“Concerning Charlie Horse”

Description

Nine men go to pull Charlie horse's drowned body from Angle Pond where he had fallen through the ice. The men braved hunger to do the job "with two stout dories and a couple of ropes" and "gave him a decent send-off." The crew are all named.

Notes

From _Omar Blondahl's Contribution to the Newfoundland Folksong Canon_ by Neil Rosenberg in Canadian Journal for Traditional Music (1991):

"Another single paired 'Concerning Charlie Horse' and 'The Return of Charlie Horse,' two songs about a party involving the retrieval and burial of Charlie, the horse who fell through the ice of Angle Pond in Mahers near St. John's in the spring of 1956. 'Concerning Charlie Horse,' which Blondahl co-authored along with a local man, who along with Blondahl was one of ten named in the song, was a hit in St. John's and is a good example of a moniker song which achieved popularity in part because listeners could identify the names and nicknames of the men in it." - BS

Cross references

Recordings

  • Omar Blondahl, "Concerning Charlie Horse" (on NFOBlondahl03)

References

  1. Blondahl, pp. 18-19, "Concerning Charlie Horse" (1 text, 1 tune)
  2. BI, Blon018

About

Author: Omar Blondahl
Earliest date: 1959 (NFOBlondahl03)
Found in: Canada(Newf)