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Saturday, November 4, 2023

Chronological Documentation Of "Lulu" ("Bang Bang Lulu") Bawdy Songs In Books & Records (1902 to 2002)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents documentation from online sources of  a number of "Lulu" ("Bang Bang Lulu") bawdy (dirty) songs in books and records .

The content of this post is presented for historical and folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are listed in this documentation of "Lulu" songs.

Additions and corrections are welcome.

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DOCUMENTATION FROM WIKIPEDIA

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Bang_Lulu

1902 - Owen Wister's 1902 novel on p. 96 The Virginian [one verse]

1927-  Carl Sandburg = American Songbag among its "Railroad and Work Gangs" songs, [nine verses including Owen Wister’s verse]

1936- Roy Acuff and his Crazy Tennesseans recorded "When Lulu's Gone" under the pseudonym of the Bang Boys

1958- . Oscar Brand –“Lulu” in Old Time Bawdy Sea Shanties.

[online comments about United States military cadences in the 1960s]

1967 - The Merrymen on their 1967 album Sing And Swing With The Merrymen (described as a Calypso version of military cadences)

1970s – Ska performer Goombay Dance Band, recorded a Lulu song

1982- The Skadows from England recorded a Lulu song

1985/1986- Boney M (German group) recorded Bang Bang Lulu on their final album Eye Dance and as a single

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 LIST OF "LULU" RECORDS FROM
https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/373694/all

When Lulu's Gone  - Bang Boys (Roy Acuff), January 1937    

Lulu - Oscar Brand, 1958    

Bang Bang Lulu - The New Lost City Bang Boys, 1963    

Lulu - Little Sparrow,  1965    

Bang Bang Lulu - The Merrymen featuring Emile Straker, 1967    

Bang Bang Lulu -  Lloyd Terrel, 1968    

Lulu Returns - Lloyd Terrel, 1968    

Bang Bang Lulu - Lord Creator, 1970    

Bang Bang Lulu - Lloydie and The Lowbites, 1970     Editor's cover song pick

Bang Bang Lulu - Mighty Sparrow, 1970    

Bang Bang Lulu - Ronnie and The Ramblers -1972    

Bang Bang Lulu - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, 1973    

Bang Bang Lulu - Jackie Brown [JA] , 1975    

Bang Bang Lulu -Roy Fuller, 1975     Unverified

Bang Bang Lulu - Goombay Dance Band,  May 1980           

Bang Bang Lulu - Boney M., 1985    

Bang Bang Lulu - Jambo Africa,  2002

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OTHER "LULU" RECORDS OR BOOKS THAT ARE MENTIONED ONLINE   

These additional records or books are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only. 

1.
Here's some information that I posted to the comment section of  https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/04/my-lula-gal-and-bang-bang-lulu.html " "My Lula Gal" And "Bang Bang Lulu" - Information With A Few Relatively Dirty Verses Of These Songs",April 26, 2021
"
Here's a verse from https://www.horntip.com/html/books_&_MSS/1910s/1917-1933_gordon_inferno_collection_(MSS)/index.htm#3144-lulu that clearly shows the playground rhym "Miss Lucy Had Baby"'s connection to "Bang Bang Lulu"

"My Lulu had a baby
She called him Sunny Jim
She put him in the sh&t*-pot
To see if he could swim."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this rhyme.

Additional verses are found on that page.

Here's information from that page about this collection:

"Gordon 'Inferno' (1917-33)

The Robert W. Gordon "Inferno" Collection

in the Archive of Folk Song, Library of Congress

The 'Inferno' collection consists of original correspondence and typescript copies of letters (~200 pages) that either Gordon or someone else separated out -- because of their bawdy and scatological subject matter -- from the materials he received and compiled as first head of the folklife department at the Library of Congress. Prefaced to the 'Inferno' collection is a 14 page index which lists informant, date, location and title of the texts."

**
2. 

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84511
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bang Bang Rosie
From: kendall
Date: 21 Feb 07 - 04:25 PM

Would you believe that I heard Lulu by Wilf Carter back in the 40's?

He kinda muffed one of the words but it was plain what it was. (I can't believe I said that)

My Lulu gal she's a daisy she wears a big white hat,

Bet your life when they go to town the dudes all gat the clap."

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3. https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=84511

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bang Bang Rosie

From: JohnInKansas

Date: 01 Mar 07 - 05:07 PM

Guy Logsden records about a dozen verses, in The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing: and other songs cowboys sing, for "My Lulu Gal." Alternate titles noted include "Lula," "My Lulu," "Bang Away, My Lulu," Bang, Bang Lulu," "She Is a Lulu," "and many more."

Collection notes indicate the first printed reference to "Lulu" in cowboy song is from 1902, when Owen Wister has the hero in The Virginian sing one verse. The verse used is commonly known, but Wister stated "that the other 78 verses were unprintable."

Logsdon also relates that "Lulu/Lula" was immensely popular with the military personnel of many nations during the WWI era, and that Anthony Hopkins in Songs From the Front and Rear (1979) and C.W. "Bill" Getz in The Wild Blue Yonder (1986) include "the uncensored Lula known and loved by servicemen."

Logsden relates several verses to "The Darby Ram," and sees a relationship to "Ten Broeck and Mollie" (1878?) He sees at least one verse as derivative from "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms."

He also comments that the "Lula or Lulu" that appeared in John Lomax's 1935 edition Cowboy Songs and Other Country Ballads turned Lula into something entirely foreign to the character known to decades of military men (An accusation not otherwise foreign to Lomax's collections.)

Logsdon suggests that "Gershon Legman probably found more versions than anyone else," but as Legman is now deceased with publishers still refusing his works it's unlikely that his collection will appear.

Logsden reports that Cray also included "a greater diversity of travel and song lineages than I have shown" in The Erotic Muse, but they may have been omitted from the second edition that I have, as they're not in my "index of holdings."

The older versions apparently appeared as "straight songs," and the popular "jump to chorus" in place of the implied "bad word" is a more recent folk (children's) variation(?). Verses given by Logsdon are "rather plain vanilla" and probably are not quite what's wanted here."
-snip-
Here's information about "The Whorehouse etc." book from 
https://www.amazon.com/Whorehouse-Bells-Ringing-Cowboys-American/dp/0252064887  "The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing" and Other Songs Cowboys Sing (Music in American Life) Paperback – April 1, 1995 by Guy Logsdon (Compiler, Editor)

**
4.

https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/l/luluhadababy.html
"as rec by Spike Jones & his City Slickers  1953

Lulu had a baby,
She called him Sonny Jim,
She put him in a bath tub
To teach him how to swim...

(Transcribed by Peter Akers - July 2011)"

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SONGS THAT DEVELOPED FROM "BANG BANG LULU" 
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll_in_My_Sweet_Baby%27s_Arms
" "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" is an American traditional song. It seems to have developed from lyrics in the cowboy song "My Lula Gal",[1] itself a development of bawdy British and Appalachian songs generally known as "Bang Bang Rosie" or "Bang Away Lulu."[2][3]

The Flatt & Scruggs version was first released as a single by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, on December 14, 1951. Buck Owens released his cover version "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms" in August 1971 as the second single from his album Ruby. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[4] It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[5]

Versions

The earliest recorded version is that of Buster Carter and Preston Young, 1931, with Posey Rorer on fiddle.[citation needed]

Maury Finney's 1976 version peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

1971 -Buck Owens “Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms” (Genre: Country, bluegrass, country rock"...

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CHILDREN'S RECREATIONAL RHYMES THAT DEVELOPED FROM "BANG BANG LULU"
1. "Miss Lucy Had A Baby"

**
2. "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat"

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