Knife & Fork, Like My Peaches & Shake My Tree (1944) and more

[neil]

on 15/2/05 8:02 pm, Mullins, Bill at Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL wrote:


>> At 1:24 AM -0500 2/15/05, Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
>>> Pg. 799:
>>> If you don't like my apples,
>>> Then don't shake my tree;
>>> I'm not your boy friend,
>>> He's after me.
>>>
>>
>> The first couplet above (but not the second one*) has been a
>> staple in blues (and folk, and occasionally rock) songs for
>> ages--well before '44, I'd wager.
>
> I can find it back to "PIPELINER BLUES No. 2" (written by: Moon
> Mullican, 1941).
>
> See also "Squeeze my lemon til the juice run down my leg"
> from Travellin Riverside Blues by Robert Johnson, 1937.

Different lemons (and sense) can be found in:

Please let me squeeze your lemons
While I'm in your lonesome town.
Now let me squeeze your lemons, baby,
Until my love come down.
- Charlie Pickett, 'Let me squeeze your lemons', NYC, 3 August 1937