Ya Got Trouble

by Meredith Willson / performed by Robert Preston

GLOSSARY

thanks to the Grey Ghost for offering this historical background

Note: As you read the descriptions provided here for things that were common in the early twentieth century, you may note that the things this song speaks of with disapproval don't seem to be as bad as the song makes them out to be. This could have been due to relaxation of morals over a century, but it's not. In The Music Man, the song's performer didn't really believe a word he was saying, and was merely acting to rouse a rabble.

Balkline Game
Balkline is a variety of Billiards not involving pockets, in which the object is to strike the considerably-fewer-than-sixteen balls with the cues so that they would roll and bounce off of the table edges in certain ways. The various styles of non-pocket billiards are collectively called "carom" billiards; they are also collectively called "billiards" by people who forget that pool is technically a form of billiards as well.

Boo
In this case, the word is slang. It simply means "anyone at all," which here implies that no skill of any kind is required to play pool.

Dan Patch
Dan Patch was an immensely famous sports star who also happened to be a horse. He was king of horse racing in the dawn of the twentieth century, but no jockeys rode him because he participated in "harness racing", where the horse's human partner rode behind in something resembling a chariot's baby brother.

Knickerbockers
Short and loose pants gathered in at, or sometimes below, the knee. Also simply called Knickers.

Bevo
A very early brand name of root beer.

Cubebs
Medicinal herbal cigarettes, named after a spice used in them.

Tailor-mades
Despite the usual meaning of the phrase "tailor-made", this type of cigarette was actually mass-produced. It was held (by a society in denial, no doubt) to be a bit healthier than the cigarettes one rolled oneself, probably because one could not "accidentally" use about half-again as much tobacco as one should.

Sen-Sen
Perfume meant to freshen one's breath, it was the ancestor of breath mints such as Tic-Tacs (although Sen-Sen can still be found and purchased today.)

Captain Billy's Whiz Bang
After World War I had ended, Captain Wilford H. Fawcett found a new niche in society when he started producing this periodal filled with barracks humor. At first intended just for the wounded soldiers in a particular Veteran's Hospital, the publication was discovered by a wholesaler and found its way to nationwide distribution. It is believed to be a precursor to humor magazines such as the National Lampoon. Captain Fawcett went on to produce several successful magazines and a book series.