The Near Future

"The Near Future" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1919. It is better known for the small part of its lyric that took on a life of its own: "How Dry I Am".

The origins of the song and its components are somewhat obscure, as are the factors that differentiate "The Near Future" from "How Dry I Am."

The origin of the melody predates Berlin's song and is based on an older hymn or spiritual. The most likely candidate is Oh Happy Day, the earliest known printing of which is in The Wesleyan Sacred Harp from Boston in 1855 (although the words to Oh Happy Day can be traced even further back to 1755). This melody is in turn attributed to English composer Edward F. Rimbault.

The notes' positions in the major scale are 5 < 1 < 2 < 3 as numbered diatonically and 8 < 1 < 3 < 5 as numbered chromatically (e.g., G < C < D < E in C major, C < F < G < A in F major, and D < G < A < B in G major). Play 

The transition of the melody from a hymn to a song associated with drinking caused some confusion. In one example from 1931, a Minneapolis church playing "Oh Happy Day" was thought by angry parishioners to be playing "How Dry I Am."

The term "Dry" in the lyrics means abstinence from alcohol. While the lyrics are often associated with Prohibition in America, the lyrics were written before 1920.

An early precursor to the lyrics were published in an 1874 edition of Gem of the West and Soldiers' Friend, a journal of curious miscellany. The passage describes a "sleeping car adventure" in which "one lady exclaimed in a slow and solemn voice, 'Oh, how dry I am" several times until someone brings her some water, after which "came the same solemn tones, 'Oh, how dry I was," much to the annoyance of the rest of the passengers on the train.

The phrase "how dry I am" had become structured into song and referred specifically to drinking alcohol by at least 1898, as one journal describes a college drinking song that goes:

...
Wikipedia