“Father Grumble”
Description
Grumble says he can do more work in a day than his wife can do in three. She offers to exchange tasks for a day; he agrees. She gives him a long list of household chores and sets out to plow. He fails in most of his tasks and admits his wife's superiority
Notes
According to the notes in Brown, "St. John Honeywood of Massachusetts [around 1800] dressed [this] up as 'Darby and Joan," and his version has achieved something like traditional currency; at least, a text clearly enough derived from it is one of the items in our North Carolina collection." - RBW
Same tune
- Bublin Bay (NLScotland, L.C.1269(173b), "Bublin Bay" ("They sailed away in a gallant barque"), unknown, 1857 -- listed as to the tune of "John Grumlie" but with so many lyrics from "Dublin Bay (Roy Neal)" that it coud almost be considered the same song still -- plus the long introduction asks for the pianist to play "Dublin Bay")
Recordings
- Margaret MacArthur, "Old Mr. Grumble" (on MMacArthur01)
- Jean Ritchie, "Father Grumble" (AFS; on LC14)
- Pete Seeger, "Equinoxial" (on PeteSeeger12)
References
- Laws Q1, "Father Grumble"
- Belden, pp. 225-228, "Father Grumble" (5 texts)
- Randolph 74, "Father Grumble" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
- Randolph/Cohen, pp. 124-126, "Father Grumble" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 74A)
- Eddy 43, "Father Grumble" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Gardner/Chickering 172, "Old Grumble" (1 text)
- Flanders/Olney, pp. 191-193, "The Wife of Auchtermuchty" (1 text)
- Flanders/Brown, pp. 104-105, "John Grumlie" (1 text)
- Linscott, pp. 248-250, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Wood" (1 text, 1 tune)
- BrownII 180, "Father Grumble" (2 text -- one of them "Darby and Joan" -- plus mention of 2 more)
- Hudson 59, pp. 175-176, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
- Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 243-244, "Father Grumble" (1 text, with local title "There Was an Old Man"; tune on p. 420)
- Brewster 40, "Father Grumble" (3 texts)
- SharpAp 188, "The Drummer and His Wife" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
- Leach, pp747-748, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
- Friedman, p. 443, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
- Scott-BoA, pp. 41-43, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Lomax-FSNA 10, "Father Grumble" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 579-580, "The Old Man Who Lived in the Wood" (1 text, 1 tune)
- SHenry H702, pp. 504-505, "The Wealthy Farmer" (1 text, 1 tune)
- LPound-ABS, 36, pp. 82-84, "Father Grumble" (1 text)
- JHCox 156, "Father Grumble" (7 texts)
- Silber-FSWB, p. 188, "Little Phoebe"; p. 189, "Old Man In The Wood" (2 texts)
- BBI, ZN1410, "In Auchtermuchty lived a man" (?)
- DT 343, WIFEWORK WIFEWRK2* WIFEWRK3*
- Roud #281
- BI, LQ01