Reuben and Rachel

Reuben and Rachel is a popular song with words written by Harry Birch and music by William Gooch, originally published in Boston in 1871 by White, Smith, & Perry.[1] The song regained popularity in the 20th century as a children's song.[2]

"Reuben and Rachel"
Song
LanguageEnglish
Published1871
Composer(s)William Gooch
Lyricist(s)Harry Birch

The first line of the song, "Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking," was reused in a popular song at the close of World War I (1919), "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?."[3]

It was often sung on the playgrounds as: "Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking what in the world have you been drinking? Smells like whiskey, tastes like wine. Oh my gosh! It's turpentine!" The melody has often been used for parodies, such as Bowser and Blue's "Where The Sun Don't Shine! (The Colorectal Surgeon's Song)".

The song is not related to the 1799 novel of the same name by Susanna Rowson.

References
  1. The Americana song reader By William Emmett Studwell (Psychology Press, 1997)
  2. Folk Songs for Schools and Camps By Jerry Silverman (Mel Bay Publications, 1991)
  3. The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music
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