{"id":10482,"date":"2021-05-04T15:35:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T15:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=10482"},"modified":"2021-05-05T15:33:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T15:33:36","slug":"good-old-days-of-adam-and-eve-the","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/good-old-days-of-adam-and-eve-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Good old days of Adam and Eve, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Adam and Eve<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1824<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Thomas Hudson<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN7836<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Charles Sloman, Sam Vale<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Broadhead, G.C.;USA : Missouri; 1910
Daggett, Mrs. E. ; England : Bedfordshire; 1904
Johnson, Jack; USA : Tennessee; 1948
Meyer, Arthur USA : New York : Lily Dale 1941
Shaw, Mrs. Rosalie USA : Vermont; 1965
Smith, Fred USA : Arkansas; 1963 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF ADAM AND EVE<\/strong>\nTune - \"Jingling Johnny\"\n\nI SING, I sing in jingling rhymes, Sirs, \nIn praise of long-past good old times, Sirs; \nWhen female servants house-work would do. \nAnd dress'd themselves as servants should do; \nBut now the servants, people tell us. \nThink of nought but running after the fellows; \nAnd all the wages that they gathers. \nGoes for finery, hats and feathers. \n\nSing hey, sing ho, people grieve \nFor the good old days of Adam and Eve. <\/em>\n \nWhen near our houses might be seen fields, \nAnd a short walk took you to the green fields.\nWhere you might sing Nature's praises, \nOr pick a bough-pot of blooming daisies; \nBut now if a man cannot endure all \nThe noise of town, and wants to be rural, \nHe'll find the charms of Nature undone. \nAnd a good day's journey to get out of London. \n \nWhen every man, whether wise or ninny, \nWas pleased at the sight of a good old guinea ;\nThe front of it had the old king's face on \u2014 \nThe back, the royal arms and old spade ace on: \nBut now there's a sovereign, and people tell you \nIt is not worth so much in value;\nFor there's King George without a rag on. \nGalloping over an ugly dragon. \n \nWhen roast beef was eaten off platters wooden,. \nAnd no body <\/em>neyer dined,without pudden<\/em>; \nWhen songs were longer, and sung much louder. \nAnd beaux wore pig-tails, pomatum and powder; \nBut now our beaux of pride are slighters, \nKeep company with gamblers and fancy fighters; \nAnd instead of hair-powder, great and small, now. \nNever comb their heads at all now. \n  \nWhen rogues had a bold as well as a sly way, \nAnd went with pistols on the highway, \nStopp'd the traveller, and without detail,\nRobbed him of his cash by retail; \nBut now despising petty stealers. \nSome are in robbery wholesale dealers. \nGet into credit \u2014 live quite dashing, \nAnd pay their debts with a clean white-washing. \n \nWhen drinking ale made strong men stronger. \nAnd doctors made folk live the longer;\nOur grandfathers brew'd stout October, \nAnd thought it sinful to go to bed sober; \nThen was the time for games and gambols\nWhen Oxford Street was covered with brambles. \nHedges and ditches and ponds of water; \nBut now there's nothing but bricks and mortar! \n \nWhen this very place, now cover'd over, \nWas a field of wheat, or perhaps of clover ; \nTwo or three trees for the cattle to get under. \nOut of the way of the light'ning and thunder! \nNo sounds were heard but the sweet birds singing. \nExcept sometimes the Bow-bells ringing ! \nBut now far off the birds are fled, Sirs, \nAnd we're the birds that sing instead. Sirs. \n\n\nTHE SECOND PART OF THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF ADAM AND EVE<\/strong>. \n\nI SING, I sing in jingling rhymes. Sirs, \nIn praise of long-lost good old times, Sirs, \nWhen old and young would every one rise \nTime enough to see the sun rise; \nBut fashion plays a different tune now'\nFolks don't get up till afternoon now; \nAnd all such healthy notions scorning, \nThey get their night's rest in the morning. \n\nSing hey, sing ho, people grieve \nFor the good old days of Adam and Eve. <\/em>\n \nWhen rogues^ whose necks strong halters suited,\nWent in a cart to be executed;\nThrough the streets were mobs collecting\nTo Tyburn \u2014 and oh ! it was quite affecting. \nBut now they hang them all at Newgate, \nAnd the crowd's so great, you can't a view get;\nAnd though the parson prays and preaches. \nThey never make no dying speeches. \n \nWhen all over England's happy island,\nChurches and chapels were built on dry land; \nAnd on Sundays folks so gay there, \nIn their best clothes went to pray there;\nBut now at novelty they grapples, \nThere's swimming churches and floating chapels!\nAnd what does more surprising seem. Sirs, \nThere's prayers and sermons preach'd by steam. Sirs!\n \nWhen round town there was many a score fields. \nAnd when old Bedlam stood in Moorfields,\nFolk might stand by London Wall, Sirs, \nAnd plainly hear mad people bawl. Sirs;\nBut Bedlam was pull'd down, and in a hurry \nAll the mad folks were moved to Surry; \nLondon Wall is down, I vow. Sirs, \nAnd Moorfields is no more fields now. Sirs.\n \nWhen in our farm-yards hens would lay, Sirs, \nProducing eggs in the natural way, Sirs;\nThen fondly sitting on and sticking. \nTill each egg produced a chicken; \nBut now there's a man, who swears and vows and. \nSays his chickens can hatch by the thousand, \nAnd all by steam which so fast produces\nHe'll supply all London with ducks and gooses.\n \nWhen people died, and this world's riot. \nLeft and laid in their, graves so quiet,\nTill the day of resurrection,\nNor dreamed of being dug up for dissection ; \nBut now there are men, whose trade quite odd is. \nThey go out of a night to steal dead bodies : \nTo die in Town, the chance gadzooks is \nTen to one but you go to Brookes's.  <\/pre>\n\n\n\n
A song which has passed into American traditional singing. It’s one of those songs designed for improvisation around a simple chorus, that in some hands can seem to go on forever!  In traditional versions the verses vary considerably, but the chorus stays relatively constant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good old days of Adam and Eve (Parts one and two)  <\/em>was written  by Thomas Hudson (1791- 1844)<\/a> a song-writer and performer active in the singing taverns and supper rooms that influenced the early Music Hall in London. He was in many ways a transitional figure \u2013 his songs reflected both elements of 18th century song and the future style of comic song that dominated the Halls. [There is more on this on the Thomas Hudson <\/a>page]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song featured in the repertoire of another figure important to the development of the early Halls \u2013  the great improviser Charles Sloman<\/a> (1808-1870) and in the earliest printed records I can find the song was being performed by him:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Oct. 7, 1822; The Times <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the 1830s and 40s it was a hugely successful song for the comic actor Sam Vale (?-1848), who was recorded on one occasion at Sadler’s Wells Theatre:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…singing The Good Old Days of Adam and Eve <\/em>with additional verses, for the space of half an hour, to the great gratification of the audience, who gave him a treble encore<\/p>Apr. 26, 1835;  <\/strong>The Sunday Times <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Like many of Hudson\u2019s songs this one survives in multiple 19th century broadsheets and songbooks on both sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Sandy and Caroline Paton sing it:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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