Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy

Subject: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Clay
Date: 13 Aug 98 - 06:36 AM

Many years ago, my father used to sing a song about "My darling Blue Haired Boy."

In part it went:

...was to stop the circulation of his blood,
So we even bathed his head in a pot of boiling lead,
And then we gently laid him down to rest.
But through the night a burglar came and broke into the room.
And stole the mustard plaster off his chest.
Oh, no more upon the mat will he play with the old black cat.
No more between his teeth he'll bite his tail.
No more he'll bump his nose upon the iron bar,
'Cause our darling little Jimmy kicked the pail.
Like a dream he passed away on the 95th of May,
And he never died so suddenly before.

Anyone ever hear it or any thing similar? It has been nearly 60 years since I last heard it, and would like to get the whole song.

Thanks

Clay

Subject: Lyr Add: BLUE HAIRED JIMMY (from Horton Barker)
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Aug 98 - 12:58 AM

BLUE HAIRED JIMMY
As sung by Horton Barker--the grand blind ballad singer from Virginia---as recorded by Sandy Paton and included in Horton's Folkways album FA2362. I heard Horton sing this at the amazing 1961 University of Chicago Folk Festival. To this day, that was THE BEST folk festival I've ever witnessed!

He's gone forevermore is our darling blue-haired boy.
We'll never see our cross-eyed darling any more.
Like a dream he passed away on the 39th of May.
He never died so suddenly before.

No more upon the mat will he play with pussycat.
No more between his teeth he'll squeeze her tail.
No more he'll rub her nose against the red-hot iron stove,
For little brother Jimmy's kicked the pail.

We knew he was departing by the color of his breath.
We saw his eyebrows dropping in the mud.
The doctor said the only thing to save the boy from death
Was to stop the circulation of his blood.

We gently bathed his head in a pot of boiling lead,
And then we gently laid him down to rest;
But through the night a burglar came and broke into the room,
And swiped the mustard plaster off his chest.

We filled his mouth with glue to try to bring him to.
Alas, though, all our efforts were in vain;
And last of all we tried---but he sneezed and smiled and died.
He blew his nose and smiled and died again.

He's gone forevermore at the age of 94.
There's nothing in this world his life could save.
I'm going to the barbershop to fill his last request,
To plant a bunch of whiskers on his grave.

(There y'are---Enjoy!----Art Thieme)

Subject: RE: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Ireland O'Reilly
Date: 14 Aug 98 - 02:45 PM

"giggle" amusin'

Subject: RE: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Clay
Date: 15 Aug 98 - 03:26 PM

Thank you so much. This place is amazing.

The last time I heard this song was probably in the 1940's, and I can't beleive how the words all most identical. I have no knowledge of where my father ever learned them, but it was probably in the 19 teens.

Thanks again

Clay

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Aug 03 - 11:10 PM

This page says BLUE-HAIRED JIMMY is performed by Brian Dewan on a 2-CD compilation album called "Upsalalapalooza: More Live Music From WFMU," 1995.

DARLING JIMMY (BLUE-HAIRED JIMMY) is the title given on the album "Pretty Susan" by Phil Cooper, Margaret Nelson, and Paul Goelz, 1992.

BLUE-HAIRED JIMMY was published in volume 13, issue 2 of Sing Out!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Art Thieme
Date: 20 Aug 03 - 11:25 PM

These threads do keep on keepin' on, don't they...?

Art

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Jim Ward
Date: 21 Aug 03 - 06:21 AM

The Blue Haired Boy was very well known in Sussex and I have a recording of George 'Pop' Maynard of Copthorne singing it in 1955 when he was well into his 80's. The song was mentioned by Arthur Beckett in his book 'Spirit Of The Downs' first published in 1909. He describes his visit to a pub in the Sussex village of Sutton on the day of an agricultural fair when the bar was full of farm labourers, drinking, singing and swearing. He describes them as a bunch of bucolic tosspots whose favourite song was a vocal monstrosity about a "Blue Haired Boy". Arthur prints the chorus which is virtually identical to Pop Maynards-

He's gone forever more at the age of ninety-four,
There's nothing in the world his life could save,
I am going to the brick-fields to fullfill his last request,
To plant a bunch of turnips on his grave.

Beckett's chorus is the same except the 2nd line is
"He died on the fifty-ninth of May".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 21 Aug 03 - 11:04 AM

Art, my husband helped organize that Univ. if Chicago festival, and he's pleased as punch that you recall fondly an event he "poured his soul into." Thank you.

Claire

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 21 Aug 03 - 12:04 PM

See also

Death of Willie (Bob Dyer, Australia)  Text as recorded by Bob Dyer, 1939; one verse from George Maynard, Sussex.

Lyr Req: Little Tommy  Recent enquiry, directed to this thread and the above.

The song is number 1411 in the Roud Folk Song Index, which also lists a song from Gene Autry's repertoire, My Cross Eyed Gal, under the same heading.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Art Thieme
Date: 21 Aug 03 - 12:11 PM

Claire Bear,

Do I know him?
I remember Mike Fleischer and a fellow with a relatively well-known name --- a member of the Folklore Society governing committee whose dorm room I shared during that '61 first year of the festival. But I can't recall his name right now.--- maybe Gregor Leinsdorf??!!---No , it wasn't him I don't think. Maybe Danny Auerbach? --- That was 2 more years before Bruce Kaplan would be the President of the Folklore Society.

I recall a good conversation walking around the cold U. of C. campus in '61 with Archy Green and Harlan Daniel. Good memories.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 21 Aug 03 - 12:24 PM

Art,

Well, I don't know if you'd know him; he wasn't and isn't a musician, just an aficionado. His name is Dan Norman. For the '61 festival, he says he did infrastructure (no-glory) stuff like lighting and sound. Does that ring a bell? Probably not. He was a part time student at UofC from '58 through, I think, '71.

Claire

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 09:16 AM

About 1960, there was an SF story about an alien with blue hair and blond eyes. It was featured in Judith Merrill's "Year's Best SF." Regrettably, I no longer have it due to water damage.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 02:40 PM

EBarnacle,

If you don't mind, a query: Did you ever have anything to do with Leadbelly? I recall someone with your name being talked about in essays on the man.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 02:46 PM

Unfortunately, I never had a chance to meet him. Even so, I would like to hear more.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 03:02 PM

Claire Bear,

Well, no, I don't recall his name. I was mainly a trad music fan then as well. Just 20 years old and soaking up anything that would head me in the direction of the real thing that I could. I never did miss a single one of those first 6 or 7 U. Of Chi. festivals. And they are still going strong. More power to them !! What a gift it was to be able to sit in Ida Noyes Hall and talk with and listen to people like Clarence Ashley and Roscoe Holcomb and Carter Stanley and Fred McDowell. (Fred and I split a jar of moonshine back stage one night in Mandel Hall.) And the New Lost City Ramblers were there to hold it together, run workshops and tie it together for us city kids who did need someone to put it in context for us.
So many other of the great roots masters were brought to Chicago in the middle of some very cold winters. I do owe a lot to the Folklore Society there.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 03:08 PM

EBarnacle,

There was a folklorist with the name Barnacle who helped him out in New York City as I remember it. I'll need to look it up.

Art

Subject: Lyr Add: POOR WILLIE
From: John M.
Date: 30 Apr 05 - 11:59 PM

Hello everyone,

Here is a field recorded version of this song titled "Poor Willie" as sung by Sarah Curry on 28 April 2005.  She learned this at New Mexico State as a drinking song...sometime between 1960-64

POOR WILLIE  (recording)

T'was a dark and stormy night
And the moon was shinin' bright
And the flowers, they was droopin' in the mud,
When the doctors, they decided
That to save my darlin' child,
They'd have to stop the circulation of his blood.

So, they dipped his darlin' head
In a pot of boilin' lead,
And they laid my little Willy down to rest.
But the robbers came at night,
And they came without a light,
And they stole the mustard plaster off his chest.

No more, Little Brat,
To tease the pussy-cat,
No more between his teeth
To pull it's tail ...
No more to rub its nose
On the red-hot kitchen stove,
Cuz my Darlin' Willy's gone and kicked the pail.
[Spoken] Poor Willy!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Mike in Sussex
Date: 12 Jun 09 - 05:56 PM

Does anybody have George Maynard's tune and full words for the Blue Haired Boy, please?

Mike

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Alan Connor
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 08:58 PM

He's gone from us forever,
Our darling blue eyed boy,
Cockeyed darling we will see no more.
He gently passed away
On the 93 of May.
He never died so suddenly before.

We knew he was dying
By the freckles on his chest,
His eyeballs dragging in the mud.
The doctor said the only way
To save poor Willie's life
Was to stop the circulation of the blood.

No more would he tease poor pussycat.
No more between his teeth would he chew its tail. (Gnash, gnash)
No more push its nose up agin a red hot stone,
Our darling brother Willie's kicked the pail.

Well, we gently bathed his head
With a pot of boiling lead,
Then we laid poor Willie down to rest.
Robbers came that night
But they burgled without a light
And stole the mustard plaster of his chest.

We filled his mouth with glue,
Thinking this would bring him to,
But again all our efforts were in vain.
For all we heaved and tried,
He just heaved a sigh and died,
Sneezed and blowed his nose and died again.

He's gone for evermore
At the age of 94.
Nothing in this world could save his life.
The family all agree,
And left it up to me,
I'm the one who has to tell his wife.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 05:06 AM

My grandfather sang a more than slighly risque verson :

" . . . He just let a fart, then died
Let three more rasping farts and died again".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Mary
Date: 26 Jul 09 - 06:03 PM

He's gone from us forever our darlin blue haired boy
Our cock-eyed darlin we will see no more
He gently passed away on the 93rd of May
He never died so suddenly before.

We knew that it was death by the freckles on his breath
His eyeballs were draggin in the mud
The doctor took his knife and said I'll save poor Willie's life
I'll just stop the circulation of the blood.

No more upon the mat will he tease poor pussycat
No more between his teeth he'll chew her tail
No more he'll press her nose up against the red hot stove
Our little brother Billy's kicked the pail

So we soaked poor Willie's head in a pot of boiling lead
But alas all our efforts were in vain
For burglars came that night and when he coughed they took to flight
And a "Masterplast" was all that they did gain.

We filled his mouth with glue
thinking that might bring him through
But again all our efforts were in vain
For after we had tried he just heaved a sigh and died
Then he sneezed blowed his nose and died again

Died again, died again, he just sneezed blowed his nose and died again
For after we had tried he just heaved a sigh and died
Then he sneezed blowed his nose and died again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,John Scott Cree
Date: 21 Sep 09 - 12:14 PM

I learned it as Cross-eyed Jimmy from a Liverpudlian, Ray Cooke. There's a 1978 video of it on Youtube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTI1OD4ZI8w

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Monica Partridge
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 11:35 AM

My grandmother (Im 80) used to sing this to me. I've been trying to find the words for years. Thank you

Subject: Lyr Add: SONG OF THE SUSSEX DOWNSMAN (A Beckett)
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 03:36 PM

Jim Ward points out that Arthur Beckett was scathing about this song. He perpetrated some dreadful drivel of his own, being under the illusion that he was Hilaire Belloc and overlooking the fact that Belloc was. I know, because the band I'm in recently had to learn his 'Song of the Sussex Downsman' for a particular event. The curious may like to know that Rumbold's Wyke is now a gravel pit, but it probably wouldn't have grieved Beckett too deeply as he must have chosen it for the rhyme rather than its scenic beauty. As to his yearnings for Beachy Head - well, it's a popular spot for the suicidal.

(Don't for pity's sake put this in the Digitrad.)

SONG OF THE SUSSEX DOWNSMAN

(Arthur Beckett)

You may sing to me of the wolds of Kent,
Of Devonshire lanes and their sweet content,
I know nothing of these to their detriment,
Nor of Surrey's greeneree,
You may praise, if you will, the northern dales,
The Cotswold hills and the peaks of Wales,
But give me the land of the Channel gales,
The Sussex Downs for me!

Oh, I will climb to Mount Harry's crown,
I'll sniff the breeze on Amberley Down;
I will scale the slope of Wolstonberee,
For the Sussex Downs are calling me!

Give me a coombe and the spur of a hill,
A bostal to climb, let me wander at will,
In the lands that lie north of Selsey Bill
And roundabout Devils' Dyke.
The scent of the thyme that covers the down,
The smell of the gorse and the beech tree brown;
I claim all these in that land of my own
From Beachy to Rumbold's Wyke.

Oh, give me the cliffs of Beachy Head
On Blackdown's summit I'll make my bed;
And I'll walk from old Steyning to Chanctonberee
For the Sussex Downs are calling me!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Subbie
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 10:08 PM

THANKS for all of this. I am 64 and my father sang this to me as a child. I have been trying to find these lyrics for decades. My dad sang in a minstrel show some time in the 50's and I recall his playing a Ukulele and Banjo singing "My Poor Little Blue Haired Boy". Now I can sing it to my grandson who I hope will laugh and love it as much as I have for 50 some years.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Don S
Date: 28 Jun 11 - 04:14 PM

Thanks for all the help. I am about to perform this one. My grandfather was in Vaudville under the stage name "Charlie Green" and this was one of his signature songs. I recalled several of the verses but knew I was missing a few.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Ronda
Date: 12 Jun 12 - 01:06 PM

MY mom use to sing this silly song to all of us kids. I never seen so many versions of this song. Im so glad to see it wasn't just my moms family that had a weird, but funny sense of humor. Great to have this ability at the touch of our fingers!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jan 13 - 03:49 AM

Oh this is brilliant!

I learned the version that Mary Guest supplied, from my Father - who I think probably came across it at the Auckland University Tramping Club in the early 1950's.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,DEGJESSOP
Date: 27 Mar 13 - 02:27 AM

I learnt this song from a Horrie Dargie Quintette recording back in the 1940s. Unfortunately I haven't been able to track it down. But thanks Alan Connor for the words as I remeber it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST,Rambling Stranger in the Corn
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 04:35 PM

Learned that song from my great grandmother, born in 1907, when I was a kid. Have looked for the lines I had forgotten for years. Thank you all for keeping them alive.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: My Darling Blue Haired Boy
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 25 - 01:54 PM

Found it on youtube music

https://youtu.be/Zoibo62yir8?si=HLJivBWtynKG1UVQ

Sandra