Topic: Mail it in the air

[Richard]

I was listening to a song the other day (Viola Lee think) and the lyric

"The doctor wrote me a prescription and told me to mail it in the air "

appeared, now I have heard in a few songs with that in but wonder what the original meaning was..... any ideas and I suppose while we are at it, name the tunes that it occurs in.

[bighollowtwang]

I always thought it meant sent via air mail.

[Richard]

Air mail circa 1930, somehow I wouldn't have thought so.... 

[banjochris]

According to Wikipedia, the first regular air mail service in the U.S. started in 1918. I'm sure it was a big deal in the '20s and '30s to send something that way, which is why it pops up in song lyrics.
Chris

[Rivers]

I can think of two, Cottonfield Blues (Akers/Callicott), and... another one. Dang, weeniepedia search button here I come.

[edit: no joy, must have been something I was listening to]

[Richard]

But why would you want to send your prescription by air mail in the first place and who toooo? It almost seems more like a euphanisem for "go and get lost" or was it just a phrase that sounded good?

I think Casey Bill used it in something as well, I'll try to listen to both tunes later and see if the rest of the verse has any bearing on it.

[JugStruggler]

But why would you want to send your prescription by air mail in the first place and who toooo?

My guess would be you would have to mail an order for the drugs, and have the drugs mailed back.  I don't think they always had well stocked pharmacies back in the day.  Doctor usually carried all his meds with him, no?

[Richard]

Could be I suppose, I have no idea I what we need is an weenie authority on prescriptions for the period! The other problem is that I can only speak for the English system and don't knowwhat went on in the US, which could account for my sceptisssisssssm (how you spell that?) of the air mail thing!

[waxwing]

I think you're looking at this a little too literally, Richard, especially for a jug band tune. I mean, you don't really think somebody piled their money up and it touched the sky, do you? Nor do I think airmail was a real option for many of these singers and I doubt whether they had any real experience of it. I think it was just a way of saying that the letter or prescription or whatever was important.

All for now.
John C.

[Richard]

Quite. That was the point I made earlier, it was in fact just turn of phrase and not based on anything factual per se.

[dingwall]

Here's some examples of 'mail it in the air'.

BO WEAVIL JACKSON     POOR BOY BLUES
Gonna write a letter, mail it in the air.
Gonna write a letter, gonna mail it in the air.
Maybe my blues'll blow news everywhere.

BO WEAVIL JACKSON     YOU CAN'T KEEP NO BROWN
Now I'm gonna write a letter, mail it in the air.
I'm gonna write a letter, gonna mail it in the air.
So if the March wind blow, it blows news everywhere.

GARFIELD AKERS        COTTONFIELD BLUES - PART 2
I'm gonna write me a letter, I'm gonna mail it in the air.
I'm gonna write me a letter, I'm gonna mail it in the air.

Said I know you gonna catch it, babe, in this world somewhere.
Says I know you'll catch it, mama, in the world somewhere.

And I'm gonna write me a letter, I'm gonna mail it in the sky.
Mama, I know you gonna catch it, when the wind go blowin' it by.

BLIND BOY FULLER      TOO MANY WOMEN BLUES
Then, I'm goin' to write me one letter, I'm goin' to mail it in the air.
Yeah, god knows, I'm gonna mail it in the air.

Said, there's people in the world know I've got me a woman somewhere.
Lord knows, I got me a gal somewhere.

WEBSTER TAYLOR        SUNNY SOUTHERN BLUES
I'm gonna write her a letter.
I'm gonna write her a letter.

I'm gonna mail it in the air.
I'm gonna mail it in the air.

When this north wind blows,
When, when this north wind blows,

Swear it's gonna blow this news everywhere.
Lord, it's gonna blow this news everywhere.

OLLIE RUPERT          AIN'T GOIN' TO BE YOUR LOW DOWN DOG
Gonna write a letter, gonna mail it in the air.
I'm gonna write a letter, mail it in the air.
When the north wind blow, blow news everywhere.

LEWIS BLACK           ROCK ISLAND BLUES
I'm gonna write a letter, mail it in the air.
I'm gonna write a letter, mail it in the air.
I'm gonna find that gal, she's in the world somewhere.

CASEY BILL WELDON     DOCTOR'S BLUES                       
And he wrote me a prescription, told me to mail it in the air.
And he writ me a prescription, told me to mail it in the air.
And I asked Uncle Sam to find my good gal somewhere.

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW     C AND A BLUES                         
Hoo, gonna write me a letter, mama, gonna mail it in the air, lord, I'm cryin', knows I mailed it.
I'm gonna write me a letter, hoo-hoo, gonna mail it in the air.
Well, well, well, gonna send it up the country, mama, now, to see is my little girl there.

JOE WILLIAMS          MR. DEVIL BLUES                           
I'm gonna write a letter, now, gonna mail it in the air.
I'm gonna write a letter, gonna mail it in the air.
I'm gonna ask Doctor Jesus if the devil ever been there.

[Rivers]

Good work Dingwall. There is another one I'm pretty sure though, since I heard it recently when the ipod was in shuffle mode and it's not one of the ones on your list.

[Richard]

Dingwall, please award yourself a gold star... that is really good! 

And, there is Viola Lee by Gus Caannon, I can't lay my hands on it right now but I am positive that has a reference as well.

[Parlor Picker]

I say Dingwall gets TWO gold stars.  How do they do that?

Another candidate (not checked, so dependent on my failing memory) is one by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers featuring Noah Lewis.  I seem to remember Noah (one of my favourite harp players and singers) using those lines.

[waxwing]

Actually Noah sings it not in Viola Lee but in Pretty Mama Blues:

I wrote a letter I mailed it in the air
I mailed it in the air
You may know by that I got a friend somewhere

But it is often sung, as, I believe, by the Kweskin Band, as part of Viola Lee.

All for now.
John C.