Digital Tradition Mirror

Tammany

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Tammany
(Gus Edwards & Vincent Bryan)

Hiawatha was an Indian,
     So was Navajo,
Paleface organ-grinders killed them
     Many moons ago;
But there is a band of Indians
     That will never die,
When they're at the Indian Club
     This is their battle cry:

cho: Tammany, Tammany
     Big Chief sits in his tepee
     Cheering braves to victory,
     Tammany, Tammany
     Swamp 'em swamp 'em
     Get me wampum
     Tammany
On the island of Manhattan
     By the bitter sea,
Lived this tribe of noble Red Men,
     Tribe of Tammany,
From the Totem of the Greenlight
    Wampum they would bring,
When their big Chief Man Behind,
    Would pass the pipe and sing:


Paleface preacher, "Red Light Finder,"
     To Manhattan came,
He was very old but he played
     Leap-frog just the same,
He said he would run Manhattan
     Like a Sunday school,
Made the village twice as bad
     As under Tammany rule,

Paleface Band of Pirates called
     "Reformers" made a fight,
Helped old "Red Light Finder" put the
     Tam'my braves to flight;
Tammany came back and put this
     Pirate band to rout,
Found the village treasure gone
     "Reformers" cleaned it out,

Note: Reverend Parkhurst, known as the "Red Light Finder" led the
     political battle to oust Tammany rule of New York politics.
     After some much-publicized discoveries and closings of
     houses of ill-repute in New Yorks "Tenderloin" district,
     Rev. Parkhurst was accused (some say framed) of dipping into
     the fleshpots himself. RG
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!