1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff, 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: It's Christian saga. Grandfather clock is a fitting name for 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: an object that's often treated as a family heirloom. But 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: even though it carries the ring of heritage and tradition, 5 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: the term itself is rather young. In fact, it's more 6 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: than two centuries newer than the time piece it designates. 7 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: When these vertically gifted clocks were first invented more than 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: three hundred and fifty years ago, people actually called them 9 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: long case clocks, a moniker that's still used in some circles, 10 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: even though it's less catchy today. We might still be 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: using that mundane term if it hadn't been for a 12 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: songwriter who's been nicknamed America's War poet. So how did 13 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: the term grandfather clock come about? Well? Henry clay Work 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: was a self taught musician and lyricist, and he first 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: made a name for himself during America's Civil War. One 16 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: of his later offerings was titled Grandfather's Clock. According to 17 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: his nephew, Bertram, Henry clay Work spent four years writing 18 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,919 Speaker 1: this piece, which Root and Katie published in eighteen seventy six. 19 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: The Diddy tells the tale of a grandfather who received 20 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: a brand new long case clock on the day of 21 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,839 Speaker 1: his birth. A lifetime later, the man and his time 22 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: piece enter the great Beyond together. Works last mega hit, 23 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: Grandfather's Clock emerged as an instant classic and an enduring one. 24 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: It sold more than eight hundred thousand copies in the 25 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: song made its author four thousand dollars richer. In latter decades. 26 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 1: It was covered by Johnny Cash, spoofed on a Prairie 27 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: Home Companion, and even remixed for the soundtrack of the 28 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: indie video game Five Nights at Freddie's Too. On top 29 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: of all of that, the Oxford English Dictionary credits this 30 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: song with popularizing the term grandfather Clock, and so works 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: song inspired a new nickname for a centuries old time piece. 32 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: But what was it that inspired the song itself? Two 33 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: theories are out there. The George Hotel of Pierce Bridge 34 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:20,239 Speaker 1: in North Yorkshire, England claims that Grandfather's Clock was conceived 35 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: right in its lobby. Work once stayed there while traveling 36 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: through the U K in eight seventy four. After checking 37 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: in it said that he spotted a handsome long case 38 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: clock in the hotel's lobby. The hands seemed to be 39 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: jammed frozen in place at the eleven oh five mark. 40 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: Upon asking a staffer about this broken clock, he was 41 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: told that it belonged to the late Jenkins brothers, who 42 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: had once owned the hotel. Their clock work, learned, was 43 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: purchased on the day the older sibling was born. Supposedly, 44 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: it was the most reliable time piece a person could 45 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: ask for, But when one of the brothers died, the 46 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: clock slowed down. Then years later, when death took the 47 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: other sibling, its final tick rang out. According to legend, 48 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: it's been silent ever since. Alas this story is probably 49 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,519 Speaker 1: just a bit of local folklore, then again, one Massachusetts 50 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: family offers a different explanation. The relatives of Work's wife, 51 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: Sarah Parker, believe that they possess the clock that begat 52 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: this iconic song. To hear, the Parkers tell it, the 53 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: songwriter took his cues from an old long case formally 54 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 1: owned by Sarah's grandfather. All these years later, this wooden 55 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: clock still belongs to the Parkers, and no, it doesn't 56 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: work either. Today's episode was written by Mark man Cini, 57 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: produced by Dylan Fagan, and for more on this and 58 00:03:47,240 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: other topics, please visit us at how stuff works dot com.