Saturday, June 02, 2007

The Farmer Song

Is that the real title of the song? I don't know. It is perhaps an odd turn of events that the song that I know best by heart, I don't even know the title of.

Odder still, the fact that as President of the local Grange chapter I found myself crooning the audience with that song on the occasion of that chapter's 80th Anniversary, and to a surprising level of approval. If only they'd heard it in three parts!

Being solo, I compensated for the lack of texture by miming the story a bit, which I think helped sell it.

Several of the people had heard the song, usually long ago, and were happy to hear it again.

Now I've become much more curious about the origin of the song. So, if any of the readership cares to share the song's history at least within the family, I'd love to hear it.

5 comments :

Lief said...

Are you talking about Sweet Violets?
Here is a pretty good discussion on Wikipedia.
There are some slight differences between the lyrics I have learned and these.

Anonymous said...

The only thing I know about the song is that it came to our marriage with your father, you probably have to go back one more generation to find out how he came to know it. Everyone always loves the trick phraseology and we sang it on every motor trip we ever took as far as I know.

Great Grumpy Z. said...

If the song to which you are referring is "Sweet Violets" (or, "There Once Was a Farmer") then I would opine that its origin in this clan dates back to Grandpa Noble (Grandma Elynor's father), or thereabouts. I don't know why he would have introduced it to me, as it is quite suggestive; but there you go!

Grumpy

Bop-op said...

Yes, now that Great Grumpy mentions it, the earliest recollection I have of the song Sweet Violets is Grandpa Noble singing it. He may have been scolded by Grandma Noble for it too, but that didn't stop him.

Great Grumpy Z. said...

Nothing much stopped Grandpa Noble: He also had some 8 millimeter movies that he liked to show all the kids when we came for Christmas or other events. One movie starred William Boyd (aka ), but the piece de' resistance' was "Simba the Lion Killer". It showed an actual lion hunt with natives using spears and machetes -- and then the part that all the boys were waiting for: The Victory Dance!!

I'll let Bop-op explain the scene.

I'm too embarassed.

Grumpy (heh! heh! snicker!!)