When the Outport Member's Family Comes to Town

DESCRIPTION: A family from a remote outport had a successful season fishing, so they have moved to the town that is busily waiting for them and their money. They exchange outport ways for city habits.
AUTHOR: M. A. Devine (1857-1915)
EARLIEST DATE: 1940
KEYWORDS: recitation money vanity
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Doyle-OldTimeSongsAndPoetryOfNewfoundland, "When the Outport Member's Family Comes to Town" (1 text): p. 76 in the 2nd edition, p. 67 in the 4th, p. 64 in the 5th
ADDITIONAL: James Murphy, compiler, _Songs & Ballads of Terra Nova_, Evening Telegram publishing, 1903 (available from the Memorial University of Newfoundland web site), p. 17, "When the Outport Member's Family Comes to Town" (1 text)
Roud #7319
NOTES [97 words]: The social satire in this song seems to be directed more at the vanities of urban life than outport life. Outports are small fishing villages outside of the cities and there have always been marked social distinctions between the inhabitants of the two. - SH
See, for instance, the discussion of "Baymen" and "Townies" under "Mussels in the Corner." But note that the person coming to town is a Member, i.e. a Member of the Legislative Assembly. He's here to represent the people at home -- but, now that he's in town and a Power in the Land, he takes on the ways of the town. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.0
File: Doy76

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