Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father

Subject: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,joe
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:00 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,Joe Fogey
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:06 PM

Does anybody know this song?

As far as I remember the words go as follows:

Hooray, hooray My father's gonna be hung Hooray, hooray, the dirty rotten bum He was very cruel to me when I was very young Hooray, hooray hooray they're hanging father

Other members of the singers family get shot, hurt etc. I heard it sung a few times back in the sixties (I think)

Thank you in advance for your help

Joe

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:20 PM

I'm sure you'll get dozens of verses! My favorite one, which I probably haven't sung for twenty years, runs:

Hooray, hooray, me brother's gonna get hurt!
Hooray, hooray, that dirty sex prevert;
He was very free with me when I was just a squirt,
Hooray, hooray, they're hurtin' brother.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,Midchuck upstairs
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:25 PM

Hurrah, Hurrah, my brother's gonna be destroyed Hurrah, Hurrah, that nasty little boy He always like to try on me the things he read in Freud Hurrah, boys, they're gonna wreck my brother.

Peter

(for those who don't realize, the melody is the chorus of Marching Through Georgia.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:35 PM

And then there's:

Hooray, hooray, me mother's gonna get shot!
Hooray, hooray, that dirty druken sot;
She was very free with me when I was just a tot,
Hooray, hooray, they're hurtin' mother.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: Art Thieme
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 08:39 PM

Believe it or not, I heard our own FRANK HAMILTON (former Weaver) sing this around 1961 in a concert he did at the University of Illinois---Navy Pier Chicago Campus. The tape I made of the concert has long since self-destructed.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 03 Apr 01 - 02:09 AM

Roger Abrahams used to sing it, too, back around 1960. Roger later got his PhD at Penn, became head of the Folklore Department at the University of Texas and President of the American Folklore Society. He has written several excellent books, including A Singer and Her Songs, the Ballads of Almeda Riddle, Deep Down in the Jungle, and others. So, you see, there's hope for all you irreverent folkies!

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 03 Apr 01 - 02:12 PM

The usual chorus is:

Don't cry, lady. I'll buy your goddam violets
Don't cry, lady....your pencils, too
Don't cry, lady. Take off those colored glasses,
Hello Mother! I knew it was you.

I though I had it in DigiTrad---Oh, well. For the next edition.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: Art Thieme
Date: 03 Apr 01 - 04:57 PM

Dick,

YES, Frank did sing that chorus too.

Art

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: radriano
Date: 03 Apr 01 - 07:15 PM

There's a set of lyrics in a previous thread. To get there:

Click me, won't you?


Richard

---

Thread #7118   Message #42746
Posted By: BSeed
21-Oct-98 - 10:11 PM
Thread Name: March through Georgia - other lyrics to tune?
Subject: Lyr Add: HURRAY, MY FATHER'S GONNA BE HUNG^^

HURRAY, MY FATHER'S GONNA BE HUNG

Hurray, hurray, my father's gonna be hung!
Hurray, hurray, that dirty drunken bum:
He was very mean to me when I was very young,
Hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray they're hanging Father.

Hurray, hurray, my mother's gonna be shot!
Hurray, hurray, that dirty drunken sot.
She was very mean to me when I was just a tot,
Hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, they're shooting Mother.

Hurray, hurray, my sister's gonna be hurt!
Hurray, hurray, that nasty old pervert.
She was very free with me when I was just a squirt,
Hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, they're hurting Sister.

Hurray, hurray, my brother's gonna be destroyed!
Hurray, hurray, that dirty little boy.
He always used to try on me the things he read in Freud,
Hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray, they're destroying Brother.

I ran across this in that old yellow book, whatever it's name is, published by "The American Outing Association" or something like that. --seed ^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,Roll&GO-C
Date: 04 Apr 01 - 09:28 AM

Ah, yes, Richard, the forerunner to Dick and Beth Best's SONG FEST; if you find a copy at a yard sale, sanp it up!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: Joe Fogey
Date: 08 Apr 01 - 06:42 PM

Thank you all

Joe F

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Apr 21 - 01:16 AM

Can someone please provide a link to the bluegrassy version of this song..?

Sincerely,
Diane Heath

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Apr 21 - 01:45 AM

Hi, Diane - The only recording I know of, is a bluesy one by the Incredible Broadside Brass Bed Band. I have a friend who sings it occasionally, and she's much better. The song is in the Song Fest books, and in Jerry Silverman's Dirty Song Book.

I can call and sing it to your answering machine, if you like.
Joe Offer, Mudcat Music Editor
[e-mail]

https://youtu.be/o6jPPoDQ8JA?t=623

---

Thread #8321   Message #51469
Posted By: Roger in Baltimore
30-Dec-98 - 07:43 PM
Thread Name: Self righteous prats
Subject: Lyr Add: DON'T CRY LADY^^

I think we all have the right to censor our singing however we wish. It is censoring others that is the problem.

Cursing is unusual in my vocabulary, but I recognize it as a part of the idiom. I recently sang at an open mike held in a church social hall. A large proportion of the audience was composed of members of that church. Well, I really wanted to sing Chuck Brodsky's ode to road rage, "Blow 'Em Away". Chuck elected to put "son of a bitch" in the song twice and noted that he gave one driver "the finger". I censored the song due to what I call "respect for the audience." The song offends others, because it describes the killing on several people and one dog, but that didn't bother me in this venue.

The response from the audience was very positive. Several people sought me out for more information about the song. Now, I would not sing this song at all at a "peace rally" (of course, I'm not likely to be invited, either). It would certainly offend most of that audience.

I think offending is the key. My life has gone much smoother since I gave up the notion of not offending anyone, it is a Sisyphian task. I think we can choose to some degree how many we are willing to offend in a particular audience.

Jerry Silverman published a collection of 62 songs called "The Panic is On". I like the book because it seems to contain enough irreverent songs that everyone would be offended by at least one of them. They are mostly humorous (to my mind), but clearly have the power to offend.

Here's one I never sang outside of my own house.

Chorus:
Don't cry, lady, I'll buy your Goddamn violets.
Don't cry, lady, your pencils, too.
Don't cry, lady, take off those colored glasses.
Hello, mother, I knew it was you.

Hooray, hooray, my father's gonna get shot,
Hooray, hooray, that dirty drunken sot.
For he was very mean to me when I was just a tot.
Hooray, they're gonna shoot my father.
CHO:

Hooray, hooray, my uncle's gonna get hung.
Hooray, hooray, that dirty drunken bum.
For he was very mean to me when I was very young.
Hooray, they're gonna hang my uncle.
CHO:

Hooray, hooray, my brother's gonna get hurt.
Hooray, hooray, that dirty sex pervert.
For he was very free with me when I was just a squirt,
Hooray, they're gonna hurt my brother.
CHO:

Hooray, hooray, my cousin's gonna get destroyed.
Hooray, hooray, that no good anthropoid.
For he would always try on me the things he'd read in Freud.
Hooray, they're gonna wreck my cousin.
CHO:

So, I think this has capability to offend. So much so, I've never sung it in public. When I feel very angry, I sometimes sing it for myself.

Roger in Baltimore ^^

---

Click for related thread

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father
From: GUEST,#
Date: 21 Apr 21 - 12:29 PM

I wonder if "Hooray x3 They're Hanging Father" (which seems to have an earliest date of 1959) could have been influenced by the following music hall song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfkiRukd0dU