songs about names

Subject: songs about names
From: GUEST,jb
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 12:31 AM

I need some suggestions for songs about people's names, other than 'John Jacob Kingleheimer Schmitt' Any ideas out there? There's the old banana fana tune and a hymn or two, but I can't think of much else. Help, please.

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Callie
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 02:06 AM

My name is Jan Janssen I live in Winsconsin I work in the factory there And the people I meet When I walk down the street They ask me my name and I say

My name is Jan Janssen etc etc etc ad infinitum

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 10:33 AM

How about YOU NEVER EVEN CALL ME BY MY NAME. It's in the DT here.

Seriously, there are a gazillion songs about names. Just enter Ann in the DT search and you'll get 70+. Or enter Bill and you'll get 200+. Of course many of these hits have the name searched-for as a composer, but you should get enough hits to give you ideas to narrow your search.

Mary

Subject: RE: songs about names
From:
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 10:48 AM

For instance, there is "A Boy Named Sue", "My Girl Bill", "My Darling Clementine", "Tangerine".

As they said above, there are gazillions. Pick a name and do a search on it.

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: SINSULL
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 11:23 AM

I know a man named Michael Finnegan
He has whiskers on his chinnigan
Cuts them off but they grow in again
Poor old Michael Finnegan,begin again...

or Old man Lucas
Had a lot of mucus
flowing right out of his nose
He'd pick and pick
Til he made you sick
But back again it grows

So sorry.

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Sorcha
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 11:27 AM

My Gal SalSally in Our Alley
Oh Mary Ann

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Wolfgang
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 11:42 AM

Especially in the late 1920s, it was a fashion in Germany to construct songs around names (pref. female), to use these names for rhymes and even repeat them in the song with another meaning. One example shows the idea of these usually silly songs:

Denn wer bei Ruth ruht,
der wirklich gut ruht,
weil Ruth ihm gut tut...
(Ruth and ruht are homophones)

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 12:23 PM

Oh, it was Mary, Mary, long before the fashion changed...

Dating myself, I suppose.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Jacob B
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 12:37 PM

Don't for get the song "Harrigan". After all, "it's a name that a shame has never been connected with."

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 01:07 AM

jb, can you be a little more specific about the kind of song you want? There are songs with lots of names in them, songs that talk about a particular name, songs that play on names, and on and on...

In the first group is the old "Irish" music hall song "DEAR OLD DONEGAL". At least, I assume it's an old Irish music hall song. I only know it by its parody, SHAKE HANDS WITH YOUR UNCLE MAX, by Alan Sherman. (Thank goodness I checked the DT and saved myself oodles of typing!)

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 08:13 AM

My Bonnie lies over the ocean
My Bonnie lies over the sea
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me


I have had some other verses sung to me, but I would prefer not to post them here.

Bonnie

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 08:37 AM

Bonnie, you obviously know the version of that song I know LOL... Yours,Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: SDShad
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 09:42 AM

Tom Lehrer's "I Got It From Agnes?"

Chris

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Bert
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 03:27 PM

Plenty of songs about 'people' but the only one I can think of about a 'name' is Johnny Hochaby(Sp?).

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: GUEST,Mark Cohen
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 06:26 PM

Good one, Chris! -- I'd forgotten about that song. That also belongs in the "songs about illness" thread -- I'll add it.

Mark

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: GUEST,Rob-o
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 06:50 PM

Hey, this is fun. Let's see . . .

"He was born in Oklahoma/his wife's name is Betty Lou Thelma Liz . . . "

"Come back to us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard . . ."

"Oh, Sharon! Look what you've done to these men . . ."

"Donald and Lydia . . . mostly they made love from 10 miles away."

"Had an apartment in the city . . . me and Loretta liked livin' there."

"I knew a man, Bojangles . . . "

"Has anyone here seen Roberto Duran/I met him once, yeah I shook his hand/I looked in his eyes and now I understand/the love and the anger in the eyes of Roberto Duran . . . Has anyone here seen that Mexican girl/she lives up on 3rd Street in her own little world/a saint in the window and the rosary beads in her hand/yeah, the smile of an angel and the eyes of Roberto Duran . . . "

"Two brothers, name of Sandoval/horse thieves from Boquilas . . . "

"Howdy boys, my name is Charlie/ born in Chickasaw County Jail/my father, Albert, he was Sheriff/he shot horse thieves, deer and quail . . . "

"My name is Mary Clare Malloy/I was born in County Cork/at 16 years of age I sailed the seas for old New York/with 700 picture brides all torn 'tween hope and fear/at last we spied Manhattan/and the famous Isle of Tears . . ."

"He said, 'My name is Nakashima/and I am a proud American/I came here in '27 from my homeland of Japan/and I picked your grapes and oranges/made some money, I bought a store/until 1942, Pearl harbor and the War . . . "

And then one for the "no-namers":

"She was livin' in a Cadillac/bedded down in the backseat/on a backstreet in the Hollywood hills/with a shoebox museum of memories/old photoes and medical bills/she'd been a great actress in two dozen movies/played Shakespeare on the great London stage/before the three husbands, six kids and bad breaks/of 58 odd years of age . . . Him they called fat boy/wore gray overalls/and he clocked in at 400 pounds/with a passion for food and film magazines/he'd been a top critic downtown/he'd seen all her movies, worshipped her face/heard her story and took her on in/though she bore no resemblance to the star he adored/'The film's over, boys, real life begins' . . . She told him of a fountain of youth in the hot Texas earth/'It'll heal and renew us/it's somewhere west of Ft. Worth'/she'd met Errol Flynn there at the Crazy Water Hotel/and they danced down the street in the moonlight of old Mineral Wells . . . "

--Rob-o

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: GUEST,jb
Date: 01 May 00 - 02:12 PM

I want a song with many names, or about how people get their names or the importance of names to use to start folks thinking about their own nams and encourage them to tell stories about their names.

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Jacob B
Date: 01 May 00 - 04:04 PM

For a song with many names, there's John McCutcheon's "Calling All The Children Home".

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Bill D
Date: 01 May 00 - 10:55 PM

Bruce Phillips "Yuba City".....it IS about the importance of names, and barely mentions any....

"If I had a book, and if I only knew,
I'd write down their names and I'd sing them to you.
And when I got done, I'd sing them again-
You all know each one had a name"

about the deaths (murder) of 27+ homeless men and migrant workers a number of years ago...many were never identified

the song is really only about the 'issue' that no one cared enough to note their names

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 01 May 00 - 11:41 PM

On the same note,

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita
Adios, mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be...deportee

Mark

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Chocolate Pi
Date: 02 May 00 - 12:00 AM

"Tell me what were their names,
Tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?"

"My name it means nothing,
My age it means less.
The country I come from,
They call the Midwest."

"Last night there were four Marys
Tonight there'll be but three
There was Mary Beaton and Mary Seaton
And Mary Carmichael and me."


Chocolate Pi

Subject: Lyr Add: DISOBEDIENCE (A. A. Milne)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Apr 04 - 09:36 PM

Copied from http://ingeb.org/songs/jamesjam.html
(OK, it's a poem, not a song, but what the hey.)

DISOBEDIENCE
A. A. Milne

James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.
James James said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he;
"You must never go down
to the end of the town,
if you don't go down with me."

James James
Morrison's Mother
Put on a golden gown.
James James Morrison's Mother
Drove to the end of the town.
James James Morrison's Mother
Said to herself, said she:
"I can get right down
to the end of the town
and be back in time for tea."

King John
Put up a notice,
"LOST or STOLEN or STRAYED!
JAMES JAMES MORRISON'S MOTHER
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MISLAID.
LAST SEEN
WANDERING VAGUELY:
QUITE OF HER OWN ACCORD,
SHE TRIED TO GET DOWN
TO THE END OF THE TOWN -
FORTY SHILLINGS REWARD!"

James James
Morrison Morrison
(Commonly known as Jim)
Told his
Other relations
Not to go blaming him.
James James
Said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he:
"You must never go down to the end of the town
without consulting me."

James James
Morrison's mother
Hasn't been heard of since.
King John said he was sorry,
So did the Queen and Prince.
King John
(Somebody told me)
Said to a man he knew:
If people go down to the end of the town, well,
what can anyone do?"

(Now then, very softly)
J.J.
M.M.
W.G.Du P.
Took great
C/O his M*****
Though he was only 3.
J.J. said to his M*****
"M*****," he said, said he:
"You-must-never-go-down-to-the-end-of-the-town-
if-you-don't-go-down-with-ME!"

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: KT
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 03:51 AM

Don't know who wrote this one, but Mick Maloney sings a great song about the Kellys....Someone is looking for someone by the name of Kelly ...There's Kelly, the bar man, Kelly the car man...Kelly , etc.........Turns out there are lots of people named Kelly .....very clever song. Wish I could tell you more about it.

KT

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 03:58 AM

A few years ago we had a few 'theme' nights at our folk club, and one theme was songs containing the names William (or Bill) and/or Nancy. There are loads, we sang all evening and every song contained one or both of those names. Try it - 'Pleasant And Delightful' is your starter for hundreds.

BTW, a bit of drift, but we also had a 'Body Count' theme night for songs containing a minimum of one death. The count ended up at over 100,000!!

Johnny :0)

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 08:13 AM

Benny Hill worth a look here, especially Star Names, Bianca, Unlucky Luke, Bennys place, and last and least, Prunella.

For reasons unbeknown, couldnt get the link to work, so you'll hust have to copy and paste the address,(oh thr hardship!)

http://www.tnsf.ca/bennyhill/contents.php?section=1b

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 08:47 AM

Well, I just picked the theme a week ago for the next house hoot at my house, and the theme is: 1st round=first names, later rounds=last names. And then this thread was started, so I'm wondering if guest,jb is someone on my folk society mailing list? Hmmmmmm.

Anyway, here are a few I'm considering:

Lorena
Little Maggie
Little Annie
Catfish John
Colleen Malone
Ginseng Sullivan
Hey Jude
Jack Haggerty
Jimmy Brown the Newsboy
John Hardy
John Henry
John Brown's Body
Johnny, I Hardly Knew You
Louise
and many, many others!

Subject: RE: songs about names
From: Flash Company
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 11:03 AM

Allen Sherman had:-
Shine on, shine on Harvey Spoon, up in the sky
You've been up in orbit since January, February, June or July,
Please don't come back down too soon (We've let your room!)
So shine on , shine on Harvey Spoon. For me and your Gal!

Another from elsewhere:-
Hello Patsy Fagan, You will here the girls all cry,
Hello Patsy Fagan, You're the apple of my eye,
You're a dacent boy from Ireland, theres no-one can deny
You're a harum scarum devil may carum dacent Irish boy!

Also one called Seamus Rafferty which I can only remember hearing once with a Chorus which went:-
When he's sailing down the Liffey
And you're standing on the quay,
Shout 'Bring us back a Parrot,
When you come Home from sea!'

Probably a lot more if I carry on thinking on this one

FC