Please, Mister Barkeeper

DESCRIPTION: "Please, Mr. Barkeeper, has father been here?" The barkeeper directs the hoy to the policeman, and the policeman to the jailer; the man has been arrested (for drink?). The boy waits all day outside the prison. Finally someone promises to drink no more
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin)
KEYWORDS: drink prison children
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin, pp. 256-257, "Please, Mister Bartender" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4926 and 15678
NOTES [67 words]: This looks like a pretty standard nineteenth century temperance song, but the ending in Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin is confused. As it stands, the boy awaits his father in vain, then goes home and promises to drink no more. I suspect two verses have been conflated: The boy probably waits all day, then the father is released (perhaps due to the boy's pleading) and promises to change his ways. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.6
File: Pet256

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