Grandma’s Lye Soap

written by Johnny Standley and Art Thorsen – maybe early 50s

Do you remember Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Good for everything in the home,
And the secret was in the scrubbing,
It wouldn’t suds, and wouldn’t foam,

Oh, let us sing right out (sing out!)
For Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Sing it out, all over the place!
For pots and pans, and dirty dishes,
And for your hands,
And for your face!

Little Therman, and Brother Herman,
Had an aversion to washing their ears…
Grandma scrubbed them with her lye soap,
And they haven’t heard a word in years!

Oh, let us sing right out (sing out!)
For Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Sing it out, all over the place!
For pots and pans, and dirty dishes,
And for your hands,
And for your face!

Mrs. O’Malley, out in the valley,
Suffered from ulcers, I understand,
She swallowed a cake of Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Has the cleanest ulcers in the land!

Oh, let us sing right out (sing out!)
For Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Sing it out, all over the place!
For pots and pans, and dirty dishes,
And for your hands,
And for your face!

Alternate Verse:

Mrs. O’Malley
Down in the valley
had a hound, I understand.
It swallowed a cake
Of Grandma’s lye soap.
Now it’s the cleanest hound in all the land

Oh, let us sing right out (sing out!)
For Grandma’s Lye Soap,
Sing it out, all over the place!
For pots and pans, and dirty dishes,
And for your hands,
And for your face!

Taken from:

Lone Star College – Kingwood

AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC

1900 to 1950

This American Popular Music from 1900 to 1950 Subject Guide , arranged chronologically, is intended as an overview of American history through its music. Music reflects the times, describing events and emotions.Music can portray a more accurate picture of people and events than many other mediums available to us today.

American Pop Music from 1900-1949 

The turn of the century arrived and there were only 45 states. Popular songs include When the Red, Red, Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along,   I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now ,and In the Good Old Summertime. Vaudeville was swinging.  Engineer John Luther Casey Jones was killed when his Cannonball Express collided with the rear of a freight train. The term “Tin Pan Alley” was coined to represent the cluster of song publishers located on 28th Street between Sixth Ave and Broadway in NYC. This was a period of excitement for the American music scene: plays on Broadway, motion pictures, gramophones, animated cartoons were developed in the early century. George M. Cohan, Florenz Ziegfeld, and Irving Berlin were on the scene. In St. Louis, in 1904, the country celebrated the World’s Fair. People came from far and near to enjoy the spectacle and music. 1910 marked the beginning the popularity of ballroom dancing.

As the twentieth century approached music was lively. Enrico Caruso made records (not cylinders), Broadway was in full swing with musicals like Peter Pan (enjoy the British site) and The Wizard of Oz. Popular songs included Give My Regards to Broadway and Meet me in St. Louis (written for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.) The Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls were founded in 1910. Prohibition [Volstead Act, 1919] made speakeasies the place to be.

Public Domain Music - Songs of the early 20th century. Take your time! A collection of music, by genre and time. Music from 1900-1924 contains an excellent collection with lyrics.

Song Lyrics of the early 20th Century   Links to midi files online.

Tenorland – Enrico Caruso and other tenors Biographical essay and links to sound clips, art, and other information about this famous tenor.

Boy Scout Songs The lyrics of boy scout songs

Camp Fire Songs Traditional camp fire songs.

American Folk Music from NPR Use the search line here for more essays and music of the period. Modern jazz, blues, etc.

Page by peggy.whitley@lonestar.edu | Links checked 5/2008/pw

American Music to 1900
American Music from 1950 – Present
American Cultural History by Decades

Kingwood College Library | Assignment Guides