“Abraham Lincoln Is My Name”
Description
"Abraham Lincoln is my name, From Illinois I did came, I entered the city in the night, And took my seat by candlelight."
Notes
This is probably a fragment of a song about Abraham Lincoln's sneaking into Washington for his inauguration (there were threats of violence, so he arrived in secret and disguise). But all that is left in Thomas is a fragment seemingly used as a singing game.
The likelihood is high that it is based on a traditional item of some sort:
(Name) is my name
(Country) is my nation
(Somewere) is my dwelling (place)
And Christi is my salvation OR And Death's my destination.
Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; prints a version of this as (32) in the notes on poem #470 (with Elizabeth Waters of Wales being the protagonist), and Alfred Bester's acclaimed science fiction novel _The Stars My Destination_ also uses this framework as the career summary of the main character Gully Foyle. - RBW
Historical references
- 1861 - Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
References
- Thomas-Makin', p. 65-66, (no title) (1 fragment)
- BI, ThBa065