[Ads-l] Limerick song, 1875

[Stephen Goranson]

Thank you, Ben!
Stephen

On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 11:59 AM Ben Zimmer <
00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> Here's a clipping:
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bulletin-limerick-song/180597009/
>
> (Once again I'd suggest that folks include clippings for Newspapers.com
> cites as a rule, so that everyone can access them.)
>
> --bgz
>
> On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 11:33 AM Stephen Goranson <
> 00001dd3d6fc15d3-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > Thank you, Jonathan!
> >
> > This does not come up on the lesser Duke U version of newspapers.com,
> so I
> > assume it is from the personal subscription version.
> > I have a thick paper file on the subject. I'll have to check, but this
> one,
> > unless I forgot, is new to me.
> > Though the song lyrics are not explicitly given, that it reportedly
> annoyed
> > the fellow who "comes up from Limerick" is strongly suggestive.
> > And in the US rather than the UK!
> > Nothing against England, my birthplace, but this apparently adds to the
> > case for US provenance, from the Civil War phrase to the later (?) game
> > song.
> > Thanks again.
> > If anyone can email me a scan of the article and the date/title page, I
> > would be quite grateful.
> > Maybe we should write about this somewhere.
> >
> > Stephen Goranson
> > goransonsc (at) gmail.com
> > or, still (annual-renewed) guest retired status:
> > goranson (at) duke.edu
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 9:51 AM Jonathan Lighter <
> > 00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > Too good to be true? Maybe not.
> > >
> > > 1866 _The Bulletin_ (Norwich, Conn.) (Nov. 8) 2 [Newspapers.com]:  ROW
> ON
> > > THE PROVIDENCE ROAD. - On the old Providence pike Tuesday night Pat
> > > McNamara was wending his weary way homeward, when in passing the
> suburban
> > > residence of Pat Divine it came over him that he had an old grudge
> > against
> > > Pat and to express his opinion of him, he commenced a "Limerick song."
> As
> > > Divine...comes up from Limerick, this made him mad, and he went out and
> > > expressed his opinion to that bloody boy McNamara....McNamara was found
> > > guilty of a breach of peace and was fined $2 and costs."
> > >
> > >  JL
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jun 25, 2025 at 10:24 AM Stephen Goranson <
> > > 0000179d4093b2d6-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > > > I had thought to present the "come to Limerick" (settle, come to
> terms)
> > > > uses that are associated with the US Civil War, starting shortly
> before
> > > the
> > > > shooting began, but there are too many to fit into a post. For
> > starters,
> > > > all three examples in HDAS are directly connected to that Civil War,
> > > using
> > > > Limerick as a treaty reference to an earlier war in Ireland. And many
> > > more
> > > > could be cited.
> > > > So I'm flummoxed that Bob Turvey's new book, Why Are Limericks Called
> > > > Limericks?, denies any connection to what he calls the "Williamite
> War"
> > > of
> > > > William and Mary!
> > > >
> > > > The relationship of this phrase to the later-attested game is not yet
> > > > fully documented. I think the game started in the US; Turvey thinks
> it
> > > > started in England.
> > > >
> > > > Here's a potential antedating of the song—in the US. (The song may
> have
> > > > existed before the game.)
> > > > Sept. 2, 1875 (newspapers.com), The Jeffersonian, Stroudsburg,
> Monroe.
> > > > PA, page 2/1
> > > >
> > > > It is very "onpleasant" for a young man to fall over wheel-barrows,
> > milk
> > > > pots, slop buckets, &c., when trying to steal an interview with his
> > > > sweetheart. He took it good naturedly, however, for he came out
> > singing,
> > > > "O, won't you come down to Limerick."
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org