Quote: I know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the other isn't. (U. S. Grant variant Lincoln)

[Garson O'Toole]

Cite: 1839 May 4, Musical Review, Page 11. (Google Books full view)
http://books.google.com/books?id=iQYtAAAAYAAJ&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
We ought to apologize for swearing, but really we suffer considerably
from music, and only know two tunes, one of which it " Old Hundred,"
and the other isn't.
Picayune
[Old excerpt]

On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 1:58 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Quote: I know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the
>              other isn't. (U. S. Grant variant Lincoln)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Did these speakers -- U.S. Grant, Abe Lincoln, Peter Wimsey -- really
> say "isn't"?  I can definitely hear at least Wimsey saying "ain't" --
> it was I think common in his speech.  And Grant?
>
> Joel
>
> At 5/16/2012 01:47 PM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>>Ulysses S. Grant died in 1885 so this attribution in 1888 is somewhat late.
>>
>>Cite: 1888, Educational Topics of the Day: Chips from a Teacher's
>>Workshop by L. R. Klemm, Chapter III: Fundamental Errors in Teaching,
>>Page 127, Lee and Shepard Publishers, Boston. (Google Books full view)
>>
>>[Begin excerpt]
>>Thirty years ago this country was songless. Gen. Grant used to say: "I
>>know only two tunes; one is Yankee Doodle, and the other isn't."
>>[End excerpt]
>>
>>Researcher Paul F Boller has a version of the story in his book of
>>Presidential anecdotes. There is a footnote, but I cannot read it in
>>Google Books because the relevant footnote page is apparently blocked.
>>
>>Presidential anecdotes
>>Author: Paul F Boller
>>Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.
>>
>>http://books.google.com/books?id=N0JRvfAIUFwC&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>>
>>There is a variant anecdote featuring Lincoln instead of Grant. The
>>following pamphlet was published in 1914, but the incident apparently
>>was reported to have occurred in 1860.
>>
>>Cite: 1914,  Abraham Lincoln's Visit to Evanston in 1860 by J. Seymour
>>Currey, Page 14, City National Bank, Evanston. (Google Books full
>>view)
>>
>>http://books.google.com/books?id=1rXfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>>
>>[Begin excerpt]
>>A really good quartet, led by our long-time friend and fellow citizen,
>>Charles G. Ayars, called for Lincoln's special commendation; and I
>>recall how he put his arms around Ayars' shoulders, and said: 'Young
>>man, I wish I could sing as well as you. Unfortunately I know only two
>>tunes, one is "Old Hundred." and the other isn't.'
>>[End excerpt]
>>
>>http://books.google.com/books?id=1rXfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22two+tunes%22#v=snippet&
>>
>>Searches for this post were performed only in GB.
>
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