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Charles Guiteau (song)

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"Charles Guiteau"
Song
WrittenUnknown
Songwriter(s)unknown

"Charles Guiteau" (Roud 444, Laws E11) is a traditional folk 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]

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]

Recordings

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See also

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References

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  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. ^ a b c "Mr. Garfield and Charles Guiteau". Field Trip South. UNC Blogs. 30 June 2010. 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.