She was only...

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Tue, 24 May 2005 16:17:30 -0400, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
wrote:

>>>>  >Is "She was only the farmer's daughter, but all the horsemen knew
>>>>  >her" the Ur-form of this subgenre?
>>>>  >
>
>and if you want to compare a few others that are of the appropriate
>form, consider these, some of which are better (or at least less
>offensive) than others.
>
>She was only the...
[...]
>moonshiner's daughter, but I loved her still.

This was a popular gag in syndicated humor columns in the '20s,
particularly "Scoop's Colyum" (the Danville Bee cites below).  The
earliest version I can find is the "moonshiner's daughter" one, from 1922.

-----
Chicago Tribune, Aug 7, 1922, p. 8
Under separate cover I am sending you my latest poem of passion, "She's
Only a Moonshiner's Daughter But Oh I Love Her Still."
-----
Atlanta Constitution, Aug 30, 1922, p. 6
I asked a friend who his girl was and he replied "she is a moonshiner's
daughter and I love her still."
-----
The News (Frederick, Md.), Sep 22, 1922, p. 10
Many motorists in passing through this settlement ... have wrongly jumped
to the conclusion that ... the town anthem is, "She was only a
moonshiner's daughter, but I love her 'still.'"
-----
The Bee (Danville, Va.), Dec 10, 1924, p. 2
The Latest Song Hit: "She was only an electrician's daughter, but she gave
him a deuce of a shock."
-----
Hayward Review (Cal.), Jul 1, 1925, p. 2
She's only a printer's daughter but I like her type.
-----
The Bee (Danville, Va.), Aug 11, 1925, p. 4
She was only the coal man's daughter, but oh, boy! where she has bin!
-----
The Bee (Danville, Va.), Sep 21, 1925, p. 4
New Song Hit: "She was only a baker's daughter, but she had the dough."
-----
The Bee (Danville, Va.), Oct 10, 1925, p. 4
New Song Hit: "She Was Only a Shoemaker's Daughter, But She Was The Peg 'O
My Heart."
-----
The Bee (Danville, Va.), Nov 23, 1925, p. 4
New Song Hit: "She Was Only a Printer's Daughter, But I Liked Her Type,
and Pi."
-----
The Bee (Danville, Va.), Nov 26, 1925, p. 4
New Song Hit: "She Was Only a Fireman's Daughter, But She Called Me a
False Alarm."
-----
etc., etc.



--Ben Zimmer