One Meatball

[lopresti robert]

Great song. Its on several of Josh White's greatest hits albums (and
if you have never discovered JW, treat yourself). Josh White Jr also
sings it on one of his albums.

However, it is based on a much older song. Some Harvard professor in
the nineteenth century wrote up a pseudo-operatic song about his
salad days called "One Fishball" (or he wrote a poem and someone
else set it to music, I forget).

In Chapter 59 of Roughing It (1872) Mark Twain quotes the line
"no bread with one fish-ball," and obviously expects his readers to
recognize it, so the song has been around in one form or another
for over a hundred and twenty years.

And the little man is still going hungry...

lopr...@henson.cc.wwu.edu

[Charles H. Baum]

>However, it is based on a much older song. Some Harvard professor in
>the nineteenth century wrote up a pseudo-operatic song about his
>salad days called "One Fishball" (or he wrote a poem and someone
>else set it to music, I forget).
>

That Harvard professor was Francis Child, back at the time of the American
Civil War, who wrote or used it in a benefit concert for the Sanitary
Commission. Prof. Child later went on to gain fame as the classifier of
English ballads, giving his name to "Child ballads." In a way, "One Fish
Ball" is the first Child ballad of all.

--
Charles Baum au...@freenet.carleton.ca
also cb...@cap.gwu.edu

[lopresti robert]

Over the weekend I checked Josh White's album JOSH AT MIDNIGHT. Unfortunately
I didn't write down the cover notes but they said approx. this:

A Harvard Latin professor wrote a song called "One Fishball" around 1850.
It was based on a true experience from his younger days. (the profs
name is not given on the album).

Around 1860, a different Harvard professor, namely Francis Child (later of
Child ballad fame) turned the original song into a mock-Italian opera
called Il Pesciballo.

Then, still in the 1860s, James Lowell (the poet) translated Il Pesciballo
into English. It was popular among Civil War soldiers.

Now we jump to the 1940s when two men translate One Fishball into a
new song on the same subject: One Meatball. I don't have the name
of these two guys but it should be in the credits if you have a record.

But ya gets no bread with one meatball...