All Is Vanity, Saith the Preacher

DESCRIPTION: A preacher goes to the sinful town of "Sinnemahone" and tries to preach them around. They attend the service -- until a deer runs by and they try to catch it. One old man stays -- and when the preacher says "all is vain," answers his god is in the hunt
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1857 Meginnes)
KEYWORDS: clergy humorous hunting animal
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Shoemaker-MountainMinstrelsyOfPennsylvania, pp. 103-106, "All Is Vaniity, Saith the Preacher" (1 text) (pp. 83-84 in the 1919 edition)
ADDITIONAL: John Franklin Meginness, _Otzinachson, or, a History of the West Branch Valley of the Susquehanna_ H. B. Ashmead, 1857 (available on Google Books), pp. 355-357, "All Is Vanity, Saith the Preacher" (1 text)
NOTES [106 words]: The name "Sinnemahone" is apparently real, a sort of nickname for Sinnemahoning Creek and town in Pennsylvania. (It's in the north-central part of the state, not near anywhere I've ever heard of, but they apparently have sporting events named "Sinnemahone"). Thus this appears to be a genuine local production -- though I doubt it was a song. Apparently the original title was "Sinnamahoning." The Mt Zion Historical Society site claims that it is based on an actual incident of circa 1820.
The line "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity" is from Ecclesiastes 1:1, repeated in shorter form in 12:9. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: Shoe103

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