The Momma 'n' Daddy Collection 83

Here's a Momma 'n' Daddy song which starts from a situation Jane Austen would have understood. It's Jimmie Gilmore singing 'Saginaw Michigan'. He's singing as the son of his daddy, naturally, 'a poor, hard-working Saginaw fisherman'. But the thing is, the structure of the situation is given not only by his daddy, but also by hers - the daddy, that is, of the girl our singer-protagonist loves, 'a wealthy, wealthy man'. You can see how much wealth he must have from that repetition. And for him the said singer-protagonist is 'not good enough to claim his daughter's hand'. See what I mean about Jane Austen? Anyway, the story that unfolds is as follows, and delivers a nice surprise:

I was born in Saginaw, Michigan
I grew up in a house on Saginaw Bay
My daddy was a poor, hard-working Saginaw fisherman
Too many times he came home with too little pay

I loved a girl in Saginaw, Michigan
The daughter of a wealthy, wealthy man
But he called me that son of a Saginaw fisherman
Not good enough to claim his daughter's hand

Now I'm up here in Alaska, looking around for gold
Like a crazy fool I'm digging in the frozen ground so cold
But with each new day I pray I'll strike it rich and then
I'll go back home and claim my love in Saginaw, Michigan

I wrote my love in Saginaw, Michigan
I said, 'Honey I'm coming home, please wait for me
And you can tell your dad I'm coming home a richer man
I made the biggest strike in Klondike history.'

Her dad met me in Saginaw, Michigan
He gave me a great big party with champagne
Then he said, 'Son, you're a wise young ambitious man
Will you sell your father-in-law your Klondike claim?'

Now he's up there in Alaska diggin' in the cold, cold ground
The greedy fool is looking for the gold I never found
It serves him right and no one here is missin' him
Least of all the newlyweds of Saginaw, Michigan

We're the happiest man and wife in Saginaw, Michigan

He's ashamed to show his face in Saginaw, Michigan

Listen to part of the song, as sung by Lefty Frizell.

[The Momma 'n' Daddy Archive, containing all the details of the series, is here.]