From Unknown Wed 11 Jun 97 16:26:02 Newsgroups: rec.music.folk Path: usc!howland.erols.net!ix.netcom.com!greg From: greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough) Subject: Re: Songs that use melody from Sweet Betsy from Pike? Message-ID: Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <3418A77C.2507@worldnet.att.net> Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 12:20:57 GMT Lines: 22 Sender: greg@netcom16.netcom.com Xref: usc rec.music.folk:124805 In article <3418A77C.2507@worldnet.att.net> Bindle writes: > >Having just discoverd this newsgroup, I'm reminded of an old pursuit of >mine: trying to find how many ways the basic melody line used in 'Sweet >Betsy from Pike' has been used. > > 'Oh, do you remember sweet Betsy from Pike? > She crossed the wild prairies with her husband Ike . . .' > > Of course, the tune is based on much older material from Britain and it >often has some haunting minor variations in melody and chording. One I >recall was, I think, 'The Soldier and the Sailor,' another was 'Master >McGraw' a song about a racing dog. Does anyone out there recall any >others. 'The Old Orange Flute,' Tommy Makem's bit about the Orange man who turns Papist and then finds that is flute is unalterably Protestant. Also a Clancy/Makem song, 'The Bold Thady Quill' seems to use something quite similar. Greg