from home
Inside was a piece a of paper
These words were written on
Now whoever finds this bottle
Will find the beer all gone

It was only an old beer bottle
A floatin' on the foam
It was only an old beer bottle
A million miles from home
Inside was a piece a of paper
These words were written on
Now whoever finds this bottle
Will find the beer all gone

Spoken:
Ten little bottles sitting on the shelf
Nine little bottles sitting on the shelf
Eight little bottles sitting on the shelf
Seven little bottles a-sitting on a shelf
Six little boottles sitting on a shelf. Oh my.
Fiiivvve little bottles...
Four little bottles. Oooooh
Three little bottles...
Now there's no by little b.. now there's n...

Wait a minute. Quit pushing me now.

Wait a minute. Pushner. Pushner.

Oh, smart guy huh? Get me the manager.

So you're the manager, huh?

You can't put me out of here. I'm an American citizen.
You see. I have my rights. You can't put me out of here now.

Oh yeah?

[Sound of someone falling down]

My god he did.

Dick Jurgens and his Orchestra. Jan 1940. Vocalion (5338). Tune is "Sing a Song of Cities".


Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5RKRj-xx8U

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:18 AM

We are going to wind up the column with the
following soulful little ditty and quit. The verse
touched us, we are sure it will touch you.

Here it is:

It was only an old beer bottle
That was tossed in by the tide;
But it carried a sad, sad message
On a paper found inside.
The paper that it carried,
Had these sad words written on;
"He who finds this old beer bottle--
Will find the beer all gone."
BY HECK

The Villanovan. March 1925.

See here:

https://archive.org/details/villanovan1926_p_rs/page/n1059/mode/2up?q=%22old+beer+bottle%22+

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:19 AM

THE SEA GIVES UP ITS DEAD

It was only an old beer bottle
That was tossed in by the tide;
But it carried a sad, sad message
On a paper found inside.
The paper that it carried,
Had these sad words written on:
"He who finds this bottle
Will find the beer all gone."

The Hiltop by Marquette University. 1925. Pg 285.

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:29 AM

"Street Urchins' Medley", (Male voices) Arr. by J.W.B. The Gray Book of Favorite
Songs. Revised Edition. 1924. Pg 124.

Opening line: Sing a song of cities...

I don't read music. Can someone confirm the opening tune in this medley matches
the "Old Beer Bottle / Sing a Song of Cities" tune. It is in the same 3/4 signature
and the words match the Barbarshop Balladeers recording from 1950.


Link to the music: https://archive.org/details/graybookoffavori0000unse/page/124/mode/2up?q=street

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:31 AM

ALONE

It was only an old beer bottle
Tat was tossed in by the tide,
But it carried a sad, sad message
On a paper found inside

That paper that it carried
Had these sad words written on
"He who finds this old beer bottle
Will find the beer all gone"

Evergreen and Gold. University of Alberta. [1924-1925]. pg 140.

See here: https://archive.org/details/P009022_5/P009022_5/page/n149/mode/2up?q=%22an+old+beer+bottle%22+%22all+gone%22

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:32 AM

April Fool!

It was only an old beer bottle,
Floating across the foam,
Just an old beer bottle,
Far away from home.
Only an old beer bottle,
With these sad words written on,
"Whoever finds this beer bottle,
Will find that the beer’s all gone."

Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, Vol. III. No. 30, February, 1922


See here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/62422/62422-h/62422-h.htm

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:35 AM

To the chorus of "Casey Jones."

An old beer bottle washed up by the sea
An old beer bottle came floating up to me,
In it was a paper, with this message written on,
"He who finds this bottle, finds the beer all gone."

Archon. 1914. [pg 19].

See here: https://archive.org/details/archonmay1914dumm/page/18/mode/2up?q=%22an+old+beer+bottle%22+gone

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:40 AM

"Sing a Song of Cities" arranged by Sameul M. Richardson, Eighth Company.
Songs of the Seventh: 7th Infantry, N.G., N.Y. 1914.

See online: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Songs_of_the_Seventh/0-0sAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Sing+a+song+of+cities%22&pg=PA227&printsec=frontcover

I can't read music. The tune for the chorus is most certainly "I've been working
on the railroad" but does the tune for the verses match the tune in The New Songfest?

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 11:47 AM

"Fol the rol lol medley". Edison Gold Moulded Record: 9193.
Year of release (1905/1906) from "The Edison Phonograph Monthly," v.3.
Introducing "Fol-the-rol-lol," "Sympathy," "Starlight," "Silver threads amongs
the gold" and "Can't you see I'm lonely."

Listen online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU5oblPmC-k&t=62s


Can any one confirm that the "Starlight" tune above matches the "Sing a Song of Cities /
Only an Old Beer Bottle" ?

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 12:08 PM

"Starlight", Theodore Morse Composer, Edward Madden Lyricist.

Below is the sheet music for "Starlight" from 1905.

See here: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6406&context=mmb-vp

Does this have a relation to "Sing a Song of Cities / It Was Only an Old Beer Bottle" ?

Subject: RE: Origins: It Was Only An Old Beer Bottle
From: and e
Date: 25 Mar 24 - 08:22 PM

"The Levee Song" in Carmina Princetonia, 1894. Pg 25. This is a medley of short songs
with different tunes. The opening song is "I've Been Working on the Levee" is, of course,
"I've Been working on the Railroad" variant.   The "Sing a song o' the city; Roll dat
cotton bale..." part of the medley has the same 3/4 tune as the "Old Beer Bottle /
Sing a Song of Cities".

See here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Carmina_Princetonia/NZ1IAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=levee

Does the tune match the "Old Beer Bottle" tune?