Lizzie Borden took an ax and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. (sung to the tune of the nineteenth century song Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay.)
Folklore suggests that this jump rope rhyme that assumes Lizzie’s guilt was written anonymously by a reporter and used to sell newspapers during Lizzie’s trial. Whatever the true origin of the rhyme, it has remained part of our pop culture for more than a century despite its myriad of inaccuracies.
Hear more about this rhyme, or doggerel, on the premier episode of The Lizzie Borden Podcast produced by Nine Muses Books, now available on Youtube at https://youtu.be/15lU5bKeVKc
The Lizzie Borden Podcast is written and produced by Richard Behrens and Nine Muses Books, Episode One: The Doggerel (recorded in 2011) provides an insight into the famous “jump rope” song about Lizzie Borden (“Lizzie Borden took an ax, etc.”), its history, its mystery and its legacy in our cultural imagination. Fall River historian and Lizzie Borden scholar Dr. Stefani Koorey and actress/playwright Jill Dalton join us to discuss this naughtily inaccurate ditty. More information on The Lizzie Borden Podcast can be found at https://lizziebordengirldetective.com and http://www.lizziebordengirldetective.com.
Guests:
Dr. Stefani Koorey
http://www.lizzieandrewborden.com
Jill Dalton
https://www.facebook.com/Jill-Dalton-…
Credits:
Richard Behrens: Writer, Producer, Host
http://www.lizziebordengirldetective.com
Mason Amadeus: Audio Engineer
http://MasonAndTucker.Bandcamp.com
http://Facebook.com/MasonAndTucker
Melora Creager: Music
http://meloracreager.space
Additional Music from Lizzie Borden Live by Larry Hockman