“The Rotten Potatoes”
Description
Tenants are starving. At all costs save your corn and meal. Sell your cattle. The politicians will have a plan. The rents will be reduced. Food will be had "from Russia and Prussia and Americay." Potatoes have failed since '45. Things will improve.
Notes
Although the singer hopes for help from the politicians, a change in government actually meant that Ireland was given *less* help as the famines stretched on.
The potatoes suffering from the blight didn't exactly rot. They just shrivelled away -- not that the difference made any difference. For details on the blight and its effects, see the notes to "Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small)." - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small)" (subject: The Potato Famines) and references there
References
- Zimmermann 58, "A New Song on the Rotten Potatoes" (1 text)
- BI, Zimm058