Belle Was The Hired Girl’s Name From Angela C. Phyl, My name is, Angela C.. My grandmother, June C. was telling me the other day about songs that her dad used to sing- including Belle Was The Hired Girls Name. We found all we needed to know about the other songs, but were still curious about Belle... We found your website with a little tidbit on it, but saw that it was an unsolved query. We were wondering about where it came from or the rest of the lyrics. My grandma knows more of the lyrics than is on your website and can sing them.
If it helps, my grandmother was born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky, and I live in Louisville, Ky. I don't know what you want to do with this information, but we'd love anything you got!
Thanks, Angela C.
PR We’d love to see the additional lyrics that your grandmother has!
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Riding Down to Bangor (the whole trip!) From Andrew B.
Part 1 Noticed you don't have the complete Lyric for 'riding down from Bangor' - well nor do I, but I have a bit more. Have only a moment now and I'll forget so here is what I trawled up from the depths in 10 minutes - will try again later. No mention of Harvard, but my version is from a little book called "Songs of Faith, Nature and Fellowship" probably from the 30's, and England.
Cheers
Andy
Riding down fom Bangor on the eastern train
Sat a student fella ???
Tall and slim and swell, beard, moustache as well
Enter aged couple take the hindmost seat
Enter village maiden, beautiful, petite
Joyfully they chatted, "Watch the cinders fly"
Till the student fella gets one in the eye.
“may I if you please sir try to get it out?”
???
Out into the daylight rides the eastern train
Student's hair is ruffled, just the merest grain
Maiden's seen all blushes but then and there appears
tiny little earring in that horrid Student's beard
Tut tut tut tut tut tut t-tut tut tut
Part 2 more from Andrew: with a little more effort, Google gave:
Riding down from Bangor, on an eastern train
After weeks of hunting, in the woods of Maine
Quite extensive whiskers, beard, mustache as well
Sat a student fellow, tall and slim and swell
Empty seat behind him, no one at his side
Into quiet village, eastern train did glide
Enter aged couple, take the hindmost seat
Enter village maiden, beautiful, petite
Blushingly she faltered, “Is this seat engaged?”
Sees the aged couple, properly enraged
Student's quite ecstatic, sees her ticket through
Thinks of the long tunnel, thinks of what he will do
Pleasantly they chatted, how the cinders fly
‘Til the student fellow, gets one in his eye
Maiden sympathetic, turns herself about
“May I if you please sir, try to get it out?”
Then the student fellow, feels a gentle touch
Hears a gentle murmur, “Does it hurt you much?”
Whiz! Slap! Bang! Into the tunnel quite
Into glorious darkness, black as Egypt's night
Out into the daylight glides that eastern train
Student's hair is ruffled, just the merest grain
Maiden seen all blushes when then and there appeared
A tiny little earring, in that horrid student's beard.
from http://www.rollingthunderexpress.com/columnsarchive/numb/numb1019.htm
And using rhyming Maine and train, and Bangor as an edge destination - first appeared in the popular 1871 song Riding Down From Bangor (or Riding Up From Bangor) by Louis Shreve Osborne. The lyric goes: "Riding down from Bangor in an eastern train, after six weeks of hunting in the woods of Maine".It was recorded in Britain and South Africa, though never in the United States
From //wiki.answers.com/Q/Lyrics_to_song_Riding_down_from_Bangor_on_an_Eastern_Train
So there you pretty much have it - never published in the USA apparently! My version had an entire version of 'choo choo' to represent the tunnel . .
Andy
PR Many thanks for researching, and filling out the entire song!
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Sanatorium from: George A. Of the UK: I cannot add any verses but when I was a child (I'm now 80) it was often sung in our house by mum & dad. However there is one very important difference to the wording and I am confident our version is correct - it makes more sense. It was not "Sanatorium" but "Territorials" Regards George A
Thank you for this new information. We'll include it in our next update on the "S" page. Keep on singing!
Phyl
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Jones Junior High from mcvicker > Hi,
I just happened to be surfing the web and ran across a page that had the words from the Jones Junior High fight song. I don't know where those words came from.
I attended Jones for 5th through 8th grades in the late 50's and sang the fight song more than a few times. The words as I remember them are:
Three cheers for our Jones Junior High,
It's the best junior high in Toledo,
Our colors of blue and of grey,
Are the emblems of truth and faith.
We'll fight for the right not the wrong,
For our school and our faculty and classmates,
Stand out, face the world, come on Jones,
We'll be true blue, we'll stick to you,
Our school forever.
PR: Thank you for the real version! I don't know the origins of this parody, but can tell you that I learned it 'way back in the "Dark Ages," late 1940s or '50s. We'll see if anyone else has more information. . .