Some Little Bug
DESCRIPTION: Singer describes perils of eating various foods, which can lead to ptomaine and death. This is why, before meals, some people pray. Ch.: "Some little bug is gonna get you someday..." "Eat that luscious ripe pineapple/And the sextons dust the chapel."
AUTHOR: Benjamin Hapgood Burt & Roy Atwell (lyrics); Silvio Hein (tune in sheet music; tune of folk version by unknown author)
EARLIEST DATE: 1915 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: disease warning death funeral food humorous nonballad
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, SOMEBUG
Roud #19680
RECORDINGS:
Roy Atwell, "Some Little Bug Is Going to Find You" (Columbia A-1926, 1916; rec. 1915)
Bradley Kincaid, "Some Little Bug Is Goin' To Get You Someday" (Bluebird B-5179/Montgomery Ward M-4379, 1933)
Billy Murray, "Some Little Bug Is Going to Find You" (Victor 17826, 1916; rec. 1915)
Unidentified baritone solo [Dan Quinn], "Some Little Bug Is Going to Find You" (Emerson 764, 1916)
Walter Van Brunt, "Some Little Bug Is Going to Find You" (CYL: Edison [BA] 2823, n.d.)
NOTES [44 words]: This has attained enough popularity in the bluegrass and folk-revival communities to warrant inclusion. The Bradley Kincaid recording, which is the one that has spread, uses a very different tune from the one found in the sheet music; possibly Kincaid wrote it. - PJS
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