[Ads-l] "Katy, bar the door" (1872-1887)

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

In 2007 Ben Zimmer and Stephan Goranson came up with 1888 and 1890
sightings (respectively) of "Katy, bar the door."  Michael Quinion,
incorporating these finds, summarized what's known about the
expression here,

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-kat1.htm

Michael discussed an old Scottish song, "Get Up and Bar the Door," as
a possible point of origin for the expression, though he touched on
other possibilities, too.

The earliest sighting of the phrase I've managed to locate (1872,
below) suggests that "Katy, Bar the Door" was the title of a song
(especially because letters there are capitalized), though it may well
be that the song title was inspired by an pre-existing expression.

Virginia fiddler/banjoist Roscoe Parish (Parrish?; 1897-1984) is said
to have composed a song by the name "Katy, Bar the Door," but he
obviously wasn't responsible for the earlier version (mentioned in the
1872 piece).  It's at least possible, though, that he borrowed from
the earlier version or merely put that version to paper.  For what
it's worth, then, see
http://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Katie_Bar_the_Door.  (You'll find
clips on YouTube of musicians playing numbers that are said to be
based on Parish's version.)

I haven't been successful at finding 19th-century sheet music/lyrics
for a song called "Katy, Bar the Door."  If that song existed, it
might be helpful in clarifying the origin of the expression.

-- Bonnie

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The Custom House Packet, with the Custom House colored band, U.S.
Marshal Packard, in command, with the old flag triumphantly kissing
the breeze of old Red, the band playing "Katie, Bar The Door," and
with waving rags touched the wharf and proceeded to land her precious
cargo.

[From "The Radical Barbecue," The (Alexandria) Louisiana Democrat, 2
October 1872, p. 2, via Chronicling of America.]

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This winsome maid had lovers many,
Whose love she did implore,
There was George and Fred and Harry,
And Ed who numbered with the score,
But when the soldier came in,
It was "Katie bar the door."

[From "A Soldier's Wedding," The Sedalia (Missouri) Weekly Bazoo, 26
March 1878, p. 3, via Chronicling of America.]

-----------

To sum it all up, my advice to anyone thinking of going there would be
"don't," unless they have a pocketfull of the "rhino" which they can
afford to lose.  I saw it was "Katy bar the door" with me unless I
skipped, and I lost no time in skipping.

[From "A Limaite Just from Leadville," The Democrat (Lima, Ohio), 30
October 1879, p. 3, via newspapers.com.]

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But if we get up a reputation for freezing to everything that comes in
our way, instead of a Democratic inauguration at the capitol on the
8th of next January, we may expect to be confronted with an array of
the honest yeomanry in the land, armed with shot guns, the muzzles of
which will say in language too plain to be unmistakable, "Katy, bar
the door," and there will be no inauguration.

[From "Who Stole the Money?," The Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, 27
October 1882, p. 5, via genealogybank.com.]

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Mr. Nash's friends feel very sore over his defeat, and some of the
most inconsolable declare it to be their purpose to bring him out as a
candidate for re-election to the lower house of the legislature.  It
will be "Katy, bar the door," with him if they do.

[From "Dallas," The Fort Worth (Texas) Daily Gazette, 27 July 1884, p.
5, via Chronicling of America.]

-----------

The prisoners gave no special trouble en route, and Whiting was
cordially welcomed by the prison attaches, who will take care that he
does not escape.  When he came within sight of the prison walls
Whiting remarked, "Well, it's Katie bar the door."

[From "Curbstone Notes," The Indianapolis (Indiana) News, 20 June
1885, p. 1, via newspapers.com.]


-----------

As [Dick Williamson] left Happy Hollow he began singing "Good by My
Lover, Good by." and when the wagon stopped in front of his home they
started to take him out, he raised up and said: "I guess it is Katy
bar the door with Dick."

[From "Double Murder; Happy Hollow the Scene of a Fatal Shooting
Scrape," The Hocking Sentinel (Logan, Ohio), 12 November 1886, p. 2,
via Chronicling of America.]

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"Yes, Tom, but by Jove, I thought it was bar-the-door-Katie on my
coming; the little woman begins to object to it."

[From "A Letter from Evans," The Greensboro (North Carolina) North
State, 15 September 1887, p. 7, via newspapers.com.]

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"Behave like a father and give her the sort of a wedding she deserves,
poor dear, or when your guests arrive they'll hear me sing, 'Katie,
bar the door.'"

[From "An Incident of the Trip," The Alton (Illinois) Daily Telegraph,
12 October 1887, p. 4, via newspapers.com.]

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