Love-of-God Shave, The (Lather and Shave) [Laws Q15]

DESCRIPTION: Paddy asks the barber for a shave on credit. The barber is prepared; he has a razor just for such people. The injured Paddy flees the shop. Some time later, he hears a jackass bray near the shop and assumes someone else asked for a love-of-God shave
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1853 (Bodleian broadside Firth b.26(197))
KEYWORDS: humorous animal trick
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE,So) Britain(England(South)) Ireland Australia Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (20 citations):
Laws Q15, "The Love-of-God Shave (Lather and Shave)"
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "LATHER 'EM, SHAVE 'EM"
Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, pp. 249-251, "The Monkey Turned Barber" (3 texts, but only B2 is the piece; A and B1 are "The Monkey Turned Barber")
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 178, "Lather and Shave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morris-FolksongsOfFlorida, #240, "The Irish Barber" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cazden/Haufrecht/Studer-FolkSongsOfTheCatskills 120, "Lather and Shave" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Shoemaker-MountainMinstrelsyOfPennsylvania, p. 134, "Camp Barber's Sog, Black Forest" (1 text) (p. 113 in the 1919 edition)
Creighton-MaritimeFolkSongs, p. 136, "Love O'God Razor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Anderson-FolkSongsOfAustralia, pp. 211-212, "The Love-of-God Shave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 227, "The Irish Barber" (1 text, 1 tune)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 607, "Irishman's Shave" (1 text)
Beck-SongsOfTheMichiganLumberjacks 83, "Lather and Shave" (1 text)
Beck-TheyKnewPaulBunyan, pp. 240-241, "Sweet Love of God Shave" (1 text)
Stout-FolkloreFromIowa 106, pp. 134-135, "The Irish Barber" (1 text)
Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin, pp. 291-292, "The Irish Barber" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wolf-AmericanSongSheets, #1229, p. 84, "Lather and Shave" (1 reference)
Dime-Song-Book #3/72, p. 40 and #3/62, p. 40, "Lather and Shave" (1 text)
MidwestFolklore, Ivan H. Watson, "Folk Singing on Beaver Island," Volume 2, Number 4 (Winter 1952), p. 249, "The Irish Barber" (reference only)
cf. Gardner/Chickering-BalladsAndSongsOfSouthernMichigan, p. 483, "The Trust Shave" (source notes only)
DT 526, LOVEGOD

Roud #571
RECORDINGS:
Agnus "The Ridge" MacDonald, "Lather and Shave" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.26(197), "Lather Em, Shave Em," John Ross (Newcastle), 1847-1852; also Harding B 11(1927), "Lather 'Em, Shave 'Em"; Harding B 11(2085), Harding B 11(2632), "Lather-Em, Shave-Em"; Firth c.26(49), Harding B 11(1867), Harding B 11(1868), Harding B 11(2633), "[A] Love of God Shave" ; Firth b.27(285), "The Love o' Good Shave"
LOCSinging, sb20272b, "Lather and Shave," H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864; also as202090, "Lather and Shave"
Murray, Mu23-y1:067, "Lather 'Em, Shave 'Em," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(082), "A Love of God Shave," unknown, c.1870

SAME TUNE:
The San Francisco Rag Picker (Wolf-AmericanSongSheets p. 138)
NOTES [50 words]: Broadside Bodleian Firth b.27(285) is hard to read but has the tune as something like "Flare Up Neddy."
Broadside LOCSinging sb20272b: H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
Last updated in version 6.8
File: LQ15

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography

The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.