“In Old Pod-Auger Times”

Description

"I'll sing to you of the good old times When people were honest and true, Before their brains were rattled and crazed By everything strange and new." The singer grumbles about modern ways, and longs for "old pod-auger times"

Supplemental text

In Old Pod-Auger Times
  Partial text(s)

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From Eloise Hubbard Linscott, Folk Songs of Old New England, pp. 251-253.
"From the book of Comical Brown's Songs."

I'll sing to you of the good old times
When people were honest and true;
Before their brains were addled or crazed
By ev'rything strange and new;
When ev'ry man was a workingman and earned his livelihood
And the women were smart and industrious and lived for their family's good'
Of the days of Andrew Jackson and of old Grandfather Grimes;
When a man wasn't judged by the clothes he wore
In old pod auger times.

(3 additional stanzas)

Notes

We really need a keyword "Whining-about-the-end-of-the-good-old-days." See the cross-references for similar songs.

The song lists the time of Andrew Jackson as the ideal, but I can't see anything in it that's specific to that era.

Linscott states that this comes from _Comical Brown's Songs_, after "Comical Brown," whom she describes as a nineteenth century solo performer. She gives no other details, however. - RBW

Historical references

• 1829-1837 - Presidency of Andrew Jackson

Cross references

• cf. "The Good Old Days of Adam and Eve" (theme) and references there

References

1. Flanders/Brown, pp. 69-71, "In Old Pod-Auger Times" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Linscott, pp. 251-253, "In Old Pod-Auger Times" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. DT, PODAUGER*
4. ST FlBr069 (Partial)
5. Roud #3739
6. BI, FlBr069