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Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be

DigiTrad:
A GOB IS A SLOB
KNAVES WILL BE KNAVES
THE KNAVE


Related thread:
Lyr Req: A Knave Is a Knave (Alan Arkin) (20)


In Mudcat MIDIs:
A Gob is a Slob


Mrrzy 20 Jun 01 - 05:22 PM
Mrrzy 20 Jun 01 - 05:24 PM
Charley Noble 20 Jun 01 - 06:51 PM
Snuffy 20 Jun 01 - 07:25 PM
Charley Noble 20 Jun 01 - 09:14 PM
Charley Noble 20 Jun 01 - 09:31 PM
Mrrzy 21 Jun 01 - 12:47 AM
Joe Offer 21 Jun 01 - 11:57 PM
Charley Noble 22 Jun 01 - 10:29 AM
Lighter 18 Feb 09 - 07:49 PM
Lighter 28 Apr 21 - 04:17 PM
GUEST,# 28 Apr 21 - 04:26 PM
GUEST,# 28 Apr 21 - 04:38 PM
Lighter 28 Apr 21 - 05:10 PM
Lighter 28 Apr 21 - 05:10 PM
GUEST,# 28 Apr 21 - 05:32 PM
Lighter 28 Apr 21 - 05:38 PM
GUEST,# 28 Apr 21 - 06:11 PM
Lighter 28 Apr 21 - 07:35 PM
cnd 29 Apr 21 - 04:47 PM
cnd 29 Apr 21 - 04:48 PM
Mrrzy 29 Apr 21 - 05:09 PM
Lighter 30 Apr 21 - 09:15 AM
Jack Horntip 27 Apr 25 - 04:43 PM
Jack Horntip 27 Apr 25 - 05:11 PM
Jack Horntip 28 Apr 25 - 09:24 AM
Jack Horntip 28 Apr 25 - 10:20 AM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 08:12 AM
Jack Horntip 29 Apr 25 - 09:29 AM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 10:24 AM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 10:52 AM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 11:24 AM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 11:50 AM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 01:01 PM
Jack Horntip 29 Apr 25 - 01:44 PM
Jack Horntip 29 Apr 25 - 03:27 PM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 05:25 PM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 05:26 PM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 07:01 PM
Jack Horntip 29 Apr 25 - 07:02 PM
cnd 29 Apr 25 - 07:14 PM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 07:21 PM
Jack Horntip 29 Apr 25 - 07:27 PM
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Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 08:22 PM
Lighter 29 Apr 25 - 09:23 PM
Jack Horntip 29 Apr 25 - 09:32 PM
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Subject: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Mrrzy
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 05:22 PM

I had this by Oscar Brand somewhere. This is as much as I remember, I'm missing I think the opening verse and one in the middle. It's for them chanteysingers...

I was walking down the street like a good girl should
He followed me down the street like I knew he would
CHO: Because a gob is a slob, wherever he may be
Listen and I'll tell you what this sailor did to me
I walked to my house...
He followed me to my house...(CHO)
I ran up the stair
Like a frightened hare
I even locked my bedroom door
I turned to the bed
I almost fell over dead
Somehow he slipped right in before
So I got into bed like a good girl should
He followed me into bed...(CHO)
He grabbed me tight
And he switched out the light
And he settled down to stay
I would have said
Please leave this bed
But who the hell is built that way?
So I had me a time like a good girl should
He had him a time...(CHO)
And I had me a child...
And he went off to sea like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob, wherever he may be
Now you've heard the story what this sailor did to me!

Naemanson, trade you for your Oscar Brand version of Jack Was Every Inch A Sailor!


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Mrrzy
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 05:24 PM

Rackin frackin html! Naemanson, you ain't in italics on purpose.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 06:51 PM

If Oscar Brand is to be trusted this song was included in 1619 in PILLS TO PURGE MELANCHOLY as "A Knave is a Knave." The Navy version was entitled "A Gob is a Slob" and was rougher than what Brand printed as "A Guy is a Guy" in A BOOK OF PARTY SONGS which is pretty much as you have added here; I'll do his version if you or anyone else is intersted, assuming it isn't already in the DT under some other title. Glad you got to meet Naemanson in 3D.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Snuffy
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 07:25 PM

There's been a thread about this song, with yet another title 'The Rogue' during the last week or so


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 09:14 PM

Snuffy, there are too many "Rogues" to isolate the thread you are refering to. Any more clues?


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Subject: Lyr Add: A GOB IS A SLOB (Oscar Brand)^^^
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 09:31 PM

Ah, here's a transplant from an earlier thread fouind search for "Gob is a Slob":

Here is Oscar Brand's version of "A Gob is a Slob" from Vol. 2 as requested by Bruce O.:

A Gob is a Slob

My mother told me not to talk to strangers in the street
As the years went by remembering I was never indiscreet
But girls are girls and boys are boys and boys and girls are fools
We're all the same so who's to blame when its nature makes the rules

Well I walked down the street like a good girl should
He followed me down the street like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob where ever he may be
Listen and I'll tell you what this sailor did to me

I walked to my house like a good girl should
He followed to my house like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob where ever he may be
Listen while I tell you what this sailor did to me

I ran up the stair like a frighetend hare
I even locked my bedroom door
I turned to the bed almost fell over dead
Somehow he sneaked right in before

I got into bed like a good girl should
He followed me into bed like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob where ever he may be
Listen and I'll tell you what this sailor did to me

I pursed my lips I tried a frown but frowning's not my style
I tried a pout but what came out was a coy inviting smile
I knew he would have had me even if I had refused
He didn't need encouragement but what he got he used

I got into bed like a good girl should
He followed me into bed like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob where ever he may be
Listen while I tell you what this fellow did to me

I got me a time like a good girl should
He got him a time like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob where ever he may be
Listen while I tell you what this sailor did to me

He grabbed me tight and he switched off the light
And he settled down to stay
I would have said please leave this bed
But who the hell is built that way

So had me a child like a good girl should
And he went off to sea like I knew he would
Because a gob is a slob where ever he may be
Now you heard the story what this sailor did to me

^^^ (click)


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Mrrzy
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 12:47 AM

Thank you! And I sent a special Hello to you, Charley, see that Naemanson delivers it! I knew I was missing the intro, and I see I was missing one differently-tuned verse in the middle. At least I can still tell where the holes are!


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 11:57 PM

The version in the Digital Tradition is called The Knave
-Joe Offer-


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Jun 01 - 10:29 AM

Joe, there's certainly more than one version in the DT already. Well, maybe the others are only in the threads.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 18 Feb 09 - 07:49 PM

Has anyone, anywhere, ever heard a version of the song "A Gob is a Slob" that did not appear to come from Oscar Brand?

I'm not talking about ancestors with titles like "The Knave" or "The Rogue," or Brand's later rewrite, "A Guy is a Guy."

I'm talking specifically about the song called "A Gob is a Slob."


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 04:17 PM

I guess there ain't.

The structure of "A Gob is a Slob" (like "A Guy is a Guy") is pure pop.

I suspect Brand had come across a version of "The Knave," with or without the phrase "a gob is a slob" and wrote the unfolklike "refrains" himself.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: GUEST,#
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 04:26 PM

https://www.loc.gov/item/afc9999005.10614/

A song entitled 'A Gob is a Slob' is catalogued at the LOC, but I haven't listened to see if it's THE song. If it is, the date is 1939.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: GUEST,#
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 04:38 PM

Tried to listen, but there ain't nothin' to listen to.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 05:10 PM

It was sung but Herbert Halpert, who was a collector. The little delta in the corner means it was naughty.

I assume, then, that this was the song that Brand renovated.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 05:10 PM

It was sung but Herbert Halpert, who was a collector. The little delta in the corner means it was naughty.

I assume, then, that this was the song that Brand renovated.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: GUEST,#
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 05:32 PM

Beats me, Lighter. I am having trouble locating anything about Herbert Halpert, and unless a sound recording turns up--other than the Brand rendition--then I think the key will be finding out about Halpert. That said, I saw something about Memorial U in Nfld, so I'll have a look 'round there (online). Maybe GEST has a copy.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 05:38 PM

The LOC has Halpert's papers, which Legman says include a number of bawdy songs. Halpert did a lot of collecting in New Jersey.

It seems that Brand somehow heard "A Gob is a Slob," rewrote it as "A Guy is a Guy," then rewrote it again as "A Gob is a Slob" with "Guy is a Guy" structure and touches.

Maybe you can get the LOC to send you a scan?

Let us know!


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: GUEST,#
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 06:11 PM

I wouldn't even know how to ask for one, Lighter.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Apr 21 - 07:35 PM

A second look shows it's an audio recording only. So no scan.

It's also marked as "Fragment.'

Cue Oscar Brand?


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: cnd
Date: 29 Apr 21 - 04:47 PM

He did seem to have a knack for filling in missing fragments.

It looks as if it's included on an online edition of New York songs here, however, my library doesn't have access to that company's materials.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: cnd
Date: 29 Apr 21 - 04:48 PM

It's included in Volume 10 of the above mentioned link -- click here ... still no dice in listening to it.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Mrrzy
Date: 29 Apr 21 - 05:09 PM

Hmmm. I was thinking of singing this on the Singaround but then I thought about the lyrics, and I can't.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 30 Apr 21 - 09:15 AM

Great work, Carter, and thanks for the tip!

By chance, my library does have access, and here's the song. It was sung by Jerome Reiner for Herbert Halpert in New York City in 1938.
Reiner sounds relatively young.

"We were camping by wet a campfire one night, [and] one of the men decided to sing a few choice songs he’d brought back from Scotland. He’d studied medicine at Edinburgh.   

This is one of the songs.

I went on home like a good girl should;
He followed me like he said he would.
A gob is a slob, wherever he may be,
Listen to what the son of a bitch did to me.

"I went upstairs like a good girl should;
He followed me like he said he would.
A gob is a slob, wherever he may be,
Listen to what the son of a bitch did to me.

"Last verse,

"I got a kid like a good girl would; [sic]
He went away like he said he would.
A gob is a slob, wherever he may be,
And that’s what the son of a bitch did to me."

"The Knave" appears in Kinloch's Scottish "Ballad Book" (1827), but
"gob" and "slob" are a pretty good indication that those lines, at least, weren't made by a Scot!

"Gob" dates back to the turn of the century in the U.S. Navy. It was popularized in 1917-18.

Reiner's tune is not the same as Brand's. In fact, it's not very good at all.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 27 Apr 25 - 04:43 PM

A Dainty: Ducke.

[Page 487 of MS.]

A: dainy ducke I Chanced to meete;
shee wondered what I wold doe,
& curteouslye shee did mee greete
as an honest woman shold doe.

I asked her if shee wold drinke;
shee wondred &c.
shee answered me with a sober winke,
as an honest &c.

I tooke . . . . . .


c1640. Bishop Percy's Folio Manuscript: Loose and Humorous Songs. Fragment only.


See here: https://archive.org/details/bishoppercysfoli00perc/page/108/mode/1up?q=ducke


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 27 Apr 25 - 05:11 PM

Song 175.

I Went to the Alehouse as an honest woman shoo'd,
And a Knave follow'd after, as you know Knaves woo'd
Knaves will be Kanves in every degree
I'le tell you by and by, who this Knave serv'd me.
I call'd for my pot as a honest woman shoo'd,
And the Knave drank it up, as you know Kaves woo'd,
        Knaves will be Knaves, &c.
I went into my bed as an honest woman shoo'd,
And the Knave crept into't, as you Knaves woo'd,
        Knaves will be Knaves, &c.
I prov'd with Childe as an honest woman shoo'd,
And the Knave rany away, as you know Knaves woo'd,
Knaves will be Knaves in every degree,
And thus have I told you how this Knave serv'd me.

1671. The New Academy of Complements.


See here: https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_the-new-academy-of-compl_1671/page/271/mode/1up?q=knave


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 28 Apr 25 - 09:24 AM

A SONG.

[ music ]

I Went to the Ale-house as an honest Woman shou'd,
And a Knave follow'd after, as you know Knaves wou'd,
Knaves will be Knaves in every degree,
I'll tell you by and by, how this Knave serv'd me.

I call'd for my pot as an honest Woman shou'd,
And the Knave crept into't, as you know Knaves wou'd,
        Knaves will be Knaves, &c.

I went into my Bed as an honest Woman shou'd,
And the Knave crept into't, as you know Knaves wou'd,
        Knaves will be Knaves, &c.

I proved with Child as an honest Woman shou'd,
And the Knave ran away, as you know Knaves wou'd,
Knaves will be Knaves, in every degree,
And thus have I told you, how this Knave serv'd me.


1714. Wit and Mirth Pills to Purge Melancholy, Volume 5. p.118.   


See here: https://archive.org/details/1714-wit-and-mirth-pills-to-purge-melancholy-vol-5/page/n130/mode/1up


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 28 Apr 25 - 10:20 AM

"A Gob is a Slob" is in the Herbert Halpert New York City
Collection
is at the Archive of Traditional Music at Indiana
University. It is available for streaming with proper off-campus
access. I believe they have reciprocal access with other universities.

Lighter would you want to have a go at getting a copy?


Listen here: https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/18193285


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 08:12 AM

I posted the Reiner/Halpert text in 2021.

I can't transcribe Reiner's tune, but it's hardly more than a chant.

According to the Toronto "Star Weekly" in 1971: “ ‘A Guy’s a Guy’…Brand says… [is] an adaptation of a Canadian Navy song called ‘A Gob is a Slob.’” I suspect Brand said "navy" and the reporter assumed "Canadian" from the context.

Decades after WW2, Red Cross worker Betty Jane Olewiler (1915-1905) recalled in "A Woman in a Man's War" (2003) a moment when:

"A boy named Ernie stood on one of the long tables singing a song with a vehement expression, gesturing humorously with a long black cigar. The song, whose every verse ended with 'like a good girl should,' was later cleaned up a bit for the 'Hit Parade,' but even then it could only be considered slightly risqué."


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 09:29 AM

Very sorry for overlooking the text from 2021.

Thanks for the references. This song is much rarer -- and rarely
mentioned -- than "The Red Light Saloon".

Until Brand's revival, it doesn't show up in any bawdy songbooks.

Heck I had enough problems finding the song in Pills to Purge
Melancholy
. Many copies omit the song. The copy linked to above
was my personal copy which I just uploaded.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 10:24 AM

Recorded by the Lomaxes from a Mr. Bornu, a fiddler, at Kaplan, La., June, 1934. Bornu’s tune is the common blues line, repeated over and over:

Went downtown, like an honest girl does.
I went downtown, like an honest girl does.
Went down to the store, like an honest girl does.
Got me a pair of drawers, like an honest girl does.
Then I met a pretty boy, like an honest girl does.
And he come home with me, like an honest boy do.    [sic
He took me down in mother’s room, like an honest boy do.
He laid me down on mother’s bed, like an honest boy do.
Raise my dress over my head, like an honest boy do.
And then he done it to me, and he said, “To hell with you little gal.”
Listen to me, little gally, don’t ever give an inch above your knee.
They gone to fuck you, then give you a kick, little girl.


Nothing light-hearted here. The text is bitterly monitory, with the "inch above your knee" phrase in common with other songs.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 10:52 AM

Collected by Samuel Pepys, ca1650-ca1700:

            THE KIND MISTRESS,
                  OR, A
      Good turn done at a time of need.

                
To an Excellent new Tune. Licensed according to Order.

AS I was walking along the Street,
      And a wondering what I could see,
I met with a Lass that was handsome & neat
      as an honest loving woman should be.


I asked her to go and drink,
      and a wondering what she would do,
She answered me with a private wink,
      as an honest loving woman should do.

I went and gave her a bottle of Sack,
      and a wondering, etc.
And she was ready to lye on her back,
      as an honest, etc.

Then I sat her upon the bed,
      and a wondering, etc.
She promis'd me her Maiden-head,
      as an honest, etc.

Then her Petticoats I up did lift
      and a wondering, etc.
And she her self pull'd up her shift,
      as an honest, etc.

When the spot of Love I had spy'd,
      and a wondering, etc.
Come there if thou lovest me Lad she cryd
      as an honest, etc.

Then I flung my Arms about her neck,
      and a wondering, etc.
She hug'd me as if I had been her Mate,
      as an honest, etc.

I gave her a kiss as I laid her down,
      and a wondering, etc.
She gave me Kisses Two for One,
      as an honest, etc.

When I had enjoy'd my hearts delight
      and a wondering, etc.
She beg'd me to stay with her al Night,
      as an honest, etc.

To bed with her I went with speed,
      and a wondering, etc.
She helpt me still at a time of need,
      as an honest, etc.

Then I good folks did what you know,
      and a wondering, etc.
In troth she did the same thing too,
      as an honest, etc.

The truth she then began to dec[l]are,                     
      and a wondering what she would do,
She'd wed an old man but she wanted aneihr      [sic]
      which no honest loving woman should do.

"Aneiher" looks like a late survival of probably regional Middle English forms, which according to Oxford include "a noyer," "a-noyer," 'a-noyir," and "a noyr."   

More interestingly, the song is from the man's point of view, and the woman is entirely willing. Her dissatisfaction with her elderly husband abilities is also unique to this version.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 11:24 AM

George R. Kinloch, "The Ballad Book" (1827):

                                        THE KNAVE

                        I GAED to the market,
                         As an honest woman shou'd,
                        The knave followed me,
                         As ye ken a knave wou'd.
                                    
                           (Cho.) And a knave has his knave tricks,
                            Aye where'er he be,
                              And I'll tell ye bye and bye,
                                  How the knave guided me.
                                
                         I boucht a pint ale,
                           As an honest woman shou'd
                         The knave drank it a',
                          As ye ken a knave wou'd.
                                
                         I cam my way hame,
                           As an honest woman shou'd,
                         The knave follow'd me,
                          As ye ken a knave wou'd.
                        
                         I gied him cheese and bread,
                           As an honest woman shou'd,
                        The knave ate it a',
                           As ye ken a knave wou'd.
                                
                        I gaed to my bed,
                           As an honest woman shou'd,
                        The knave follow'd me,
                           As ye ken a knave wou'd.
                                
                        I happen'd to be wi' bairn,
                           As an honest woman shou'd,
                        The knave ran awa,
                          As ye ken a knave wou'd.

                        I paid the nourice fee,
                          As an honest woman wou'd,
                        The knave got the widdie,
                          As ye ken a knave shou'd.
                                    
                        And a knave has his knave tricks,
                                 Aye where'er he be,
                            And I've tamed you now
                               How the knave guided me.

nourice = nurse.
widdie = hangman's rope.

(I haevn't find an appropriate sense of "tamed." Misreading of "tell'd"?)


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 11:50 AM

Hans Hecht, ed. Songs from David Herd’s Manuscripts (1904), pp. 136-137 [Herd died in 1810]:

As I gaed to the well at e'en,
As ony honest auld woman will do,
The carl then he follow't me,
As auld carles will do.

            [Chorus:]
He woo'd me and loo'd me,
A wally, how he woo'd me!
But yet I winna tell to you.
How the carl woo'd me.

As I sat at my wheel at e'en,
As ony honest auld woman shou'd do.
The carl he came in to me,
As auld carles will do.

          [Chorus:]
He woo'd me and loo'd me &c.

As I gaed to my bed at e'en.
As ony other honest auld woman wou'd do,
The carl then he came to me.
As auld carles will do.

          [Chorus:]
He woo'd me and loo'd me &c


carl = fellow
"A wally" can mean either "Alas!" or "Goodness!"


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 01:01 PM

"Aul' Roguey Gray" sung by Lizzie Higgins. She said this was the last song she learned from her mother, Jeannie Robertson (1908-1975):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8o7C5zaAow&list=OLAK5uy_miv9K4nJFVi2qtD8TJjuhp48Tk0RZx2pg&index=8


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 01:44 PM

Lighter, thank you oh so very much for the references and texts.   

The first one collected by Lomax in 1934 is found in Caffery's Traditional Music in Coastal Louisiana, pp.27-29.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 03:27 PM

Honest Girl

I went to church
Like an honest girl should
And the boys come too
Just like boys would.

Boys are boys
Wherever they may be
I will tell you by and bye
How the boys treated me.

I come home
Like an honest girl should
And the boys come too
Just like boys would.

I made a light
Like an honest girl should
And the boys put it out
Just like boys would.

I went to bed
Like an honest girl should
And the boys come too
Just like boys would.

I bare my baby
Like an honest girl should
And the boys denied it
Just like boys would.

1966. The Combined Universities Songbook p.46.   Australian universities songbook.

See here: https://archive.org/details/1965-the-combined-universities-songbook/page/45/mode/1up?q=%22honest+girl+should%22


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 05:25 PM

Kevin Mitchell of Derry and Glasgow recorded this atypical version in 2000. See

https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/mitchell.htm

                      THE BOLD ROGUE

Oh come listen to me story and I'll sing to you me song,
And I'll tell you all about the man who tried to do me wrong.
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I'll tell you in a minute what the rogue he did to me.

Oh he came to my door, a-peddling pots and pans,
He asked me if I'd buy from him a couple of new tin cans.
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I'll tell you in a minute what the rogue he did to me.

He put his foot inside the door and he wouldn't go away,
He said that he would stay a while if I would make him tay.
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I'll tell you in a minute what the rogue he did to me.

Well, he sat by the fireside 'til the light was growing dim,
He made me sit upon his knee, so very close to him.
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I'll tell you in a minute what the rogue he did to me.

Now I'm a decent woman and I told him for to go,
But the rogue he only smiled at me, and softly answered "No".
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I'll tell you in a minute what the rogue he did to me.

Well, I went up the stairs like a decent woman should,
The rogue he followed after, like I knew the rogue he would.
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I'll tell you in a minute what the rogue he did to me.

Well, I put out the lamp, and I turned and locked the door,
Undressed meself, got into bed - but the rogue was in before.
He was a bold rogue, a bad rogue, a rogue of low degree
And I don't think I will tell you what the rogue he did to me.


Mitchell "had a set of words for this song for years, waiting for the tune. As none appeared, I put a tune to it myself from 'folk memory' of other versions of the song."


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 05:26 PM

Collected by Donagh MacDonagh in Ireland between 1939 and 1975 [http://members.tripod.com/~songbook1/Rogue.html] (no melody given):

                                        The Rogue

                        I walked down the road
                        Like a decent girl should.
                        The Rogue he walked down after me,
                        I knew the Rogue he would;
                        For he was a bad Rogue, a bold Rogue,
                        A rogue of high degree,
                        And listen and I'll tell you what
                        The Rogue he said to me.

                        I went into my house
                        Like a decent girl should,
                        The Rogue followed in after me,
                        I knew the Rogue he would,
                        For he was a bad Rogue, a bold Rogue,
                        A Rogue of high degree,
                        And listen and I'll tell you what
                        The Rogue he said to me.

                        I climbed up to my room
                        Like a decent girl should,
                        The Rogue he crept up after me,
                        I knew the Rogue he would,
                        For he was a bad Rogue, a bold Rogue,
                        A Rogue of high degree,
                        But divil the word I'll tell you what
                        The Rogue he said to me.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 07:01 PM

Eugene O’Brien, "One Way Ticket" (1940), a novel about the U.S. Navy. Apparently fragments of two different songs mashed together:


"I knew he was a sailor
By the buttons on his pants,
His shoes were neatly polished,
His hair was neatly combed,
I knew he was a sailor
By the buttons on his pants.

"He took me in his arms
Like I knew he would,
I let him do it
Like a good girl should,
Oh, ta te ahhh,
Ta te ahh ahhhh!"

Caroline Lassalle, "Breaking the Rules" (1986), a novel about women in London:

        I marched up the stairs like a good girl should,
        He followed me up the stairs like I knew he would,
        Tumti, tumti, tumti. Tumti tumti tee,
        Now listen while I tell you what that fellow did to me.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 07:02 PM

"I went to the church like a honest girl should..."

Sung by Ether Harmon. Maryville, Tenn. Herbert Halpert (collector),
April 1939.

Probably our song.


Link to card catalog only: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc9999005.35233/


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: cnd
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 07:14 PM

Related is Doris Day's 1952 hit, A Guy Is A Guy, though obviously sanitized. Lyrics copied from Genius without verification.

I walked down the street like a good girl should
He followed me down the street like I knew he would

Because a guy is a guy wherever he may be
So listen while I tell you what this fellow did to me

I walked to my house like a good girl should
He followed me to my house like I knew he would

Because a guy is a guy wherever he may be
So listen while I tell you what this fellow did to me

I never saw the boy before, so nothing could be sillier
At closer range his face was strange but his manner was familiar

So I walked up the stairs like a good girl should
He followed me up the stairs like I knew he would

Because a guy is a guy wherever he may be
So listen while I tell you what this fellow did to me

So I walked to my door like a good girl should
He stopped at my door like I knew he would

Because a guy is a guy wherever he may be
So listen while I tell you what this fellow did to me


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 07:21 PM

Coll. in Co. Mayo, 1937-1938:


He is a rogue and a robber
And a rogue he may be
All will tell you by and by
What the rogue did to me

https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4427806/4345819

The Roud No. of this family of songs is 5132.

England, Scotland, Ireland, North America, Australia, ca1650 - ca2000.
You don't get more trad than that.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 07:27 PM

DUET.--Nicholas and Lisette.

Nic.        I came to woo, as an honest man should.
Lis.        You prov'd untrue, as all rogues would.
Both.        Rogues! rouges! of every degree;
                And I'll tell you buy and by what rouges there be.
Lis.        I gave you my hand, as an honest girl should.
Nic.        And I bought a ring, as a bridegroom would.
Both.                Rogues! rouges! &c.
Lis.        I went to the church, as an honest woman should.
Nic.        And I say'd away--
Lis.                        As all rogues would.
Both.                Rogues! rouges! &c.
Nic.        I borrow'd of my rival--
Lis.                                As most fools would.
Nic.        So he lock'd me up--
Lis.                        As All rogues would.
Both.                Rogues! rogues! &c.
Nic.        He tied me up quite fast, and far away from town.
Lis.        What! tied you up!
Nic.                        Yes; but I knock'd him down.
Both.                Rogues! rogues! &c.
Nic.        Here's my hand--
Lis.                        Not while this moral hold good.
Nic.        He that won't when he many--
Lis.                                Never shall when he would.
Both.        For rogues are rogues in every degree,
                And now I've told you how the rogue served me.

c1830. The Man and the Marquis. Undated. London: John Cumberland.


See here: https://archive.org/details/manmarquisorthre0000dibd/page/28/mode/1up?q=%22honest+woman+should%22


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 08:02 PM

...With this determination in mind, I strove to pay some
attention to the merry songs and wild legends which Shamus poured
forth, with a verbosity and profusion that astonished me. Ever and
anon he would burst out in such snatches as--

        Cush la ma chree,
        Did you but see,
        How the rogue served me?
He broke my pitcher and spill'd my water,
Kiss'd my wife and married my daughter.
        Cush la ma chree, cush la ma chree.

1844. The Old Sailor's Jolly Boat, Laden with Tales, Yarns, Scraps, Fragments, etc.

Perhaps a cleaned up relative.


See here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_old_sailor_s_jolly_boat_steered_by_M/deUDAAAAQAAJ


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 08:22 PM

Good finds, John.

The tune of Brand's "like a good girl should" couplets reminds me of the (no longer heard) sing-songy tune accompanying Lomax's "Old Chisholm Trail" (1910) - which is the only tune Lomax gives for it!

Lizzie Higgins's tune rings a bell stronglym but I can't quite place it.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 09:23 PM

Coll. by W. Amos Abrams from "Mrs. Samuel Harmon, Vernell, Georgia, December, 1933." Evidently a relative of Halpert's Mrs. Harmon of Maryville.

          HONEST GIRL

I went to church,
Like an honest girl should.
And the boys come too,
Like other boys would.

            Chorus:

Boys are boys,
Wherever they may be.
I will tell you bye and bye,
How the boys treated me.

I come home,
Like an honest girl should.
And the boys come too,
Just like boys would.

I made a light,
Like an honest girl should.
And the boys put it out,
Just like boys would.

I went to bed,
Like an honest girl should.
And the boys come too,
Just like boys would.

I bare my baby,
Like an honest girl should.
And the boys denied it,
Just like boys would.

No tune. The plural "boys" is unique, here and in most other songs.


https://omeka.library.appstate.edu/items/show/14773


From "Campfire Songs":

https://www.scribd.com/doc/92872007/Campfire-Songs

                I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS NAME IS..

I went through the front gate, like a good girl should
And he slipped round the back way, like I knew he would

Chorus:
I don't know what his name is and wherever he may be
Just listen while I tell you what he did to me

I went in the front door, like a good girl should
And he slipped in behind me, like I knew he would

I went up the stairs, like a good girl should
And he came up behind me, like I knew he would

I went in my bedroom, like a good girl should
And he slipped in behind me, like I knew he would

I took all my clothes off, like a good girl should
And he took off his trousers, like I knew he would

I put on my 'jamas, like a good girl should
And then he took them off again, like I knew he would

I got into bed, like a good girl should
And he got in beside me, like I knew he would

I laid on my side, like a good girl should
But then he turned me over, like I knew he would

I had a child like a good girl should
And he went off to sea, like I knew he would

Final Chorus:
I don't know what his name is and wherever he may be
It's none of your damned business what he did to me


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 09:32 PM

I GOT OFF THE BUS

I got off the bus like a good girl should,
He followed me like I knew he would,
'Cause a girl's a girl, a boy's a boy,
That's what he done to me.

I walked up the stairs like a good girl should,
He followed me like I knew he would,
'Cause a girl's a girl, a boy's a boy,
That's what he done to me.

I got undressed like a good girl should,
He done it too like I knew he would, etc.

I put on my nightdress like a good girl should,
He took it off like I knew he would, etc.

I got into bed like a good girl should,
He got in like I knew he would, etc.

I opened my leges like a good girl should,
He popped it in like I knew he would, etc.

Kentish Town [London], 1983.

Printed version Ritchie, GC, pp.99-100.

Quoted in Games, Rhymes, and Wordplay of London Children by N. G. N. Kelsey


See here: https://books.google.com/books?id=3HSKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA692&dq=bus+like+a+good+girl+should


Cant find the book quoted.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 29 Apr 25 - 10:10 PM

I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS NAME IS...

CHORUS:
I don't know what his name is and whatever he may be,
Just listen while I tell you what he did to me!

I went through the front gate
Like a good girl should,
And e slipped round the back way
Like I knew he would.
                        --CHORUS

I went in the front door
Like a good girl should,
And he slipped in behind me
Like I knew he would.
                        --CHORUS

I went up the stairs
Like a good girl should,
And he came up behind me
Like I knew hew would.
                        --CHORUS

I went to my bedroom
Like a good girl should,
And he slipped behind me
Like I hoped he would.
                        --CHORUS

I took all my cloths off
Like a good girl should,
And he took off his trousers
Like I knew he would.
                        --CHORUS

I put on my 'jamas
Like a good girl should,
And then he took them off again
Like I knew he would.
                        --CHORUS

I got into bed
Like a good girl should,
And he got in beside me
Like I knew he would.
                        --CHORUS

I laid on my side
Like a good girl should,
But then he turned me over
Like I knew he would.
                        --CHORUS

CHORUS:
I don't know what his name is and wherever he may be,
It's none of your damned business what he did to me!

1976. Rugby Reveals...Hugger Rugger Presents. pp.26-27


See here: https://www.horntip.com/html/books_&_MSS/1970s/1976_father_rugby_reveals_(PB)/1976_father_rugby_reveals.pdf


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Jack Horntip
Date: 30 Apr 25 - 09:04 AM

Standing at the Corner

I was standing at the corner
Like a good girl should--
When a man came along
Like I knew he would.

I didn't know his name
But he smiled at me--
Now listen and I'll tell you
What he did to me

I went home to my flat
Like a good girl should--
And the man followed me
Like I knew he would.

I went into my bedroom
And he smiled at me--
Now listen and I'll tell you
What he did to me.

I put on my nightie
Like a good girl should--
He ripped it off my back
Like I knew he would.

I got into bed
And he smiled at me--
Now listen and I'll tell you
What he did to me

I lay on my side
Like a good girl should--
He put me on my back
Like I knew he would.

I didn't know his name
But he smiled at me--
AND IT'S NONE OF YOUR BLOODY BUSINESS
WHAT HE DID TO ME!

Students' song. The last two lines of the last
verse are shouted.


1964. The Singing Street. pp.99-100.

See here: https://archive.org/details/singingstreet0000jame/page/99/mode/1up?q=%22good+girl%22


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gob is a Slob, Wherever He May Be
From: Lighter
Date: 30 Apr 25 - 09:51 AM

Brendan Kennelly, "The Florentines" (1967):

O she followed me up the stairs
Like a good girl should
She followed me into bed
Like I knew she would
O she was a quare one, a gay one, a merry one,
And she was a hot one,
I tell you


The refrain is adapted from the Irish song, "Hand Me Down My Petticoat," supposedly from the Boer War (1899-1902). The sexes are reversed, possibly because singing a song in the voice of the opposite sex/gender now creates embarrassed giggles.
The verse seem not to scan to the same tune.


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