Aunt Clara
Channel: Stephen Griffith
Date: 2021-04-17

Sandburg writes: "We give here a chorus of the “aunt Clara “song. At the WWII European Theater Operation Air Force headquarters of Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz, it was sung by flyers who carried it from one continent to another some of them thinking up new verses while watching the altimeter. The Pacific theater had verses the European headquarters never heard of. Many more stanzas than here presented are in the custody of Carrie Plummer Boyd, who heard her General Spaatz and the other brave flying men sing them.

"You can make out from any two or three verses that Aunt Clara was a dubious character. With a few more verses, you are certain she was what is termed as a “bad woman“ who like money, jewels, snazzy clothes and motorcars, elegance galore, and to acquire these luxuries, she didn’t care what kind of a reputation she made.

"She was a creation of good flying man who in their off hours kidded themselves and her and home folks about her. Some flyers prefer Frankie who killed her Johnny because he was a man and went astray from her.