Reuben and Rachel

"Reuben and Rachel" is a popular song with words written by Harry Birch and music by William Gooch, originally published in Boston in 1871 by White, Smith, & Perry.^[1] The song regained popularity in the 20th century as a children's song.^[2]

The first line of the song, "Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking," was reused in a popular song at the close of World War I (1919), "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?."^[3]

It was often sung on the playgrounds as: "Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking what in the world have you been drinking? Smells like whiskey, tastes like wine. Oh my gosh! It's turpentine!"^{[citation needed]} The melody has often been used for parodies, such as Bowser and Blue's "Where The Sun Don't Shine! (The Colorectal Surgeon's Song)".^{[citation needed]}

The song is not related to the 1799 novel of the same name by Susanna Rowson.