Annotation:Five Fingered Joe
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FIVE FINGERED JOE. American, Polka (2/4 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The term 'five-fingers' has had a few different meanings in the history of slang. Several hundred years ago it referred to the five of trumps in the game of don or five-card, and more lately, in underworld usage, to a five year prison sentence. The most modern meaning denotes o a thief, one who obtains a 'five-fingered discount' by shoplifting.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Howe (Musician's Omnibus, No. 1), 1862; p. 46. Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867; p. 81.
Recorded sources: