Murphy Game in song?

Subject: Murphy Game in song?
From: Suffet
Date: 06 Jul 04 - 11:22 AM

Greetings:

A couple of months ago I made up this verse to The Sloop John B. during a sing around:

The bosun found an old whore,
She charged him five shillings more,
Then she left him in the alley all alone,
That crafty old dame,
Played the old Murphy Game,
I feel so break up,
I want to go home.

New lyrics © Stephen L. Suffet 2004

The verse got a good reception, of course. Later I got to wonder if there are any other songs that mention the Murphy Game, either by name or by description. Does anyone know of any?

For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a Murphy Game is played on a victim by getting him to pay in advance for the services of a prostitute and then failing to provide those services. Since the victim was engaging in an illegal act himself, he is usually unwilling to report what happened to the authorities.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: Suffet
Date: 07 Jul 04 - 05:50 PM

Refresh. This is worth one more attempt to get responses. If I don't get any, I will let the thread fade away.

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 07 Jul 04 - 09:15 PM

Usually, the term is Murphy Man, which is, naturally, some one playing a Murphy Game. That means collecting the money from a person on the street, then sending them someplace pointless. It's just another scam, usually associated with hookers and pimps.

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: Suffet
Date: 07 Jul 04 - 09:57 PM

Correct. My question is whether it is mentioned by name or by description in any song lyrics other than I lyrics I posted. Does anyone know of any such song?

--- Steve

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: Janice in NJ
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 06:33 AM

Easy one, Stevie boy! It's called The Crafty Maid's Policy, and it's in the Digital Tradition. Young woman promises sex to lure man, and then steals his horse, leaving the hapless John with his dick in the wind. But it gets better. The victim enlsits the aid of two campanions to retrieve his horse, but they agree that the crafty maid had snookered it away from him fair and square by her rhetorical trickery. Don't you just love songs like that?

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: GUEST,weerover
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 09:28 AM

There's a Scottish song along these lines, "Jock Hawk". The country labourer comes into Glasgow to spend the money he's earned over that season and a young woman lures him into a pub where he has a high old time with the assembled company. The others eventually drift away, leaving poor Jock saddled with the bill for the whole thing.

wr.

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: Janice in NJ
Date: 09 Jul 04 - 12:04 AM

Come to think of it, Blow the Man Down could qualify. The poor sailor thinks he's going off to get laid, and instead he gets Shanghaied.

Subject: RE: Murphy Game in song?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Jul 04 - 01:48 AM

Maid on the Shore is another "crafty maid."
-Joe Offer-