“Cork's Good Humoured Faces”

Description

"For good-humoured faces, Cork once beat all places" but politics has soured them. With Olden's shaving soap "lathering chops, ill-blood stops" Peter of Russia smoothed his subjects' manners by having them shave. Even the devil was improved by a shave.

Notes

Croker-PopularSongs: "A specimen of the ingenious manner in which a witty manufacturer in Cork of an excellent shaving soap, and other articles, that really require no puffing, contrives to attract attention to his inventions." - BS

There were three Tsars Peter of Russia: Peter I "the Great" (16772-1725; co-tsar from 1682; sole tsar from 1696); his grandson Peter II (1715-1730; tsar from 1727); and another grandson or Peter I, Peter III (1728-1762; tsar briefly in 1762 before being eposed and murdered by his wife Catherine II "the Great"). Given the poor records of Peter II and Peter III, we must assume Peter I is meant -- the more so since he was a westernizer. - RBW

Cross references

  • cf. "Ballinafad" (tune, according to Croker-PopularSongs)

References

  1. Croker-PopularSongs, pp. 165-167, "Cork's Good Humoured Faces" (1 text)
  2. BI, CrPS165

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1839 (Croker-PopularSongs)