My Wife's Up in an Airship

"My Wife's Up in an Airship. Words by Arthur Longbrake. Music by Ed. Edwards. Published by Longbrake & Edwards, 50 N. 8th St., Phila., Pa. Miss Camp."

Handwritten: "Jane H. Banks. J.H.N., 7-22, 1911."

An amusing sheet music cover featuring an early airplane ("airship" referred to any type of flying machine in 1911 when this was published, but today the term is used only for dirigibles). It's disappointing, however, to discover that the lyrics of the song (see below) express the "henpecked" husband's spiteful wish that the airplane will take his wife away permanently because "It's my one chance you see / To live here happily."

For York University's copy of the sheet music, which includes a PDF version of the inside pages, see My Wife's Up in an Airship (the Web address is an alias that takes you to YorkSpace, York University's digital repository).

My Wife's Up in an Airship

Words by Arthur Longbrake. Music by Ed. Edwards.

Jonesy was a henpecked man
For him life was a joke,
His wife made him give up his dough
She always kept him broke;

One day she said I'm going up
In an airship for a ride,
Then Jones pretended to be scared
But he smiled on the side.

And when she sailed away
Some friends heard Jonesy say,

Chorus:
My wife's up in an airship
Hooray! hip, hip, hooray!
I hope she likes the trial trip
So much she'll want to stay;

For should she stay up in the air
Ye ho! my lads, ye ho!
With her up there most anywhere
I'd have some peace below.

Jonesy said I wished her luck
When she left mother earth,
But if that airship would get stuck
I'd give all I am worth;

I hope the lad who drives the ship
Will attempt a spiral glide,
Or land her in the middle of
A river three miles wide.

It's my one chance you see
To live here happily.

Chorus