WOMEN & THE VOTE:
Music
Songs were used to unite, to protest, and to celebrate the suffrage movement. A number of these songs were set to familiar tunes, like this one set to “Auld Lang Syne.”
Our original intention was to include music in our live performance. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we looked for creative ways to incorporate song into our digital performance. Students were e-mailed a recording of the ukulele accompaniment and recorded their own tracks. These were then edited together to create the chorus of voices you can listen to here.
We invite you to sing along with us.
“Keep Woman in Her Sphere” Singalong!
Words by D. Estabrook Sung to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne”
Give the Ballot to the Mothers: Songs of the Suffragists by Francie Wolff
Recording Features the Women and the Vote Ensemble, with Rachel Groover on ukulele
Sound Editing: Rachel Groover
Verse 1:
I have a neighbor one of those
Not very hard to find,
Who knows it all without debate
And never change his mind.
I asked him ‘What of women’s rights?’
He said in tones severe:
‘My mind on that is all made up,
Keep woman in her sphere.’
Verse 2:
I saw a man in tattered garb
Forth from the grog-shop come;
He squandered all his cash for drink,
And starved his wife at home;
I asked him ‘Should not woman vote?’
He answered with a sneer-
‘I’ve taught my wife to know her place,
Keep woman in her sphere.’
Verse 3:
I met an earnest, thoughtful man,
Not many days ago,
Who pondered deep all human law
The honest truth to know;
I asked him ‘What of woman’s cause?’
The answer came sincere-
‘Her rights are just the same as mine,
Let woman choose her sphere.’