xiphophilos 11th Dec 2016
| | There's been a discussion whether George Olsen's December 1928 recording of "I Faw Down An' Go Boom" predicted the stock market crash of October 1929 because there is a version that contains the stanza:
"Down on Wall Street I bought stocks
Lost my shirt, lost my socks.
'Cause as soon as I buy stocks,
They fall down, go boom."
The version on Victor 21832, however, contains nothing of the sort. It's just a conventional novelty song that finds (feeble) fun in alcoholism and domestic violence.
Here are the lyrics as transcribed by me:
I FAW DOWN AN' GO BOOM
by James Brockman, Leonard Stevens, and B.B.B. (= B. B. Berman)
Sung by Irving Kaufman and vocal trio.
Recorded December 27, 1928, matrix # BVE-49022 (released on Victor 21832-A).
CHORUS
"Some kids say that the world today is all upside-down.
Sometimes they're smiling; sometimes they frown.
My heart felt sore for the kid next-door when I heard him cry.
Here's what he told me when I asked him why:"
KID:
"I played horsy down the street
With my broom, down the street."
CHORUS:
"Then what happened down the street?"
KID:
"I faw down an' go boom!"
CHORUS:
"Ooooh!"
KID:
"I got right upon my horse
And my broom was my horse."
CHORUS:
"Did you ride your little horse?"
KID:
"No, I faw down, go boom!"
CHORUS:
"Ooooh!"
KID:
"I cried, and I cried, and I ran home to ma.
It's all right now,
But how that certain place was hurtin'!
Mother put me straight to bed,
Great big bump on my head.
CHORUS:
"Then you fell right out of bed."
KID:
"Yea, I faw down, go boom!"
CHORUS:
"This same boy was full of joy the very next day.
We saw him laughing. Gee, he was gay!
We said, "Sonny, what's so funny?
Please tell us why
You are so happy."
And here's his reply:
KID:
"Papa come home late last night.
Mama said, 'Pop, you're tight!'
When he tried to find the light,
He fall down, go boom!
Papa, he begin to sing,
Mama said, 'Bad old thing!'
Then she took a great big swing
He fall down, go boom!"
SOLO:
"The noise they made woke everyone up.
And though the doorbell kept on ringing
Pop kept singing,
'Sweet Adeline...'
CHORUS:
"'My Ade...'
"Mama chased him up the stairs
with a lot of kitchen wares.
At the top he said, 'Who cares!'
He fall down, go
SOLO:
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
CHORUS:
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom, Boom, Boom, Booooom!"
In contrast, the Eddie Cantor version on Victor 21862, recorded Jan. 28, 1929 and released in April 1929, contains the lines (at 1:50-2:00):
"I got a tip to buy some stocks,
Lost my shirt, lost my socks.
The minute that I buy some stocks,
They fall down an' go boom!"
Wallstreet is not mentioned, but at least the wording is close.
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