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Items You play policeman, [I'll play the thief]

You play policeman, [I'll play the thief]

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Music Division

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COLLECTION
American popular songs

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SUB-COLLECTION
Sheet music, 1896

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This Item

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Title
You play policeman, [I'll play the thief]
Additional title: Two jolly little playmates, on a half holiday. [first line]
Additional title: You play policeman, I'll play the thief. [first line of chorus]
Names
Trahern, Al (Composer)
Trahern, Al (Lyricist)
Sidwell, Lem. (Arranger)
Collection

American popular songs

Sheet music, 1896

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1899
Place: Philadelphia
Publisher: Philadelphia Sunday Times
Library locations
Music Division
Topics
Songs
Thieves
Police -- 1800-1899
Children playing -- 1800-1899
Role playing
Male friendship
Genres
Scores
Notes
Content: Cover drawing by Williams shows a policemen holding an apprehended thief; a wallet lies on the floor nearby. Cover includes the words: A story in song.
Content: Summary: Two playmates on a holiday from school decide to play policeman and thief; they play the game again on the final day of school; years later school children go off to various wanted and unwanted occupations; one day a policeman arrests a thief who turns out to be the old school friend, who asks to be released.
Content: Published as a supplement to The Philadelphia Times, Sunday, Dec. 10, [1899].
Statement of responsibility: song by Al. Trahern.
Date: Copyright date: 1896
Physical Description
Extent: 1 score (6 p.) ; 36 cm.
Type of Resource
Notated music
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b10826013
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21757455
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): c772a900-c591-012f-20ea-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1899: Issued
  • 2016: Digitized
  • 2025: Found by you!
  • 2026

MLA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "You play policeman, [I'll play the thief]" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1899. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6fc4ae29-a7ac-f5a8-e040-e00a18067e72

Chicago/Turabian Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "You play policeman, [I'll play the thief]" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6fc4ae29-a7ac-f5a8-e040-e00a18067e72

APA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. (1899). You play policeman, [I'll play the thief] Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6fc4ae29-a7ac-f5a8-e040-e00a18067e72

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6fc4ae29-a7ac-f5a8-e040-e00a18067e72 | title= (notated music) You play policeman, [I'll play the thief], (1899) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=January 30, 2025 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

You play policeman, [I'll play the thief]