"99 bottles of beer on the wall" (one more time)

Sun Jun 27 00:15:59 UTC 2004

http://p066.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm1.showMessage?topicID=10501.topic
http://www.standingstones.com/greenbot.html

   Dave Wilton's site has a nice discussion of the song NINETY-NINE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL.  "Ozziemaland" posted this originally, and then posted a song sheet from FORTY-NINE BOTTLES.  "Steve G" posted a fine article about the song TEN GREEN BOTTLES (see above).  "ElizaD" posted about "ten little frogs sitting on a well."
   All great work.  I hate those guys.
   Maybe someone should tell the Brooklyn Historical Society and its "NINETY-NINE BOTTLES-Brooklyn beer" exhibit curator?
   The NYPL's Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, Music Division, had this note card in its card catalog, a-hanging on the wall:

NINETY-NINE BOTTLES
See also
   NINETY-NINE MILES FROM HOME
   FORTY-NINE BOTTLES
   NINETY-NINE BLUE BOTTLES

   "Forty-Nine Bottles" is in SONGS OF ALL THE COLLEGES by D. B. Chamberlain, comp. 1906.
   Another note card a-hanging on the wall said to look at two pages pasted to the back of A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICAN FOLKLORE AND FOLKSONG, VOLUME ONE (Dover Publications) by Charles Haywood (Professor of Music, Queens College, New York).  I'll type those two pages here:

JOHNSON & TANNENBAUM
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
FISK BUILDING
250 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
June 16, 1977

Gentlemen:

   Supplementing our report to you of June 15, 1977 in re the song

   NINETY-NINE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL

we wish to advise you that a search of the records in the Folk Archives of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., disclosed the following references to the possible origin of the above song and variances thereof:

1.  _Tommy's Tunes: A Comprehensive Collection of SOldiers' Songs, Marching Melodies, Rude Rhymes and Poular Parodies Composed, Collected and Arranged on Active Service with the B.E.F._ [British Expeditionary Force] by F. T. Nettleingham, Second Lieutenant, R.F.C., London, Erskin, MacDonald, Ltd. "First published Oct. 1917.  All Rights Reserved.  Copyright in United States of America by Erskine, MacDonald, Ltd."

Song title: _Ninety-Nine Bottles on the Wall_

   "There were ninety-nine bottles hanging on the wall.
    There were ninety-nine bottles hanging on the wall.
    What would happen if one were to fall?
    Why, there'd be ninety-eight bottles hanging on the wall."
   "--and so on until tired."

2.  _Paradology: Songs for Fun and Fellowship_, Nashville, Cokesbury Press, 1927.  Text only.  p. 77.

Song title: _Ninety-Nine Miles From Home_

3.  _Bottoms Up_, by Clifford Leach, New York, Paull Pioneer Music Corp., 1933, p. 51 with music.

Song title: _Forty-Nine Bottles_.

4.  _G. I. Songs_, by Edgar A. Palmer, New York, Sheridan House, 1944, p. 208.

Song title: _Forty-Nine Bottles_

5.  _Ozark Folk Songs, Vol. 3, Humorous and Play-Party Songs_, collected and edited by Vance Randolph, Columbia, Missouri, State Historical Society of Missouri, 1949, p. 210, no. 456.

Song title: _Ninety-Nine Blue Bottles_

   "I heard my father sing this in the late '90s; he had learned it as a boy in South Carolina, shortly after the Civil War."  From Mrs. Hugo Blair, Joplin, Missouri, September 4, 1929:

   "Ninety-nine blue bottles a-hanging on the wall
    Take one blue bottle away from them all
    Leaves ninety-eight blue bottles a-hanging on the wall."

Note: the music printed here has a different tune from the usual one.

6.  _101+5 Folk Songs for Camp_, by Mike Cohen, New York, Oak Publications, 1966.

Song title: _Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer_

   It appears from the foregoing that this song has long been in the public domain and is of unknown origin.

   Very truly yours,
   JOHNSON & TANNENBAUM
   (Signed--ed.)
   Samuel W. Tannenbaum

(OCLC WORLDCAT)
Title: The most popular college songs :
selected from Songs of all the colleges ; Songs of the Eastern colleges and Songs of the Western colleges.
Publication: New York :; Hinds, Noble & Eldredge,
Edition: Rev. ed.
Year: 1997, 1906
Description: 124 p. ;; 26 cm.
Language: English
Music Type: Songs
Contents: Amiel -- Bavarian yodel -- Co-ca-che-lunk -- Dutch Company -- Forty-nine bottles -- Gaudeamus -- H 2 S O 4 -- Integer Vitae -- Jolly boating weather -- Lone fish ball -- My last cigar -- Noah's Ark -- On the chapel steps -- Over the banister -- The Pope -- Son of a Gambolier -- Tarpaulin jacket -- Upidee -- Vive L'Amour -- We stand by our classes.

(OCLC WORLDCAT)
Title: U.W. songs :
a collection of songs of the University of Wisconsin /
Corp Author(s): University of Wisconsin.
Publication: Madison :; University of Wisconsin,
Edition: 2nd ed.
Year: 1909
Description: 122 p. of music ;; 27 cm.
Language: English
Music Type: Songs
Contents: All hail Alma Mater Wisconsin -- Alumni song -- Amici -- Badger life -- Back to the Hill -- Bingo -- Boating song -- The boy and the horse -- Bull dog -- The cardinal so bright -- Ching-a-ling -- Class song -- Co-ca-che-lunk -- Commencement song -- Crambambuli -- Crow song -- Dear Evelina, sweet Evelina -- Dear old Wisconsin -- Dear Varsity -- Drinking song -- Drink to me only with thine eyes -- The Dutch company -- Eaton boating song -- Fair Varsity -- Fill up the beaker -- Football toast -- Forsaken -- Forty-nine bottles -- The four dreamers --; Gaudeamus -- Good night -- Good night, beloved -- Hail Wisconsin -- Hark, I hear a voice -- Hot time -- If you want to be a Badger -- It's a way we have at Wisconsin -- Jingle bells -- Juanita -- The Jumblies -- Landlord fill the flowing bowl -- Last night -- Levee song -- Long may she live, Wisconsin fair! -- Maid of Athens -- Marching song -- Mary's goat -- Massa's in de cold ground -- Meerschaum pipe -- Mendota crew song -- Michael Roy -- The midshipmite -- My Bonnie -- Nellie was a lady -- Nut brown maiden -- Of thee, Wisconsin -- Old Black Joe -- Old folks at home -- Old Kentucky home -- O schöne Zeit -- Our dear old Alma Mater -- Over the banister --; Polly-wolly-doodle -- The Pope -- The quilting party -- Rig-a-jig -- Rosalie -- Soldiers farewell -- Songs to thee, Wisconsin -- Stars of the summer night -- Stein song -- Sweet and low -- Those vacant chairs -- To Alma Mater -- University hymn -- Upidee -- The Varsity -- Vive la Wisconsin -- Wisconsin -- Wisconsin days -- Wisconsin hymn -- Wisconsin jubilee -- Wisconsin marching song -- A Wisconsin song -- Wisconsin spirit -- Wisconsin toast (unison) -- Wisconsin toast (quartette) -- We'll cheer for old Wisconsin.

(AMERICAN PERIODICAL SERIES)
HOW WE WENT DUCKING.
H. M. NORRIS.. A Journal of Outdoor Life, Travel, Nature Study, Shooting, Fishing, Yachting (1873-1930). Dec 22, 1894. Vol. VOL. XLIIL., Iss. No. 25.; p. 535 (1 page):
   ...the players singing the following words to the tune of "Forty-nine Blue Bottles a-Hanging on the Wall:"...

(WWW.NEWSPAPERARCHIVE.COM)
  News  Wednesday, October 27, 1897 Frederick, Maryland
...Tou know that snog about FORTY-NINE BLUE BOTTLES 5 It Is trills..

  Van Wert Times Bulletin  Saturday, May 22, 1971 Van Wert, Ohio
...The Funniest Face." The song "TEN GREEN BOTTLES' will feature Kip Boroff.....will be the poems for fall. The song "TEN Little Indians' will feature..