Songs of Dismemberment

Subject: Songs of Dismemberment
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 07:28 AM

I'm running a workshop or two later in the year and was looking for an unusual theme. I saw 'dismemberment' mentioned in the Four Wet Pigs theme.

Any suggestions for songs on this theme - having choruses would be nice, but not essential.

Regards, John in Brisbane

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:29 AM

With her head tucked underneath her arm

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: MMario
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:33 AM

'Johnny I hardly knew ya'

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:42 AM

Any version of Mattie Groves/Little Musgrave where the cuckolded husbands cuts off his wife's head and kicks it against the wall.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:42 AM

ANGUS HEMPSTEAD, ANNE BOLEYN,LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ELENDER or THE BROWN GIRL, and LADY DIAMOND in the DT.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:44 AM

The two sisters/the cruel sister. Although the victim is drowned her body parts (hair, breastbone, fingerbones) are later used to construct a musical instrument (fiddle, harp).

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:44 AM

The Kerry Recruit (With me toora min ya, etc.)
Lizzie Borden, with an axe ... (not a song as such, but ...)
Pearl Bryan (see here and here).

There ought to be quite a few: it's quite the done thing after murdering someone, to cut off all their sticking-out bits to facilitate disposal.

Steve

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Naemanson
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:47 AM

How about the Robert Service poem, The Ballad Of Blasphemous Bill.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 08:57 AM

In some versions of Ruben's Train his head was found 'neath the driving wheel and his body has never been found.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Snuffy
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 09:07 AM

Disembowelling in the original SIX DUKES WENT A-FISHING, and dismemberment in the Kipper Family Parody DOVER STRAND.

Incidentally, all the place names are transcribed wrongly in this one:
Dover strand = Overstrand
Northrups = Northrepps
Southrups = Southrepps
Knaptown = Napton
You'll find them all in NE Norfolk, close to Trunch.

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Wolfgang
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 09:21 AM

'John the baptist (John Martyn)

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 09:32 AM

John Barleycorn

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 09:33 AM

The Lizzie Borden thing is also a song, chantlike but with a tune.

Blasphemous Bill has a tune too, from Debby McClatchy.

Leader of the Pack has a crash in it too awful to describe, so why not assume it includes a dismemberment? Ditto for Dead Man's Curve.

~S~

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 10:09 AM

In addition to those mentioned above, like Ann Boleyn and Mattie Groves:

...he stabbed her and ripped her and cut her in three
Then he buried poor Mary beneath the green tree...

It's only a flesh wound! (OK, dismemberment humor, not lyric, but still)

And then he got 'is 'ead cut off, it sp'iled 'is constituti-on...

I'll come back when I think of some others...

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 10:49 AM

Haul Away Joe -- King Louis got his head cut off -- and has a fun chorus/response.

Haul Away Joe at the Contemplator site

Haul Away Joe in the DT

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 11:40 AM

Admiral Benbow -- Brave Benbow lost his legs by chain shot

Admiral Benbow at the Contemplator site

Admiral Benbow in the DT

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Metchosin
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 11:48 AM

My Son John

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Metchosin
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 11:51 AM

oh, oh and Barrett's Privateers

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Max Tone
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:00 PM

Lots of Tom Lehrer songs,

"I hold your hand in mine" "Poisoning pigeons in the Park" "The Irish Ballad"

Ozzie Osbourne and Alice Cooper might also take a hand in the proceedings.
Rob

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: BrimstoneWA
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:10 PM

Willie's Fatal Visit - a cheerful Scottish ballad involving Willie being torn into pieces and hung on the church fence.................. Words available on request

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:12 PM

Lucy/Lizzie Wan......(search is not working right now)

classic ballad of brother chopping up pregnant sister to 'spare' the shame....

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:22 PM

Baretts Privateers, Tralee Bay, Rickety Tickety Tin (or whatever it is really called. JohnB

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Metchosin
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:27 PM

I think there are a number of Bobbitt ballads too.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:28 PM

Any song about 9/11.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,chanteyranger
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:35 PM

Variants of the already mentioned My Son John - Mrs. McGrath, and My Son Tim.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: brid widder
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 12:48 PM

the band played Waltzing Matilda

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Mudlark
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 01:51 PM

Cruel Mother ("she wiped the blade against her shoe...the more she wiped the redder it grew).
Tom Leher's Rickity Tickity Tin (One day when she had nothing to do, she cut her baby brother in two, and served him up as an Irish stewwwwww....and invited the neighbors in),
Black Girl (My Daddy worked on the railroad line, he was killed bout a mile from town...They found his body by the engine car, but his head was never found).

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Willa
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 04:01 PM

Brown Adam

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 04:07 PM

I left my heart in San Franscisco ( grin)

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 04:13 PM

Long Lankin

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 05:09 PM

I could give you a German song about three knights abducting a young girl. As they can't agree on who is to get her they matter-of-factly 'put her on a table and cut her up like a fish'. Sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it!

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Snuffy
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 05:18 PM

The boy stood on the burning deck
His heart was all a-quiver
He gave a cough
His leg dropped off
And floated down the river

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: The Walrus
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 05:27 PM

I seem to recall that the late Kenny Everett had a "Worst song in the world" slot on one of his shows, which included the song "I want my baby back" involving a car crash
"...And over there was my baby,
"And over there was my baby
"And waaaaay over there was my baby....."

(sorry, I can't remember it)

Walrus

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 05:32 PM

And there's a bunch of what I call "dismembered bride" songs: The unfortunate man, Side by Side (parody), the Old Maid and the Burglar......

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 06:48 PM

Dry bones "Diconnected dem bones, dem dry bones...."

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Gareth
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 07:04 PM

Cosher Bailey brother Matthew,
He do like to climb up statues,
When he climb up statue of Venus,
He fell down and broke his elbow.

Have you ever Saw etc.

Cosher Bailey brother Rupert,
He do play fly-half for Newport,
On the day they play Porthcwl, (Prn Porth Call) They kicked him in the finger.

Have you ever Saw etc.

Don't worry, I've plenty more

Gareth ( Actually this should have been posted in the LLanstock II Thred ) ;>)

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Deda
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 07:14 PM

"A Very Unfortunate Man", about the poor lawyer named Clay who did not get a warranty deed. (Actually I think this has been mentioned.) It's not exactly dismemberment, but the bride on the wedding night removes her wig, her wooden leg, her glass eye, etc.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: robomatic
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 07:31 PM

Allan Sherman: "You went the wrong way old King Louie"

Monty Python: "Oliver Cromwell"

King Missile: "Detachable Penis"

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Max Tone
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 07:51 PM

Deda,
There's a similar parody of
"After the Ball was over"......
First she took out her glass eye.........
my mum used to sing it to us over 30 years ago, so that's all I can remember.
Rob

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Blackcatter
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 09:04 PM

You know,

I clicked on this thread thinking originally that there couldn't be many songs that fit the title. Then, looking through the posts I discovered that not only are there many songs, that I SING SEVERAL OF THEM on a regular basis!

I love this place!

pax (piece) yall

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Bert
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 10:33 PM

You put your right foot in...

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 11:39 PM

"I Left My Heart..." Good one, GUEST. Wit is always welcome here, so join up, or in any case, keep 'em coming.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,Cat (a wet-behind ears newbie if ever there
Date: 11 Oct 01 - 11:54 PM

Can't think of any new songs but there's a folk-tale Mr Fox/The Robber's Bride (and other versions) where the plot turns on the prospective victim catching her predecessor's hand (or finger). "Be bold, be bold, but not too bold ..."

Probably not what you're looking for though.

Cheers

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 12:29 AM

Check song #101 in the Rugby Football thread for dismemberment

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Sourdough
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 12:44 AM

There's another Tom Leher song: (In waltz time:)

I hold your hand in mine, dear,
I press it to my lips.
I take a healthy bite from
Your dainty finger tips.
My joy would be complete , dear,
If you were only here.
But Still I hold your hand as
A precious souvenir.

And that's just his first verse!

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 08:40 AM

There is a song about The Headless Horseman from the musical The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I didn't include it here because I've never heard it. You can find the words on a Google search.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: pavane
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 12:13 PM

Not really dismemberment - but the Three Cripples (or Five Cripples in another version) from London. They got free drinks by scaring the pub customers when they removed all their false parts!

Also Martin Carthy sang a ballad in which someone had all his limbs broken and was then put out for the wolves. Can't remember the title at present.

Also Little Musgrave/Matty Groves

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: pavane
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 12:16 PM

Maybe I should clarify Musgrave - in some versions, after killing Musgrave, he turns on his wife. 'He cut the paps from off her breast, great pity it was to see...' - Version sung by Martin Carthy again, I think.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: pavane
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 12:23 PM

'Ahmed and Abdullah' - parody of Obla Di, Obla Da

'Just to keep the Friday show from being dull You see them separate poor Ahmed from his hand'

Not sure if this song has been posted though. Maybe one day... Probably of interest only if you have lived in Saudi.

Subject: RE: Songs of Dismemberment
From: GUEST,Celtic Soul
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 12:25 PM

Cannonball/Mrs. McGraw

Or, if you'd like something a little more modern, go try to find the lyrics/tune for "DOA" by a band called "Bloodrock". It was a one shot wonder hit in the very early 70's.