Charles Guiteau (song)

"Charles Guiteau" (LAWS E11) Roud 444 is a traditional song about the assassination of US President James A. Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau. It is based on another old ballad, "James A. Rogers".[1][2] The song is told from the point of view of the assassin himself.[3]

"Charles Guiteau"
Song
WrittenUnknown
Songwriter(s)Inez Ella Conner

For a while, it was believed that Guiteau wrote the song himself, possibly because of the poem "I am Going to the Lordy", which Guiteau actually did write on the day of his execution.[4]

It is not to be confused with another ballad about the assassination, "Mr. Garfield," which was popularized by Johnny Cash.[3] Bascom Lamar Lunsford recorded both songs in 1949 for the Library of Congress.[3] There exists a handwritten document of a folk song "Charles Guiteau's Life" with Inez Conner listed as the author. The page has four stanzas, it is noted on the paper as a gift to "Mr. Charley Grant, Mt. Claire, Nuckolls county, Nebraska. August 2, 1890."

Recordings

See also

References
  1. Waltz, Bob. "Remembering Old Songs: Charles Guiteau" (web reprint of Inside Bluegrass July 1997). Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  2. "Charles Guiteau". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  3. "Mr. Garfield and Charles Guiteau". Field Trip South. UNC Blogs. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  4. Vowell, Sarah (2006). Assassination Vacation. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-7432-6004-6. Retrieved 28 June 2013.


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