ADD:Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie (Meredith Tax)

Subject: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: michaelr
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 06:13 PM

I remember this was discussed recently, but my search brought No Results in DT or Forum. Can someone please point me towards the lyrics?

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 06:46 PM

Is this the one about John Kerry? Or the older one about Bill Clinton and the cigar?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 09:31 PM

Dunno how you searched, but "swallowed" (without quotes) brought it up when I just tried it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: open mike
Date: 24 Oct 04 - 10:24 PM

young woman who swallowed a lie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 06:35 AM

great song - very clever. got a sort of Pete Seeger/Malvina Reynolds feel to it

Who wrote this?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: Pied Piper
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 08:19 AM

Great song.
Now if I can just think of a male version.....

PP

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: michaelr
Date: 25 Oct 04 - 08:27 PM

If searching for "swallowed" brings up a list of songs including this one (as indeed it does), why does searching for "young woman swallowed a lie" bring up nothing at all?

Anyway, thanks. It's a cool song, and so is the "innocent voter" spinoff.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: Snuffy
Date: 26 Oct 04 - 08:14 AM

if "young woman swallowed a lie" brings up nothing at all, try
"young woman who swallowed a lie" instead

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young woman who swallowed a Lie
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 27 Oct 04 - 12:00 AM

Snuffy's absolutely right. THe online Digitrad has a quite dumb search engine and is extremely literal minded. You're much better off looking for single words or short phrases.

The search engine on the Windows and Mac versions is somewhat better; the search engine on the DOS version is excellent, allowing you to search for phrases, single words or logical constructs (AND. OR or NOT)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie
From: Joe_F
Date: 22 Oct 10 - 07:52 PM

I was at an outdoor concert -- I think at Nyack, NY, about 1969 -- where Pete Seeger sang this song. The audience was audibly hostile.

Subject: DT Corr: Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Oct 10 - 09:18 PM

This is what I guess would be the definitive version of the lyrics to this song. The DT version isn't bad, but this one should be easier to figure out. I found it in a long Sing Out! Magazine article about women's songs. The article was written by Meredith Tax, who wrote this song. The article's introduction says the following about Tax:

Meredith Tax is a writer and social activist. She has been involved in the Women's Liberation Movement for several years as a member of "Bread and Roses." She's a contributor to the feminist newspaper in Boston, The Old Mole, and is currently working on a history of the left-wing of the women's movement between 1890 and 1920. She's written a pamphlet called "Woman and her Mind: The Story of Everyday Life," which you can get for twenty cents (in 1971) from The New England Free Press, 791 Tremont St., Boston, Mass.

THERE WAS A YOUNG WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED A LIE
(words by Meredith Tax)

There was a young woman who swallowed a lie,
We all know why she swallowed that lie,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was a young woman who swallowed a rule,
"Live to serve others," she learned it in school.
She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie,
We all know why she swallowed that lie,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was a young woman who swallowed some fluff,
Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.
She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule,
She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie,
We all know why she swallowed that lie,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was a young woman who swallowed a line,
"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."
She swallowed the line to tie up the fluff...

There was a young woman who swallowed a pill,
Might have said "no," but she hadn't the will.
She swallowed the pill to go with the line...

There was a young woman who swallowed a ring,
Looked like a princess and felt like a thing.
She swallowed the ring to make up for the pill...

There was a young woman who swallowed some Spock
"Stay at home mother, take care of your flock."
She swallowed the Spock to go with the ring...

One day this young woman woke up and she said
"I've swallowed so much that I wish I were dead
I swallowed it all to go with the Spock
I swallowed the Spock to go with the ring
I swallowed the ring to make up for the pill
I swallowed the pill to go with the line
I swallowed the line to tie up the fluff
I swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule
I swallowed the rule to hold up the lie
Why in the world did I swallow that lie?
Perhaps I'll die."

She ran to her sister, it wasn't too late
To be liberated, regurgitate.
She threw up the Spock and she threw up the ring
Looked like a princess and felt like a thing
She threw up the pill and she threw up the line
   "I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."
She threw up the fluff and she threw up the rule
   "Live to serve others," she learned it in school
And last, but not least, she threw up the lie
We all know why she threw up that lie
SHE WILL NOT DIE!


On at least one recording, Pete Seeger sang the "rule" as "Live to serve men," which I think adds power to the song.

Tune: There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly (Alan Mills?)
Words by Meredith Tax, copyright 1970

Source: Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, Volume 20, Number 3 (Jan/Feb 1971), page 17.

---

Thanks to Bob "Deckman" Nelson for giving me a huge supply of old Sing Out! magazines.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jun 17 - 12:19 AM

Well, I thought I had vound the "definitive" version of "Swallowed a Lie" in Sing Out!. On my journey to Old Age, I found out that Sing Out! often made mistakes in its song lyrics. But tonight I have found a Meredith Tax Website, http://www.meredithtax.org/songs. Surely, these must be the "definitive" lyrics:

When Bread and Roses started in 1969, I had a great burst of creativity and started putting new lyrics to old folk tunes. I even learned how to play the autoharp, though not very well. I have always believed that the most powerful and satisfying movements are ones that sing, and we certainly did.

THERE WAS A YOUNG WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED A LIE

(Tune: "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" by Alan Mills)

 

I made up this song when I was in Bread and Roses, in 1970. It was recorded by Pete Seeger in his album “Banks of Marble,” and by Peter Alsop in “Asleep At the Helm.” It was published in Sing Out! in 1970 and in Peter Blood and Annie Patterson, eds., Rise Up Singing (1992)

 

There was a young woman who swallowed a lie

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

There was a young woman who swallowed a rule:

"Live to serve men;" she learned it in school.

She swallowed the rule to hold up the 1ie.

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

There was a young woman who swallowed some fluff—

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule:

"Live to serve men;" she learned it in school.

She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie.

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

There was a young woman who swallowed a line:

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She swallowed the line to go with the fluff—

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule:

"Live to serve men;" she learned it in school.

She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie.

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

There was a young woman who swallowed a pill,

Prescribed by the doctor though it made her ill.

She swallowed the pill to go with the line,

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She swallowed the line to go with the fluff—

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule:

"Live to serve men;" she learned it in school.

She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie.

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

There was a young woman who swallowed a ring,

Looked like a princess and felt like a thing.

She swallowed the ring to go with the pill

Prescribed by the doctor though it made her ill.

She swallowed the pill to go with the line,

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She swallowed the line to go with the fluff—

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule:

"Live to serve men;" she learned it in school.

She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie.

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

There was a young woman who swallowed some Spock:

"Stay at home, mother, take care of your flock!"

She swallowed the Spock to go with the ring,

Looked like a princess and felt like a thing.

She swallowed the ring to go with the pill

Prescribed by the doctor though it made her ill.

She swallowed the pill to go with the line,

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She swallowed the line to go with the fluff—

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

She swallowed the fluff to sweeten the rule:

"Live to serve men;" she learned it in school.

She swallowed the rule to hold up the lie.

We all know why she swallowed that lie.

Perhaps she'll die.

 

One day that young woman woke up and she said,

"I’ve swallowed so much that I wish I were dead!"

I swallowed it all; I swallowed the Spock:

"Stay at home, mother, take care of your flock!"

I swallowed the pill and swallowed the ring,

Looked like a princess and felt like a thing.

I swallowed the line and swallowed the fluff—

Lipstick and candy and powder and puff.

I swallowed the rule to hold up the lie—

Why in the world did I swallow that lie?

Perhaps I'll die!

 

She ran to her sisters; it wasn't too late.

To be liberated—regurgitate!

She threw up the Spock and ·-threw up.the 'ring,

Looked like a princess and felt like a thing.

She threw up the pill and she threw up the line,

"I like 'em dumb, baby, you suit me fine."

She threw up the fluff and she threw up the rule,

"Live to serve men;” she learned it in school.

And last but not least, she threw up the lie.

We all know why she threw up that lie.

SHE WILL NOT DIE!