I've been, for a long while, interested in the history of the song St. James Infirmary.
A few nights ago I was at a pub that had free wifi (my internet was down at home) and wound up making a discovery. This pub is a favorite of folk singers, and I was talking about St James Infirmary to one of the regulars. I mentioned I knew it was based on an old song (full blog post on that here) I had my computer there and showed him the lyrics, while remarking I wished I knew the original melody...
He happened to know it -- or at least, recognize the song called Streets of Laredo fit to them and was a song on the same subject.
Streets of Laredo:
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy, all wrapped in white linen
Wrapped up in white linen and cold as the clay.
Oh, beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly,
And play the dead march as you carry me along;
Take me to the valley, and lay the sod o'er me,
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong.
Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin,
Get six pretty maidens to bear up my pall.
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin,
Roses to deaden the clods as they fall.
Then swing your rope slowly and rattle your spurs lowly,
And give a wild whoop as you carry me along;
And in the grave throw me and roll the sod o'er me.
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong.
Saint James Infirmary:
Well I went down to the Saint James Infirmary,
And I found my baby lying there.
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So sweet, so cold, so fair.
When I die, put on my straight-leg britches,
My box-back coat, and my Stetson hat.
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch-chain
So all the boys will know I died standing pat.
And give me six craps-shooting pall-bearers,
Let a chorus girl sing me a song,
Put on a red-hot jazz band;
We raise Hallelujah as we go along.
Well folks, now you have heard my story.
Pour me another shot of that booze,
And if anybody should ask you,
Tell them I've got the Saint James Infirmary Blues.
It seems both songs have a common evolution from an old Irish/English song, The Unfortunate Rake.
I was wondering how St. James Infirmary came upon its rather different tune... but then, after thinking it over and turning it through my brain a while, I realized it's a similar melody; just St. James is in a minor key and a bluesier rhythm. I've been sitting around all evening trying to figure out how to sing St James in a major key or else Streets of Laredo in minor.
A few nights ago I was at a pub that had free wifi (my internet was down at home) and wound up making a discovery. This pub is a favorite of folk singers, and I was talking about St James Infirmary to one of the regulars. I mentioned I knew it was based on an old song (full blog post on that here) I had my computer there and showed him the lyrics, while remarking I wished I knew the original melody...
He happened to know it -- or at least, recognize the song called Streets of Laredo fit to them and was a song on the same subject.
Streets of Laredo:
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy, all wrapped in white linen
Wrapped up in white linen and cold as the clay.
Oh, beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly,
And play the dead march as you carry me along;
Take me to the valley, and lay the sod o'er me,
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong.
Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin,
Get six pretty maidens to bear up my pall.
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin,
Roses to deaden the clods as they fall.
Then swing your rope slowly and rattle your spurs lowly,
And give a wild whoop as you carry me along;
And in the grave throw me and roll the sod o'er me.
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong.
Saint James Infirmary:
Well I went down to the Saint James Infirmary,
And I found my baby lying there.
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So sweet, so cold, so fair.
When I die, put on my straight-leg britches,
My box-back coat, and my Stetson hat.
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch-chain
So all the boys will know I died standing pat.
And give me six craps-shooting pall-bearers,
Let a chorus girl sing me a song,
Put on a red-hot jazz band;
We raise Hallelujah as we go along.
Well folks, now you have heard my story.
Pour me another shot of that booze,
And if anybody should ask you,
Tell them I've got the Saint James Infirmary Blues.
It seems both songs have a common evolution from an old Irish/English song, The Unfortunate Rake.
I was wondering how St. James Infirmary came upon its rather different tune... but then, after thinking it over and turning it through my brain a while, I realized it's a similar melody; just St. James is in a minor key and a bluesier rhythm. I've been sitting around all evening trying to figure out how to sing St James in a major key or else Streets of Laredo in minor.