Rotten Potatoes, The

DESCRIPTION: Tenants are starving. At all costs save your corn and meal. Sell your cattle. The politicians will have a plan. The rents will be reduced. Food will be had "from Russia and Prussia and Americay." Potatoes have failed since '45. Things will improve.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1847 (Zimmerman-SongsOfIrishRebellion)
KEYWORDS: starvation Ireland nonballad food
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Zimmerman-SongsOfIrishRebellion 58, "A New Song on the Rotten Potatoes" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small)" (subject: The Potato Famines) and references there
NOTES [67 words]: Although the singer hopes for help from the politicians, a change in government actually meant that Ireland was given *less* help as the famines stretched on.
The potatoes suffering from the blight didn't exactly rot. They just shrivelled away -- not that the difference made any difference. For details on the blight and its effects, see the notes to "Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small)." - RBW
File: Zimm058

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