Dog in the Closet, The (The Old Dyer) [Laws Q11]
DESCRIPTION: The hatter has to hide in the closet when the woman's husband comes home unexpectedly. The husband locks the closet and goes for witnesses. The wife releases the hatter and puts a dog in his place. The husband finds the dog and is embarrassed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Flanders/Ballard/Brown/Barry-NewGreenMountainSongster)
KEYWORDS: infidelity trick escape dog hiding age
FOUND IN: US(NE,SE)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws Q11, "The Old Dyer (The Dog in the Closet)"
Flanders/Ballard/Brown/Barry-NewGreenMountainSongster, pp. 123-125, "The Dog in the Closet" (1 text, 1 tune)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore2 279, "The Old Dyer" (1 text)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore4 179, "The Old Dyer" (2 excerpts, 2 tunes)
Olson-BroadsideBalladIndex, ZN151, "All you that to merriment now are inclined" (probably this piece)
DT 523, DOGCLOS
Roud #1006
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Boatsman and the Chest" [Laws Q8] (plot) and references there
NOTES [43 words]: This and similar songs are sometimes traced back to a story in Boccaccio (seventh day, second story: Gianella, Peronella, and her husband). But the story is really one of the basic themes of folktale, and doubtless predates Boccaccio as well as these songs. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.0
File: LQ11
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