{"id":189,"date":"2009-01-08T13:33:03","date_gmt":"2009-01-08T18:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/soupgreens.com\/?p=189"},"modified":"2009-01-08T13:33:03","modified_gmt":"2009-01-08T18:33:03","slug":"parody-of-widows-plea-for-her-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thejoydrops.com\/blog\/?p=189","title":{"rendered":"parody of “Widow’s Plea For Her Son”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 19th century america there were a lot of grotesquely sentimental songs about motherhood, like for example Mother would comfort me<\/a> or Just think of your mother<\/a>. This was back before American women got the vote; the idea seemed to be something about empowerment of women short of actually empowering women.<\/p>\n

A “Widow’s Plea For Her Son” is an 1893 tear jerker by a guy named Lewis Hall. It’s a weepy story about how your mom is awesome even when you’re a creep.<\/p>\n

Specifically, it’s a moment of courtroom drama. There’s a young man in court about to get sentenced for embezzlement when his mother gives an impassioned speech to the jury about how she’s his mother and also she’s a widow. The song is the speech.<\/p>\n

\n Don’t send my boy to prison
\n For that would drive me mad.
\n Remember I’m a widow
\n And I’m pleading for my lad\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This was a trailblazing early use of the wookie defense<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Here is the cover page for the sheet music<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"cover<\/p>\n

Here is a lyric sheet published in 1893<\/a> to encourage people to buy the sheet music:<\/p>\n

\"lyrics<\/p>\n

There needs to be an MP3 too, but that’s not so easy, because there are no recordings of this until the late 1920s, and by then musical styles had changed a lot.<\/p>\n

But there is an MP3<\/a> which is damn close to that — a recording of an answer song which is probably so close to the original that you can get a good sense of how the original went. This answer song is a 1904 parody sung by a guy named Will F. Denny<\/a>, over on archive.org. The story in the parody is about a father pleading to the court to haul his rotten brat of a child away to jail for life instead of just ten years, which is funny with a 1904 sort of wickedness.<\/p>\n

One morning in the courthouse a boy stood up for trial
\nHis father stood beside him on his face there was a smile
\nThe old man told the jury “That one’s not my only son.
\nBut I have got three more like him and I’ll bring them one by one<\/p>\n

This boy was born on Sunday and I tell you he’s a beaut.
\nHe’ll take anything that isn’t nailed and never tells the truth.”
\nThe boy took out a cigarette and the jury near fell dead.
\nWhen he struck his father for a match the old man loudly said:<\/p>\n

“Remember I’m his father and his mother is my wife
\nDon’t let him off with ten years but send him off for life
\nAnd when he’s tired of living just keep him there for fun
\nThere’s noone more could be dead sure than a father on his son.”<\/p>\n

Now the boy spoke to his honor and he said “Dear Judge You See,
\nJust let my father here go home and bring the other three.
\nThe other ones are crooked why they can’t lay straight in bed.
\nThey peel the whiskers off your chin and they put hair on your head.”<\/p>\n

The jury men all faded and the boy called out for beer.
\nThe judge he stood upon his head and the wind blew through his ear.
\nAnd now there’s 13 funerals for the jury men are dead.
\nAnd the judge of ??? before he died he said<\/p>\n

My boy you are a daisy, through others ? be done.
\nNo matter who your father was you are your mother’s son.
\nAnd as the old judge neared the end before he met his death
\nHe shook his head and softly said with his last dying breath.<\/p>\n

My boy you are a daisy through others don’t be done
\nNo matter who your father was you are your mother’s son.
\nAnd if ever you get married just have one boy for fun.
\nAnd if he’s a sport don’t go to court but kill the son of a gun.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That’s my own transcription. I couldn’t figure out what he was saying in the parts where I wrote ‘?’. If you want to give the line that starts “my boy you are a daisy” a shot, grab this here MP3 fragment<\/a> and tell me what you’re hearing.<\/p>\n

And while we’re dealing with MP3 fragments, here are a few to close things out. Maybe they’ll be handy for ringtones, maybe they’ll inspire some ultra retro wax cylinder remixing: <\/p>\n