Quote: I know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the other isn't. (U. S. Grant variant Lincoln)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

A discussion thread on the topic in the subject line occurred on this
mailing list in May 2012. Now the Quote Investigator website has an
entry with an acknowledgment to list participants. Feedback welcome:

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/12/26/two-tunes/

Thanks, Garson



On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Quote: I know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the
>               other isn't. (U. S. Grant variant Lincoln)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Cite: 1839 May 4, Musical Review, Page 11. (Google Books full view)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=iQYtAAAAYAAJ&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> We ought to apologize for swearing, but really we suffer considerably
> from music, and only know two tunes, one of which it " Old Hundred,"
> and the other isn't.
> Picayune
> [Old excerpt]
>
> On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 1:58 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: Quote: I know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the
>>              other isn't. (U. S. Grant variant Lincoln)
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Did these speakers -- U.S. Grant, Abe Lincoln, Peter Wimsey -- really
>> say "isn't"?  I can definitely hear at least Wimsey saying "ain't" --
>> it was I think common in his speech.  And Grant?
>>
>> Joel
>>
>> At 5/16/2012 01:47 PM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>>>Ulysses S. Grant died in 1885 so this attribution in 1888 is somewhat late.
>>>
>>>Cite: 1888, Educational Topics of the Day: Chips from a Teacher's
>>>Workshop by L. R. Klemm, Chapter III: Fundamental Errors in Teaching,
>>>Page 127, Lee and Shepard Publishers, Boston. (Google Books full view)
>>>
>>>[Begin excerpt]
>>>Thirty years ago this country was songless. Gen. Grant used to say: "I
>>>know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the other isn't."
>>>[End excerpt]
>>>
>>>Researcher Paul F Boller has a version of the story in his book of
>>>Presidential anecdotes. There is a footnote, but I cannot read it in
>>>Google Books because the relevant footnote page is apparently blocked.
>>>
>>>Presidential anecdotes
>>>Author: Paul F Boller
>>>Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.
>>>
>>>http://books.google.com/books?id=N0JRvfAIUFwC&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>>>
>>>There is a variant anecdote featuring Lincoln instead of Grant. The
>>>following pamphlet was published in 1914, but the incident apparently
>>>was reported to have occurred in 1860.
>>>
>>>Cite: 1914,  Abraham Lincoln's Visit to Evanston in 1860 by J. Seymour
>>>Currey, Page 14, City National Bank, Evanston. (Google Books full
>>>view)
>>>
>>>http://books.google.com/books?id=1rXfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>>>
>>>[Begin excerpt]
>>>A really good quartet, led by our long-time friend and fellow citizen,
>>>Charles G. Ayars, called for Lincoln's special commendation; and I
>>>recall how he put his arms around Ayars' shoulders, and said: 'Young
>>>man, I wish I could sing as well as you. Unfortunately I know only two
>>>tunes, one is "Old Hundred." and the other isn't.'
>>>[End excerpt]
>>>
>>>http://books.google.com/books?id=1rXfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>>>
>>>Searches for this post were performed only in GB.
>>
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>
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