“Bernard Riley”
Description
"My name is Owen Riley, I have a son that sets me crazy; He come home every night singing blackguard songs." The boy goes out and fights, or comes home drunk and hits his sister, or pawns his father's pants. The father has no solution
Notes
This, being a standard complaint about the wildness of youth (though in this case it sounds pretty justified) sounds to me as if it might be a popular song from the early twentieth century, but I haven't found any references to it in any source, printed or online. - RBW
References
- Dean, pp. 63-64, "Bernard Riley" (1 text)
- Roud #5500
- BI, Dean063