O Chester

DESCRIPTION: "O Chester, did you 'ear about Harry? He chest got back from the army"-. I 'ear he knows how to war a rose, Hip hip. hooray for he army."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Harbin-Parodology)
KEYWORDS: derivative army campsong
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Harbin-Parodology #402, p. 98, "O Chester" (1 text, tune referenced)
BoyScoutSongbook1997, p. 25, "O Chester" (1 text, tune referenced)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, pp. 137, 393, "Chester"/"Chester Have You Heard about Harry?" (notes only)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Yankee Doodle" (tune) and references there
NOTES [128 words]: Averill's notes about this are confused. On p. 137 she says that a song called "Chester" is based on "Yankee Doodle" and is found six times in her records.
On p. 393 she refers to a song "Chester" that is known to Harbin -- but is found in her records 18 times, not just six. No other information is given about it.
Harbin has a song called "O Chester" to the tune of (the verse of) "Yankee Doodle." What's more, many of my recent camp songbooks include it. (Usually under Harbin's title of "O Chester" or "Oh Chester.") Clearly it is the same as the song on p. 137 of Averill, and it makes sense to assume that it's also the one on p. 393. Yet she lists different numbers of collections. I would guess it's just a mistake on Averill's part, but I can't be sure. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.3
File: Paro402

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