The Old Philosopher

Encouraging Words For The Discouraged

  We live in troubled times and even those who have been only marginally inconvenienced by the current pandemic are depressed by it. I have been searching for words of solace to offer, but found none which were satisfactory among the writings of real philosophers and positive psychologists. Then I recalled some from the past which are heard on a 45 RPM and which were delivered regularly by the “Old Philosopher” via AM radio stations back in the mid-1950s.

Eddie Lawrence

  Eddie (the Old Philosopher) was really a comedian and his record made it to the Billboard Top 40. If you lived during those less troubled times, you will probably remember it unfondly. It was one of those novelty tunes, like The Purple People Eater, which was played too many times on the few radio stations and it would never have been chosen for the last dance.

   Still, it is worth listening to today and I will provide a link to it below. It begins slowly with soft music and a short list of lamentations offered by Lawrence who sounds “sort of like a crying Jolson.” Then the chorus provides a loud Sousa-like tune with the following words which I present here for those of you who heard them too many times and don’t want to listen to them again. 

      Lift your head up high! Take a walk in the sun with that dignity and stick-to-it-iveness and you’ll show the world, you’ll show them where to get off. You’ll never give up, never give up, never give up - that ship!

Hang in there.

Sources:

There is a Wikipedia entry for Eddie Lawrence.

He died 2014 and an obituary is found in the NYT. That is where I found the Jolson quote. See:

“Eddie Lawrence Dies at 95: Comedy’s ‘Old Philosopher” - “Encouraging Words For Life’s Predicaments From A Character on Records and TV,” William Yardley, New York Times, Mar. 31, 2014.

The song can be heard here - The Merry Old Philosopher. 

The Bonus Stuff:

   The motif of the song was used to promote a number of products. According to the obituary, John Lennon got Lawrence to produce one to promote a record by Harry Nilsson. Here is how the pitch began:

   “Hiya pussy cat: You say you opened up a bicycle wash and the first six customers drowned, and they picked you up in the wax museum for trying to score with Marie Antoinette? Is that what's got you down pussy cat?...Ta da…. Well rise up, get yourself Harry Nilsson’s new record, “Pussy Cats” produced by John Lennon.”