The Old Gray Mare

The Old Gray Mare is an old folk song, more recently regarded as a children's song.[1] Although nominally about horses, it can also be interpreted as referring to women who are well past their prime.

Some authors[2][3][4] have said that the song originated based upon the extraordinary performance of the horse Lady Suffolk, the first horse recording as trotting a mile in less than two and a half minutes. It occurred on 4 July 1843 at the Beacon Course racetrack in Hoboken, New Jersey,[2] when she was more than ten years old.[2][3] One author[2] attributed the song to Stephen Foster, although the composer is listed usually as unknown. The book, The Gallant Gray Trotter,[5] featured Lady Suffolk.[6]

Contents

Lyrics

Oh, the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be.
The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago.
Many long years ago, many long years ago.
The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago.
The old gray mare, she kicked on the whiffletree,
Kicked on the whiffletree, kicked on the whiffletree
The old gray mare, she kicked on the whiffletree
Many long years ago.
Many long years ago, many long years ago,
The old gray mare, she kicked on the whiffletree
Many long years ago.

Pattern

The repetitive pattern of the song is common to many traditional folk songs, including London Bridge is Falling Down. The melodic system of the two songs is also similar, with the middle of the three repetitions of the phrase being sung to a similar melody, but down a scale degree.[7]

References in popular culture

Notes

  1. ^ Opie, Iona Archibald and Opie, Peter (1997) Children's Games with Things: marbles, fivestones, throwing and catching, gambling, hopscotch, chucking and pitching, ball-bouncing, skipping, tops and tipcat Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, page 147, ISBN 0-19-215963-1
  2. ^ a b c d Hotaling, Edward (1995) They're off!: horse racing at Saratoga Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York, page 25, ISBN 0-8156-0350-9
  3. ^ a b "The Horse in 19th Century American Sport: The Golden Age of the Trotting Horse" International Museum of the Horse
  4. ^ Reed, Jerry (22 July 1967) "A look At My Mail" The Progress-Index (Petersberg, Virginia, newspaper) page 8, upon Lady Suffolk being inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Trotter in Goshen, New York
  5. ^ Foster, John T. (1974) The Gallant Gray Trotter Dodd-Mead Publishing Company, New York, ISBN 0-396-06869-3
  6. ^ Staff (20 April 1974) "'Lady Suffolk' Fictionalized" Steubenville Herald Star p. 14, col. 5
  7. ^ Jay Rahn, "Stereotype Forms in English-Canadian Children's Songs: Historical and Pedagogical Aspects", Canadian Journal for Traditional Music (1981)
  8. ^ http://www.familyguyscripts.com/S03E18_From-Method-to-Madness.php
  9. ^ http://www.quahog5news.com/index.php?p=content/lyrics/miracles

References