“Grandma's Advice”

Description

The girl is cautioned by her grandmother to be cautious of boys. "They will flatter you and cunningly deceive." But the girl, courted by Johnny Green and Ellis Grove, thinks "If the girls... had been afraid / Grandma herself would have been an old maid"

Supplemental text

Grandma's Advice
  Complete text(s)

          *** A ***

From "The Dime Song Book #2" (1860), p. 15.

I loved with my grandma on yonder little green,
She's the nicest old lady that ever was seen;
She taught me fine lessons of prudence and care,
She taught me above all things of young men beware,
     Of young me to beware,
     Of young me to beware,
And she bade above all things of young men to beware.

These false young men they flatter and decieve,
So, my dearest Elize, you must not believe;
They'll flatter, they'll coax, till you are in their snare,
And away goes your poor old grandma's care,
     Your poor old grandma's care,
     Your poor old grandma's care,
And away goes your poor old grandma's care.

The first came a courting was little Johnny Green,
Fine young man as ever was seen;
But the words of my grandma did run in my head,
And I could not hear one word that he said,
     One word that he said,
     One word that he said,
And I could not hear one word that he said.

The next came a courting was little Ellis Grave,
'Twas then we met with a joyous love;
With a joyous love I could not be afraid,
You'd better get married than die an old maid,
     Than die an old maid,
     Than die an old maid,
Better get married than die an old maid.

Oh, dear! what a fuss these old women do make,
I wish to my heart they would make a mistake;
If all the young women of young men were afraid,
Then grandma herself would have died an old maid,
     Would have died an old maid,
     Would have died an old maid,
Then grandma herself would have died an old maid.

Notes

Broadside LOCSinging sb30329a: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS

Cross references

• cf. "The Birken Tree"
• cf. "She Loves Coffee and I Love Tea" (floating lyrics)

Broadsides

• LOCSheet, sm1857 610450, "My Grandma's Advice," Horace Waters (New York), 1857; also sm1885 04362, "My Grandma's Advice" (tune)
• LOCSinging, sb30329a, "My Grand-Mother's Advice," H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878; also as104760, "Grand-Ma's Lesson"; as109120, "My Grand-Mother's Advice!"

Recordings

• Mrs. Wolf, "Grandmama's Advice" (on USWarnerColl01)

References

1. Randolph 101, "Grandmaw's Advice" (2 texts, 1 tune)
2. Eddy 138, "Little Johnny Green" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. BrownII 194, "Grandma's Advice" (1 text plus a fragment and mention of 3 more)
4. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 374-375, "Die an Old Maid" (2 texts, with local titles "My Grandmother Lived on Yonder Little Green," (no title); 1 tune on p. 457)
5. Brewster 44, "Grandma's Advice" (2 texts plus mention of 2 more)
6. Linscott, pp. 243-245, "My Grandmother Lived on Yonder Green" (1 text, 1 tune)
7. Creighton-Maritime, p. 36, "Grandma's Advice" (1 text, 1 tune)
8. Mackenzie 157, "Little Johnny Green" (1 text, 1 tune)
9. Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 159-160, "My Grandmother" (1 text, 1 tune)
10. SHenry H208, p. 258, "Grandma's Advice" (1 text, 1 tune)
11. Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 79, "My Grandma's Advice" (1 text)
12. JHCox 161, "Little Johnny Green" (1 text)
13. JHCoxIIA, #26, pp. 101-102, "Grandma" (1 text, 1 tune)
14. DSB2, p. 15, "My Grandmother's Advice" (1 text)
15. cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 480, "Little Johnny Green" (source notes only)
16. DT, GRANYADV*
17. ADDITIONAL: Fred W. Allsopp, Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Volume II (1931), p. 209, "Grandmaw's Advice" (1 text)
18. ST R101 (Full)
19. Roud #282
20. BI, R101