Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 15:50:37 EST
From: Larry Horn LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU
Subject: Re: Sam Hill
Now, I know we don't necessarily want to get into another song lyrics thread,
but the versions I know all go
I dreamed [or dreamt] I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you or me
[not: 'Alive as he could be']
Says I, "But Joe, you're n years dead" [for some monosyllabic value
of n; I forget which]
"I never died", says he.
and so on. I don't know from Sam Hill/Hall, although the euphemistic origin
( Damn Hell) sounds plausible. Too bad there's no OED for proper names.
Larry