Nothing's Too Good for the Irish

DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls his grandmother's last words. She describes, with the full force of prejudice, the roles reserved for each people (e.g. "Negroes to whitewash, Jews for cash"), then turns to her own people, concluding, "Nothing's too good for the Irish"
AUTHOR: J. J. Goodwin/[Monroe H.] Rosenfeld (source: Spaeth, _A History of Popular Music in America_, p. 608)
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Dean-FlyingCloud); Spaeth lists it as published in 1894
KEYWORDS: death foreigner humorous
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Dean-FlyingCloud, p. 102, "Nothing Too Good for the Irish" (1 text)
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 29, "Nothing's Too Good for the Irish" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa029 (Partial)
Roud #7468
NOTES [60 words]: Presumably the same as the 1894 song by J. J. Goodwin and Rosenfeld, but I can't prove it. For background on Monroe H. Rosenfeld, see the notes to "Those Wedding Bells Shall Not Ring Out!"
The chorus, in John Galusha's version at least (and also in Dean-FlyingCloud), may be the most concentrated dose of racism I've ever seen:It stereotypes *everyone*. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: Wa029

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