Lily the Pink

"Lily the Pink" lyrics and music traditional

Performed by Brobdingnagian Bards
From: Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales

Here's a story, a little bit gory,
A little bit happy, a little bit sad,
Of Lily the Pink and her medicinal compound,
And how it slowly drove her to the mad.

Meet Ebenezer, thought he was Julius Caesar.
So they put him in a home.
And then they gave him medicinal compound,
And now he's Emporer of Rome.

* We'll drink a drink a drink
To Lily the pink the pink the pink
The savior of [the savior of] the human race.
She invented medicinal compound.
Most efficacious in every case.

Meet Johnny Hammer had a t-t-terrible s-s-stammer.
He could b-barely say a word.
So they gave him medicinal compound,
And now he's seen, but never heard.

And Freddie Clinger, the opera singer,
Who could break glasses with his voice they said.
So on his tonsils he rubbed medicinal compound,
And now they break glasses over his head.

And Mr. Frears, who had sticky out ears.
And it made him awful shy.
So they gave him medicinal compound,
And now he's learning how to fly.

And Uncle Paul, he was very small. He
Was the shortest man in town.
So on his body he rubbed medicinal compound,
And now he's six foot, but it's underground.

Lily died and went up to heaven.
Oh, the church bells they did ring.
She took with her medicinal compound.
Hark the herald angels sing.

Chords: Key C

[C]We'll drink a drink a drink
To Lily the [G]pink the pink the pink
The savior [F]of [the savior of] the human [C]race.
She invented medicinal [G]compound.
Most effi-[F]cacious in [G]every [C]case.

[C]Here's a story, a little bit [G]gory,
A little bit [F]happy, a little bit [C]sad,
Of Lily the Pink and her medicinal [G]compound,
And how it [F]slowly [G]drove her to the [C]mad.

Background

Mrs Lydia Pinkham was a 19th century entrepreneur. She created a liquid herbal, alcoholic "tonic" to help women with menstruation and menopause. Medical experts of the time declared it a quack remedy.

However, it was aggressive marketing that made it a popular remedy. Women were asked to share their testimonies about the tonic by the company. They received regular responses from "Pinkham" that boosted the tonic's popularity. The tonic included alcohol. So it was especially popular during the Prohibition Era.

It was probably the ad copy claims that launched the song. The ads talked about "women's weakness" and "hysteria" associated with menstruation. In the 60s, The Scaffolds popularized a version of the song. That was picked up by The Irish Rovers.

You can find a lot about Mrs. Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound here.

 

Lily the Pink Videos

from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales CD

 

from Sherwood Forest Faire 2016

from I-Con Science Fiction Convention in 2008