Reuben and Rachel

DESCRIPTION: Rachel speculates to Reuben about "What a good world this would be If the men were all transported Far beyond the northern sea." Reuben, shocked, tries to fathom the idea; at last he offers marriage. Rachel accepts
AUTHOR: Words: Harry Birch / Music: William Gooch
EARLIEST DATE: 1871 (sheet music published by White, Smith & Perry of Boston)
KEYWORDS: dialog transportation courting love humorous marriage
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Jackson-PopularSongsOfNineteenthCenturyAmerica, pp. 180-183, "Reuben and Rachel" (1 text, 1 tune)
Messerli-ListenToTheMockingbird, pp. 168-169, "Reuben and Rachel" (1 text)
Fuld-BookOfWorldFamousMusic, p. 460, "Reuben and Rachel"
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 345, "Reuben, Reuben" (1 text)
Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, p. 86, "Reuben, Reuben" (1 text)
Harbin-Parodology, #224, p. 57, "Reuben and Rachel" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 255, "Reuben and Rachel" (notes only)
Rodeheaver-SociabilitySongs, p. 47, "Reuben and Rachel" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, REUBRACH*
ST RJ19180 (Full)
Roud #15451
RECORDINGS:
Trevor McKenzie, "Reuben, Reuben" (Fragment: Piotr-Archive #174, recorded 05/11/2022)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Winnipeg Whore" (tune)
cf. "The Swede from North Dakota" (tune)
cf. "Napoleon (I)" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
We Sing Nothing (File: ACSF415N)
Had a Little Dog ("I had a little dog and his name was Fido, He was nothing but a pup") (Harbin-Parodology, #21, p. 13; cf. Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 422)
Sal and I ("Sal and I went to the circus, Sal got hit with a rollin' pin") (Harbin-Parodology, #22, p. 13)
Napoleon ("I had a horse and his name was Napoleon") (Harbin-Parodology, #108, p. 32; cf. Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 255)
Curiosity/Wet Paint ("One dark night at the close of day, A curious man had lost his way") (Harbin-Parodology, #33, p. 15)
You're a Dandy ("???. you're a dandy, And when you are old and gray") (Harbin-Parodology, #177, p 48)
You're a Winner ("O ???. you're a winner, And we love you more every day") (Harbin-Parodology, #209, p. 54)
You're a Wonder (cf. Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 255)
I've Got a Ford ("I've got a Ford, and it's a wonder, It will give you shakes and thrills") (Harbin-Parodology, #391, p. 95)
NOTES [82 words]: There is a children's game, "Jacob and Rachel" or "Reuben and Rachel," printed in Welsch-NebraskaPioneerLore, pp. 305-306. It is not listed as a musical game, but perhaps it is related.
Rodeheaver suggests that this can be used as a canon -- take the first verse, and have the second part come in after two measures, i.e. after the line, "Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking." One could in fact do it as a four-part round, with each part coming in after an additional two measures/one line. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: RJ19180

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