# What is this old (folk?) song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 21, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340 "2021-03-21T03:27:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340/1 "2021-03-21T03:27:55Z")
Okay, a few months ago, I woke up with a scrap of a melody in my head—without any lyrics that I could remember, or even knowing for sure if I’d actually heard it before, or if I made it up in my sleep. Luckily, though, I was rewatching Ric Burn’s lovely and terrifying 1992 documentary “The Donner Party,” and what do you know, they used the same melody! The problem being, however, it’s not listed in the credits. I do have a snippet of the music [here](https://soundcloud.com/nick-gaston-251933026/donnersong), albeit with a voiceover. Can anyone ID this one? ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340/2 "2021-03-21T03:52:25Z")
_Sweet Betsy From Pike_ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340/3 "2021-03-21T03:53:18Z")
> [@saucywench](#): > > _Sweet Betsey From Pike_ Beaten by a minute. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PEZPAfB04qE/maxresdefault.jpg "Harry McClintock - Sweet Betsy From Pike (ORIGINAL) - (1928).") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEZPAfB04qE) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340/4 "2021-03-21T04:03:40Z")
You guys rock, as always. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340/5 "2021-03-21T04:10:06Z")
Thanks! Here is some more info on that song. Harry’s “original” is not so original. > **[Villikins and his Dinah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villikins_and_his_Dinah)** > > "Villikins and his Dinah" (Laws M31A/B, Roud 271) is a stage song which emerged in England in 1853 as a burlesque version of a traditional ballad called "William and Dinah". Its great popularity led to the tune being later adopted for many other songs, of which the best known today is "Sweet Betsy from Pike". > "Villikins and his Dinah" is based on "William and Dinah", a folk ballad extant from at least the early 19th century which was still being sung and collected in the early 20th. The theme... [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPaYEimF-UM) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-old-folk-song/938340/6 "2021-03-21T04:57:24Z")
It’s possible you heard it with the alternative lyrics: An accident happened to my brother Jim When somebody threw a tomato at him Tomatoes are soft and they don’t bruise your skin But this one hurt 'cause it came in a tin.