On Wed, 10 Nov 1999, Ed Cray wrote:
> Trust me to drag this delicate and sentimental subject into the gutter,
> but along with romances and bloody ballads serving as lullabies, there
> were/are the bawdy verses. Southerners sang:
>
> Daddy shot a bear (2)
> Shot him through the asshole
> Never touched a hair.
Was that sung as a lullaby? I'd always heard it in the context of a dance
tune, usually known as "Old Molly Hare".
> And I fondly recall Rosalie Sorrels singing:
>
> Today is the day they give babies away
> With a half a pound of tea.
> If you know any ladies who want any babies,
> Send them around to me.
I'm not sure that was intended as bawdry. Certainly when Rosalie sang it,
she made clear that the singer was singing to her child that she wanted
to be rid of it. A classic "hostile baby-rocking song", as Rosalie calls
them.
Peace.
Paul
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