Adage: Church is not out 'till the singing's done. (July 12, 1913)

[sclements at NEO.RR.COM]

Great precursors.  You done good.

Sam Clements

---- "Shapiro wrote:
> Fantastic discoveries, Garson!  Because of their relation to the celebrated "the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings," these are highly important sayings.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole [adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 8:40 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Adage: Church is not out 'till the singing's done. (July 12, 1913)
>
> There is a family of sayings about singing during the final stage of an event.
>
> Church is not out till they sing.
> Church is not out till the fat lady sings.
> The opera isn’t over till the fat lady sings.
> The game is not over till the fat lady sings.
>
> This post contains selected citations similar to the first saying on
> this list. The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs has an entry for "Church
> is not out till they sing" and the first citation is dated 1966. The
> precise phrase listed is "But church ain't over till they sing."
>
> In 1913 the saying was labeled "old".
>
> [ref] 1913 July 12, The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer,
> Volume 51, Number 2, (Issue Start Page 41), Washington (Dateline July
> 12, 1913), Start Page 45, Quote Page 46, Column 1, Louisiana Planter
> and Sugar Manufacturer, New Orleans, Louisiana. (Google Books full
> view) link [/ref]
> http://books.google.com/books?id=s-koAAAAYAAJ&q=%22church+is+not%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> There is an old saying that "church is not out 'till the singing's
> done," and with the narrow margin which the Democrats have in the
> Senate, it is believed that at least the wool and sugar schedules are
> still in the balance.
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> [ref] 1913 October 11, The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer,
> Volume 51, Number 15, (Issue Start Page 249), Washington (Dateline
> October 1, 1913), Start Page 254, Quote Page 255, Column 1, Louisiana
> Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, New Orleans, Louisiana. (Google Books
> full view) link [/ref]
> http://books.google.com/books?id=s-koAAAAYAAJ&q=%22never+out%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Whether he can secure the return of enough Democrats to block the plan
> of the Republicans is problematical, but in any event the political
> pot will be boiling for the next few days, and the old saying that
> "church is never out 'till the singing's all done" is very apropos in
> this instance.
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> [ref] 1937 September 9, N.A.R.D. Journal, Ramblings of a Pill-Roller
> by E. R. (Pete) Weaver, Page 1418, Column 1, Volume 59, Number 17,
> Published by National Association of Retail Druggists, Chicago,
> Illinois. (Verified on paper)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> This meeting to my way of thinking will be recorded in the archives of
> the National Association as the biggest thing yet to ever happen so
> far as the pill shops of this nation are concerned. But as I have
> often said that church ain't over till they sing and to me this
> meeting in Chicago is the end of a rough and rugged road that has led
> us through valleys of hardships and bloody conflict…
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> [ref] 1951 September 28, Springfield Union, Man Like Eisenhower Seen
> As Key to Victory for GOP, Quote Page 30, Column 3, Springfield,
> Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> We forgot the old New England axiom, 'Church ain't over till the singin' stops.'
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> [ref] 1952, Race Your Boat Right by Arthur Knapp, Jr., Chapter 17: The
> Finish, (Chapter epigraph), Quote Page 247, D. Van Nostrand Company,
> New York. (HathiTrust)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> "CHURCH AIN'T OUT 'TIL THE SINGIN'."
>
> As you approach the finish line just remember that "Church ain't out
> 'til the singin'." I cannot repeat it too many times, for many a race
> has been won (and lost) a few yards and even feet from that imaginary
> tape.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
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>
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