Lyr Add: Prunes

Subject: Lyr Add: SONG OF THE PRUNE (Crumit/DeCosta)
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 01:53 PM

Nowadays we often gaze on women over 50
Without the slightest trace of wrinkles on their face
Doctors go and take their dough to make them young and nifty
But doctors I defy to tell me just why

No matter how young a prune may be, it's always full of wrinkles
We may get them on our face, prunes get them every place
Prohibition worries us, but prunes don't sit and brood,
Now matter how young a prune may be, it's always getting stewed

In the kingdom of the fruit the prune is snubbed by others
And they are not allowed to mingle with the crowd
Though they're never on display with all their highbrow brothers
they never seem to mind, to this fact they're resigned,

That no matter how young a prune may be, it's always full of wrinkles
Beauty treatments always fail, they've tried all to no avail
Other fruits are envious because they know real well
No matter how young a prune may be hot water makes 'em swell

Baby prunes look like their dad, but not wrinkled quite as bad

Every day in every way the world is getting better,
we've even learned to fly, as days go passing by,
But what about the poor old prune his life is only wetter,
no wonder he can't grin in the awful stew he's in

No matter how young a prune may be it's always full of wrinkles
We may get them on our face, Prunes get them every place.
nothing ever worries them their life's an open book,
But no matter how young a prune may be it has a worried look

Prunes act very kind they say, when sickly people moan,
But no matter how young a prune may be it has a heart of stone.

Have fun with it!

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: Bert
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 01:59 PM

Thanks Liz, My Dad sings bits of that one. I've always wondered what the whole song was.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 02:06 PM

Cheers Liz, I have heard it in the dim and distant past.. youv'e now got me racking my brains for the tune ;-)

Jon

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: Metchosin
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 02:12 PM

thanks Liz, I had all the words here too in hard copy, as we also sing it, but I lost all my family song book lyrics that I had stored, when my computer ate my Zip Disk at Christmas.

See bert, I don't have to transcribe at all, just wait for others to do it for me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 02:17 PM

"The Prune Song" is available on "Frank Crumit-Everbodies Best Friend" Conifer Records CDHD139, along with other of his compositions, such as "The Pig Got Up and Slowly Walked Away" "There's No One with Endurance like the Man who Sells Insurance", "What Kind of a Noise Annoys and Oyster?", and a nice version of "Wrap Me Up in My Tarpaulin Jacket"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: Metchosin
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 04:06 PM

and two more:

Peaches and bananas
Have skin you love to touch
But no matter how fine a prune may be
It don't amount to much

No matter how young a prune may be
It's always full of wrinkles
We may get them here and there,
But prunies get them every where
. Babies fret until they hear a mothers lullaby
But no matter how young a prune may be
You'll never hear it cry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 11:59 AM

There are many versions of this, particularly after prohibition where that particular verse was dropped in favour of another one. Kitty whose name escapes me, sings this but a much later version, with at least 2 extra or different verses.

Never cared much for prunes until I heard this.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: raredance
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 12:23 PM

This is in the form of an alert. The growers and marketers of prunes (presumably mostly California folk) have petitioned the federal government (FDA) to permit the sale of what are currently defined as "prunes" under the name of "dried plums". Their argument is that "dried plums" is a more saleable commodity in today's world. "Prunes" have a certain cachet as something that only old people eat and therefore humorous. In the olden days, i.e. my lost youth, prunes were typically so dry that they almost had to be stewed to reconstitute them to a palatable food. In that form they were not a handy snack food. Todays drying techniques leave a much higher moisture content and prunes can be a tasty snack out the bag and mixed with dried apricots, dried pears, dried apples, dried bananas, dried cherries etc. The producers think "dried plums" would look better added to that list. They may be right. "Dried plums" is certainly not deceptive advertising so there is a pretty good chance the change will be approved. If so, the prune could become extinct. Sad, "dried plums" just aren't as funny.

rich r

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Prunes
From: Metchosin
Date: 27 Feb 00 - 01:24 PM

In Canada prunes were known as CPR Strawberries because of the railways penchant for serving them, as they kept well.