Boring for Oil

DESCRIPTION: The singer goes boring for oil with his "auger," and in some versions contracts a venereal disease.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1940 (Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin)
KEYWORDS: bawdy sex disease warning
FOUND IN: Canada(West) US(MA,MW,NE,So,SW)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Randolph/Legman-RollMeInYourArms I, pp. 58-60, "Boring for Oil" (4 texts, 1 tune)
Logsdon-WhorehouseBellsWereRinging 26, pp. 160-162, "Boring for Oil" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin, p. 263, "Boring for Oil" (1 text, 1 tune, possibly slightly expurgated)
DT, BOREOIL*
Roud #10094
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fire Ship" (plot) and references there
NOTES [71 words]: Logsdon-WhorehouseBellsWereRinging says this "may be the oldest bawdy oil occupation song in tradition." There isn't much competition for that title. But Logsdon's version refers to "Oil City," which he believes to be in the Pennsylvania oil fields, which might date the song as early as the 1860s. And one of Randolph's variants apparently did date back to c. 1910. So while proof is lacking, Logsdon's claim is possible. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.6
File: RL058

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