"Mighty Lak A Rose"

[Paul]

Paul Johnson

I'\'m with Wilson on this, born in '35 in Chicago this song has always
been there for me. I Had the feeling it would have been in some 30s/40's
musical but much to my surprise it was a hit in 1903 and last big hit
was 1916 with Geraldine Farrar, an opera singer who had appeared with
Caruso; her recording by the way was accompanied by Fritz Kreisier!


On 5/30/2010 2:24 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
> Whoa! That is surprising! My memory is that it was a national hit or,
> at least, nationally popular. I heard recordings of it by various
> singers, black and white, when I was a child living in Saint Louis. As
> a consequence, I've never connected the song with the *real* South or
> even with East Texas, but, rather, with some Tin Pan Alley hack
> looking for an easy buck.
>
> Youkneverknow.
>
> -Wilson
>
> On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 3:04 PM, Bill Palmer<w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net>  wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Bill Palmer<w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: "Mighty Lak A Rose"
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Wilson, my late mother-in-law (b. 1908, Moultrie GA) and now you, are the
>> only ones I've ever known to sing/recite that little verse.
>>
>> I wonder if anyoneoutside the southern US is familiar w/ it.
>>
>> Bill P
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Wilson Gray"<hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>> To:<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 2:44 PM
>> Subject: "Mighty Lak A Rose"
>>
>>
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail
>>> header -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Wilson Gray<hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      "Mighty Lak A Rose"
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Some of the more readers may recall that popular "Negro-dialect" song
>>> from the '40's.  Personally, I found the song rather pleasant.
>>> Hooever, I was never able to make any sense out of the opening verse,
>>> refrain, or whatever it was:
>>>
>>> Sweetis' little feller
>>> Ev'rybody knows
>>> Don't know what t' call 'im
>>> But he's _mighty lak a rose_
>>>
>>>
>>> After dekkids of thought, I've conclded that the title/phrase in question
>>> means:
>>>
>>> "... very much resembles or is very similar to, in some unspecified
>>> sense, a rose."
>>>
>>>
>>> Analyzing it as "strong like a rose," which makes no kind of sense,
>>> had been driving me nuts.
>>>
>>> -Wilson
>>> ---
>>> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"--a strange complaint to
>>> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>> -Mark Twain
>>>
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>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> -Wilson
> –––
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> –Mark Twain
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>

--



It's like trying to slip a sunrise past a rooster

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