St. James Infirmary
Composer:
Anon
Genre: World / Folk
Decade: before 1923
Submitted by: Russell Ambrose
Description:
From Wikipedia:"St. James Infirmary Blues" is based on an 18th century traditional English folk song called "The Unfortunate Rake" (also known as "The Unfortunate Lad" or "The Young Man Cut Down in His Prime"). There are numerous versions of the song throughout the English-speaking world. It also evolved into other American standards such as "The Streets of Laredo"[1]. "The Unfortunate Rake" is about a sailor who uses his money on prostitutes, and then dies of a venereal disease. Different versions of the song expand on this theme: variations typically feature a narrator telling the story of a youth "cut down in his prime" (occasionally "her prime") as a result of some morally questionable actions. For example, when the song moved to America, gambling and alcohol became common causes of the youth’s death.The title is derived from St. James Hospital in London, a religious foundation for the treatment of leprosy. It was closed in 1532 when Henry VIII acquired the land to build St. James Palace.[2]The song was first collected in England in its version as "The Unfortunate Rake" by Henry Hammond by a Mr. William Cutis at Lyme Regis, Dorset in March 1906.[edit]The songThe song involves a man telling the singer/narrator, at a bar, how he went down to St. James Infirmary (hospital) and tragically found his girl (the so-called "baby") dead.Like most such folksongs, there is much variation in the lyrics from one version to another. As a representative version, here is the first stanza as sung by Louis Armstrong:I went down to St. James Infirmary,Saw my baby there,Stretched out on a long white table,So cold, so sweet, so fair.Let her go, let her go, God bless her,Wherever she may be,She can look this wide world over,But she`ll never find a sweet man like me.
by: Russell Ambrose