Re: Life gets teejus don' it?

Posted by Old Shep on April 24, 2004

In Reply to: Re: Life gets teejus don' it? posted by ESC on April 24, 2004

: : : My father used to use this quite often and I always assumed it was a quote from an old Dad and Dave movie. Now for you non-Aussies, or for anyone half my age, you've probably never heard of Dad and Dave movies. But they were old pre-talkie movies, that made the transition into talkies. And remember, it was only an assumption on my part that, that's where he got it from.

: : : I think it's actually a quote from a poem that probably wasn't Australian in origin. In fact, the reference to 'mule', 'hound dog' and 'pork and beans' and much of the terminology, makes me suspect an American origin. It doesn't really sound Australian, but it does sound American to me. I found this poem on a website, but it didn't supply the origin:

: : : Life Gets Tedious , Don't It?
: : : The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
: : : The hands on the clock keep going round,
: : : I just get up and it's time to lay down,
: : : Life gets tedious, don't it?
: : :
: : : My shoes untied but I don't care,
: : : I was'nt figuring on going nowhere,
: : : I'd have to wash and comb my hair,
: : : And that's just wasted effort.

: : : Water in the well gettin' lower end lower,
: : : Can't take a bath for a month or more,
: : : But I've heard it told and it's true I'm sure,
: : : That too much bathing weakens yer.

: : : Open the door and the flies come in,
: : : Shut the door and yer sweating again,
: : : And in the process, I cracked my shin,
: : : Just one darn thing after another.

: : : Ole brown mule, he must be sick,
: : : I jabbed him in the rump with a pin on a stick,
: : : He humped his back but he did'nt kick,
: : : There's something cockeyed somewhere.
: : :
: : : Ole mouse chawing on the pantry door,
: : : Been chawing there for a month or more,
: : : When he gets through he's gonna be sore,
: : : There aint a darn thing in there.

: : : Hound dog howling so forlorn,
: : : Laziest dog that ever was born,
: : : He's howling cause he's sittin' on a thorn,
: : : And he's just too tired to move over.
: : :
: : : Tin roof leaks and the chimney leans,
: : : There's a hole in the seat of my old blue jeans,
: : : I 'ate the last of my pork and beans,
: : : Just can't depend on nothin'.

: : : Cows gone dry and the hens won't iay,
: : : Fish stopped biting last Saturday,
: : : Troubles piling up day by day,
: : : And now I'm gettin' dandruff.

: : : Grief and misery pain and woes,
: : : Bills and taxes and so it goes,
: : : And now I'm gettin' a cold in the nose,
: : : Life gets tasteless - Don't it?!

: : : ...This poem actually spells the word 'tedious' properly, but I always remember my dad making a point of pronouncing it 'teejus'.

: : : Can anyone shed any light on this for me please?

: : This was no poem, this was a song: the original hit version was by a country singer called Carson Robison. It reached # 14 on the US national charts in 1948. Tex Williams also recorded a version at, or around, the same time.

: It's an Appalachian thing.

I'm sure it is.