Painting Details: I Wish I Was A Mole In the Ground

Hi,

On the left is my new painting "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground." (Click To Enlarge).

I thought I'd go into the details of this painting. I'm focusing on my Bluegrass Series which are paintings of traditional songs. On every song painting I've included the lyrics for the song, which are hand painted black letters on a painted sheet of white paper. The lettering itself is very time consumming but can easily be read on my 12" by 16" reproductions of the painting.

I decided to do a painting of Mole in the Ground mainly because I loved the image of a mole rooting the mountain down. I spend an average of 8 hours just planning the painting and finding suitable images. Sometimes I paint the exact image but usually I change them.

So I looked at the lyrics of several versions of the song. I use authentic verses from older versions and leave off verses that won't fit in my painting or don't really contribute to the song. So I decided to use the verse about the mole then I needed to have the girl, Tempy in the song. Of the many verses involving Tempy I thought the two main ones were:

My Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl,
When I come o'er the hill with that twenty-dollar bill,
Gonna bring her that nine-dollar shawl.

Tempy. let your hair hang down,
Let your hair hang down, let your bangs curl ‘round,
Tempy, let your hair hang down.

Since I wanted to have Tempy I needed to figure an image in the mountains with a spring where the lizard (really a salamander) could be found. I found an image of a mountain waterfall with a spring from the NC mountains near where the song really originated. By making the water a little darker I brought out the waterfall and Tempy. I also made the sky dark and gray to fit in with the darker spring.

So after finding an authentic setting I needed to figure out what Tempy should be doing. She could be singing, wading in the water, standing, sitting or as I finally decided; laying on a large rock. If she was part of the landscape the whole focus of the painting wouldn't be on her. I decided not to include a shawl. Originally I had her holding a shawl on the rock with her hands. This detracted from her and wasn't important so I opted not to include the shawl. The lyrics say he is buying her a shawl but she doesn't have to have the shawl yet.

Next to the spring and the waterfall needed to be a grassy field where the mole could be burrowing. I decided to put the lyrics between the mole and Tempy to break up the scene. By doing this I could make the mole a bit bigger and still make him seem real.

After studying moles and mole hills I decided I'd show a mole digging a mole hill with different mole hills in the background. Instead of making the mole hills very small they would be slightly larger than possible and lead up to the mountain in the background which would be a giant mole hill.

The key was to make the mountain seem like a mountain and also look like a mole hill. In the western mountain ranges of the US some the mountains typically are brown. The mountains in NC are not brown but rock and trees. I decided I'd just draw a giant mole hill and make it look like a mountain. I made the mountain the same basic shape as the mole hill in the foreground.

The mole rooting the mountain down can easily be seen in the painting (look at the base of the mountain) but in the image above it's difficult to make out the mole. This is not the mole in the foreground. I'll try and get some close-ups made to show the mole rooting the giant mountain down.

The lizard in the song was a lizard in the spring or a salamander. I decided to put the salamander in a conspicuous place; on top of the rock in the center. I didn't want him too close to Tempy but close enough to hear her sing.

Now I had all the elements found in the four verses and I had also made a mountain out of a mole hill!

The painting was done on a 30" by 40" canvas with acrylic paint. It took about 10 days to complete working several hours every day.

So now you know the rest of the story,

Richard

I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground info

Hi,

You can check out my painting in my last blog. This blog will give you some information about "Mole in the Ground" with the first lyrics and some recordings.

The song "I Wish I was a Mole" is similar to many other songs from the mountains. It probably is closest to My Last Gold Dollar [Is Gone]. Gus Meade lists "Mole in the Ground" under "My Last Old Dollar" which is another old song that can be traced back to the 1800s. Other names of similar songs include "My Doney, Where Have You Been So Long," "Skipping Through the Frost and Snow," "Girls, Quit Your Rowdy Ways," "Alberta, Let Your Hair Hang Low," "Feeling Bad and Low," "Sammie, Where (Have) You Been So Long. "

Other songs like "New River Train" have the same form. It's also called "Darlin' You Can't Love But One."

Mole in the Ground is usually credited to Bascom Lamar Lunsford but he learned it from Fred Moody from Jonathan's Creek, NC. Moody's version was transcribed and published in 1921 with a tune provided in Frank C. Brown Coll. North Carolina Folklore, vol. 3, "Folk Songs from North Carolina," ed. Henry M. Belden and Arthur Palmer Hudson.

"The singer (Moody) was a student at Rutherford College in 1902. It seems quite clear that the stresses extending several measures beyond their normal length are due more to the peculiar temperament of the singer rather than to structural characteristics." P. 124-125, No. 173, The Music of the Folksongs, ed. Jan P. Schinhan, The Frank C. Brown Coll. North Carolina Folklore. A second score, from Miss Pearle Webb, Avery Co., also is provided, p. 126.

MOLE IN THE GROUND

1. I wish I was a mole in the ground (2x)
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down;
I wish I was a mole in the ground.

2. I don't like a railroad man; (2x)
A railroad man will kill you when he can
And drink up your blood like wine.

3. Oh, Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl; (2x)
When I come over the hill with a forty-dollar bill
Oh, it's "Baby, where you bee so long?"

4. And it's "Where have you been so long?" (2x)
"I've been in the bend with rough and rowdy men."
"'Tis "Where have you been so long.?"

5. I wish I was a lizard in the spring; (2x)
If I's a lizard in the spring I'd hear my darlin' sing;
I wish I was a lizard in the spring.

6. Oh, Tempy, let your hair roll down; (2x)
Let your hair roll down and your bangs curl around;
Oh, Tempy, let your hair roll down.

Lunsford recorded the song in 1924 for Okeh which was the first recording. About the song Lunsford said, "The title of this mountain banjo song is 'I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground.' I've known it since 1901 when I heard Fred Moody, then a high school boy, sing it down in Burke County."

You can listen to Lunsfords recording here: http://www.archive.org/details/Mole

The song which a verse about mole and a verse about a lizard has been made into a children's song with all verses about animals and reptiles.

The "lizard in the spring" probably refers to the term "spring lizard," which is old vernacular for a salamander. Now the lizard is found in a tree. Other verses include:

I wish I was a trout in the creek....clear water I would seek.
I Wish I was a hawk in the sky.....I'd never wonder why.
I wish I was a frog in the pond...I'd sing the whole night long.

The girl in the song is Tempy (Tempie/Tempey), Kippy, Kimbi, Kempy and Bessy. I think it should be Tempy which is a nickname for the unusual name, Temperance.

Here's a recording of the song from 1928 by Amos Baker using Bessy: http://honkingduck.com/78s/listen.php?s=20207B


Here are some recordings and sources from the folk index:

1. Duncan, Josh; & Ethel Raim (eds) / Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 84 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)
2. Blood, Peter; and Annie Patterson (eds.) / Rise Up Singing, Sing Out, Sof (1992/1989), p147
3. Brown, Fleming. Fleming Brown, Folk Legacy FSI-004, LP (1962), trk# 14 (Teddy Let Your Hair Hang Down)
4. Carlin, Bob. Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo, Rounder 0132, LP (1980), trk# 2 (Tempie/Tempy)
5. Carlton, Gaither. Clawhammer Banjo. Vol 2 [More Clawhammer Banjo], County CD 2717/717, LP (2003/1969), trk# 15 [1964/10] (Omie Let Your Bangs Hang Down)
6. Chancey Family. Rosenbaum, Art (ed.) / Folk Visions & Voices. Traditional Music & So...., University of Georgia, Bk (1983), p167 [1978/10/22] (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Gro
7. Cooney, Michael. Singer of Old Songs, Front Hall FHR-007C, Cas (1976), trk# 6
8. Diller, Dwight. Piney Woods, Diller YP-007, Cas (199?), trk# B.03
9. Elliott, Ramblin' Jack. Jack Elliott, Archive of Folk Music FS-210, LP (1967), trk# A.02 (Roll On Buddy(, Roll On))
10. English, Logan. American Folk Ballads, Monitor MF 388, LP (1962), trk# B.07
11. Fredrickson, Dave. Asch, Moses (ed.) / 124 Folk Songs as Sung and Recorded on Folkways Reco, Robbins Music, Fol (1965), p 92
12. Ginandes, Shep. Dogwood Soup, Pathways of Sound POS 1023, LP (196?), trk# B.02
13. Gingerthistle. Grandad's Porch, Kudzu KPP 007, CD (1998), trk# 17
14. Hanks, Larry. Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail, Long Sleeve LS 104, LP (1982), trk# B.06a
15. Harold and Abe. Sweet Sunny South, Heritage (Galax) 043, LP (1984), trk# 6 (Tempie/Tempy)
16. Hellman, Neal. Hellman, Neal; and Sally Holden / Life Is Like a Mountain Dulcimer, TRO, sof (1974), p29 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)
17. Holcomb, Roscoe. High Lonesome Sound, Folkways FA 2368, LP (1965), trk# B.07 (Baby Let your Hair Roll Down)
18. Holcomb, Roscoe. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40077, CD (1996), trk# 1.30 [1959] (Baby Let your Hair Roll Down)
19. Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Fantasy 24711, CD/ (1972/1964), trk# 2.01 20. Iron Mountain String Band (Galax). Music from the Mountain, Heritage (Galax) 101C, Cas (1992), trk# 10
21. Jarrell, Tommy. Rainbow Sign, County 791, LP (1984), trk# 6 (Tempie/Tempy)
22. Jarrell, Tommy. Come and Go With Me, County 748, LP (1974), trk# 3 (Tempie Roll Down Your Bangs)
23. Kindred, Lisa. New Folks Vol. 2, Vanguard VRS 9140, LP (1964), trk# A.08
24. Leftwich, Brad. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald, Ser, 3/8, p31(1993) (Tempie/Tempy) 25. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW 40090, CD( (1997), trk# 63 [1928/02] (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)
26. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Anglo-American Songs and Ballads, Library of Congress AFS L21, LP (196?), trk# A.04 [1946] (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)
27. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Smokey Mountain Ballads, Folkways FP 40/2040, LP (1953), trk# 8
28. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Folk Music USA. Vol. 1, Folkways FE 4530, LP (1959), trk# B.06 [1951-52]
29. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Lomax, J. A. & A. Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.152 [1928] (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)
30. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Rosenbaum, Art (ed.) / Old-Time Mountain Banjo, Oak, sof (1968), p36
31. Lunsford, Bascom Lamar. Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Smithsonian SF 40082, CD (1996), trk# 8 [1928/02] (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)
32. McCutcheon, John. How Can I Keep from Singing?, June Appal JA 0003, LP (1975), trk# 8 33. Molsky, Bruce; and Bob Carlin. Take Me as I Am, Marimac 9023, Cas (1989), trk# 5a (Tempie/Tempy)
34. North Quarry Street Irregulars. North Quarry Street Irregulars, North Quarry Street, LP (197?), trk# A.05
35. Pine River Boys with Maybelle. Outback, Heritage (Galax) 003 (III), LP (1974), trk# A.05 36. Plank Road String Band. Plank Road. Vocal and Instrumental Blend, June Appal JA 0015, LP (1978), trk# 4 (Tempie/Tempy)
37. Possum Hunters. In the Pines, Takoma A-1025, LP (196?), trk# 12 (Darling Where You Been So Long)
38. Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. Music of Tennessee. Recorded Live at the 1981 Brandywine Musi..., Heritage (Galax) 042, LP (1982), trk# A.01 (Tempie/Tempy)
39. Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. Down Home, Roan Mountain, CD (2000), trk# 24 [1982/02] (Tempie/Tempy)
40. Round Peak Band. Round Peak Band, Marimac 9044, Cas (1992), trk# B.08 (Tempie/Tempy) 41. Sky, Patrick. Two Steps Foreward - One Step Back, Leviathan SLIF 2000, LP (197?), trk# A.06

Hope this has helped,

Richard

I Wish I Was a Mole In the Ground

Hi,

On the left is my new Bluegrass Series painting,
"I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground." (Click to enlarge) This song has long been my favorite. I especially love the image of the little mole rooting down a giant mountain.

Somehow I managed to make a mountain out of a mole hill. It's not easy to do but that was my intention!

Besides our hero the mole, and his friend the lizard (salamander), we also have the girl Tempy which is the nickname for Temperance, an unusual name rarely found in the mountains anymore. Tempy will get a nine-dollar shawl and she is letting her bangs fall down. Tempy is barefoot and wearing a rather skimpy white dress but she looks engaging surrounded by a waterfall and mountain spring.

This and all my Bluegrass Series paintings are available to be purchased. Unframed 12" by 16" prints are only $25 and just $40 with foam core backing ready to be hung on the wall. You can e-mail me richiematt@aol.com or purchase them with a CC through pay pal through my ETSY store: http://www.etsy.com/your_shop.php The originals are also for sale. Don't wait until after I die and the price goes up.

"I Wish I Was A Mole" was one of Bascom Lamar Lunsford's signature songs and often appears on collections of his recordings. There are many variations of the song and many recordings; I like my friend Doc Watson's version. Next post we'll look at the history of the song. Here are the lyrics from my painting:

I WISH I WAS A MOLE IN THE GROUND

I wish I was a mole in the ground,
Yes, I wish I was a mole in the ground.
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down,
And I wish I was a mole in the ground.

My Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl,
Little Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl.
When I come o'er the hill with that twenty-dollar bill,
Gonna bring her that nine-dollar shawl.

I wish I was a lizard in the spring,
Yes, I wish I was a lizard in the spring.
If I's a lizard in the spring I could hear my darlin' sing,
I wish I was a lizard in the spring.

Tempy, let your hair hang down,
Tempy, let your hair hang down.
Let your hair hang down, let your bangs curl ‘round,
Tempy, let your hair hang down.

See you,

Richard

Lily May Ledford- Later Years

Hi,

This is my last blog about Lily May Ledford for a while. I can only say that her life has touched me in a profound way; in a way I never expected when I painted "Banjo Picking Girl" (close up of Lily May from my painting above) while I was living in Illinois last year.

She was certainly one of the finest fiddlers and banjo pickers from that era. The Coon Creek Girls weren't just a publicity gimmick created by John Lair. They could play and hold their own with any string band of that era. They were talented musicians that could play all the string instruments.

Lily May was genuine and authentic in every way. She loved people and channeled that love through her music, the one area she had some control over in her life.

Leaving Renfro Valley

The 1940s were the best years of Renfro Valley. Huge crowds descended on the valley where time stands still to see the Coon Creek Girls, Homer and Jethro and the talented acts John Lair had created.

Lily May married and had a child, Benjamin Joseph, "Benny Joe" on May 16, 1943. The union did not last. Lily kept working and bought a house in Mt Vernon. "I was finding life hard in many ways by now," said Lily May. While her brothers went overseas to fight in the War, Lily May struggled to keep the Coon Creek Girls going. "For several years the Coon Creek act was touch and go, being shattered again and again by pregnancies or illnesses. We were losing prestige and fading from the radio little by little."

Around 1946 Lily May "remarried a returning soldier who had sung bass in a gospel quartet." Glenn Pennington became the father of her next three children; Barbara, Jimmy and Bobby. Glenn eventually became the Master of Ceremonies (emcee) at Renfro Valley and managed several touring groups.

Lily May appeared by herself in the Alan Lomax ballad opera "The Martins and the Coys" in 1944. A once-in-a-lifetime cast featured Will Geer, Woody Guthrie, Burl Ives, Lily May Ledford, Pete Seeger, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, and Hally Wood. In the early 1950s Lily May was again featured this time with the Coon Creek Girls in Lomax’s mountain ballad opera, "The Old Chisholm Trail" in New York. This time Cisco Houston and Wade Mainer and his Mountaineers were added to the star studded line-up.

One of the last big shows the Coon Creek Girls did was Sunshine Sue’s Old Dominion Barn Dance which went to Broadway in 1944-45. Needing a banjo player Sunshine Sue hired Lily May and the Girls headed to New York where they shared the bill with Flatt and Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys and met Ralph Rinzler, who was there attending Columbia University.

By the mid-1950s TV was quickly replacing radio as American's form of entertainment. Sponsors began pulling out of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. "An unhappiness had set in," recalled Lily May, "and we yearned for the first great years of Renfro, plenty of shows, hundreds of thousands of paying guests, the horse races, ball games and mule races (which I rode one for fun)."

After 20 years (1937-57) the Coon Creek Girls called it quits. Lily May's marriage also ended and she devoted much of her time raising her children after moving to Lexington, Kentucky. It's not surprising that they all became involved with music.

Her son, J.P. Pennington, was a founding member of the highly successful country-pop group, Exile. His original songs have been recorded by such popular acts as Alabama. Bob Pennington, played drums and keyboards in the Renfro Valley Band. Her grandaughter Cari Norris now plays Lily's banjo and performs Lily's songs. Will the circle be unbroken...

Her Second Career

With the resurgence of the folk music scene in the late 1960s and '70s, Lily May started her second career. Ralph Rinzler, Mike Seeger, John Ullman, Alice Gerrard, Ellesa High, Loyal Jones, and others played an important part in bringing her talent back to new audiences at folk festivals across the country.

Lily May's solo performances delighted audiences with her charismic stage presence, singing, excellent fiddle and banjo work. After several years of illness she passed away in 1985.

Now she has taken the songs and stories from the hills of Kentucky 'round the world. She truly is- a banjo pickin' girl.

Thanks Lily May!

Richard

Coon Creek Girls' Little Birdie

Hi,

One of the songs the Coon Creek Girls recorded in their first recording session on May 30, 1938 is the song, "Little Birdie."

You can listen to Coon Creek Girls version here:
http://honkingduck.com/78s/listen.php?s=20474B

LITTLE BIRDIE

.........D...............A
Little birdie, little birdie,
..............................D
What makes you fly so high?
.........D.................A
It's because I have a true little heart
........................D
And I don't care to die.

I'd rather be here, honey
Than any place I know.
But to help keep down trouble,
Down this old road I go.

Little birdie, little birdie
What makes your wings so blue?
It's nothing else but grieving,
Grieving over you.

I'd rather drink muddy water,
And sleep in a holler log.
Than to stay here on this muddy river,
And be treated like dirty dog.

Another verse Lily May sang on her CD GEMS:

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing to me your song.
I've a short time to be here
And a long time to be gone.

These are fairly standard verses. The second and last verses are more unusual. In this song the singer (usually as a solo performer) can stretch out the lyrics holding out certain melody notes. The number of measures and the number of beats per measure are irregular. The lyrics and song title (see Randolph) are sometimes mixed with "Dark Hollow," part of the "East Virginia Blues" family.

The confusion about identifying this song is the similarity to the Kitty Clyde songs: "Kitty Cline" and "Free Little Bird." I consider these two songs to be different songs although the Clyde songs also have lyrics about a little bird.

In some versions associated with Dark Hollow, "pretty woman" or "married woman" is substituted for "little birdie."

Here's what Sandy Patton wrote back in 1968 when he included the song, sung with fretless banjo, on Frank Proffitt's second Folk-Legacy solo recording (C-36):

"This banjo song, now well-known through the performances of Ralph Stanley, Roscoe Holcomb, Pete Steele, etc., can be heard almost anywhere in the Appalachians, but generally without Frank's verses about the misleading married woman. Most listeners will probably tend to identify these particular lines with Leadbelly's version of 'Easy Rider.' "

Here's what Frank sang:

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come and sing to me your song.
I've got a short time now to stay here
And a long time to be gone.

Married woman, married woman,
Just look what you've done.
You caused me for to love you,
Said your husband was dead and gone.

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come and sing to me your song.
I've got a short time now to stay here
And a long time to be gone.

Married woman, married woman,
Just look what you've done.
You caused me for to love you,
Now your husband's come (home).

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come and sing to me your song.
I've got a short time now to stay here
And a long time to be gone.

I'd rather be in a lonesome holler,
Where the sun never shines.
Than for you to be some other's darling,
When you promised you'd be mine.

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come and sing to me your song.
I've got a short time now to stay here
And a long time to be gone.

According to the Ballad Index "Little Birdie" was first collected in 1909 by Brown. Gus Meade categorized it with Free Little Bird which seems like the wrong place to put the song. The first recording was by Land Norris in 1925. Here are some recordings:

Willie Chapman, "Little Birdie" [instrumental] (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
Coon Creek Girls, "Little Birdie" (Vocalion 04413, 1938)
Al Craver [pseud. for Vernon Dalhart], "Little Birdie" (Columbia 15044-D, 1925)
John Hammond, "Little Birdie" (Challenge 168 or 332)
Roscoe Holcomb, "Little Birdie" (on Holcomb-Ward1, HolcombCD1)
Robert Howell [pseud. for Holland Puckett], "Little Birdie" (Herwin 75563, 1927)
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "Little Birdie" (Montgomery Ward M-7127)
Wade Mainer & Zeke Morris, "Little Birdie" (Bluebird B-6840)
Wade Mainer, "Little Birdie" (King 1093, 1952)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Little Birdie" (on NLCR16)
Land Norris, "Little Birdie" (OKeh 45006, 1925)
Frank Proffitt, "Little Birdie" (on FProffitt01)
Sauceman Brothers, "Little Birdie" (Rich-R-Tone 457, n.d.)
Stanley Brothers, "Little Birdie" (Rich-R-Tone 1056, rec. 1952) (on FOTM)
Pete Steele, "Little Birdie" (on PSteele01)
Pete Seeger, "Little Birdie" (on PeteSeeger47)

LITTLE BIRDIE John Hammond (one of the first recordings in 1925)
I've transcribed this but can't hear the beginning of the 3rd verse.

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing to me your song.
I've a short time to stay here
And a long time when I'm gone.

I'd rather be in some dark hollow
Where the shine refused to shine
Than the thought that you'd be some other man's woman
When I want to call you mine

....................forty-two miles
From my old Kentucky Home
My Papa and Ma they're both dead
No place to call my own

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes you act so queer
I'm building for my little ones
That have no clothes to wear

Married woman married woman
Look what you have done
You've caused me for to love you
Now your husband's come.

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes you fly so high
I'm the only one in this wide world,
And I don't care if I die.

The Greenbriar Boys added the following two verses:

I'd rather be a sailor,
And live my life at sea,
Than to be an old married man,
With a baby on my knee.

Cause a married man sees trouble,
And a single boy sees none,
I expect to live single,
'Til my life is done.

Another verse I've heard used is:

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes you act so queer,
You have got no cause to worry,
You don't need no clothes to wear.

DARK HOLLOW from Randolph
Mr. Lewis Kelley, Missouri, 1931. From Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, vol. 4, p. 122, A, with music.

Purty woman, purty woman,
Just see what you've done,
You caused me to love you,
Now your husband has come!

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing me a song,
I want to live in a dark holler
Where the sun can never shine!

I'd ruther be a sailor
Way out on the sea,
Than to be a married man
With a baby on my knee.

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes you look so queer?
You've no cause to worry,
No sorrow for to bear.

LITTLE BIRDIE
Source: Silber & Silber, Folksinger's Wordbook (1973), Oak Publications

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes you fly so high?
It's because I am a true little bird
And I do not fear to die.

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes your wing so blue?
It's because I've been a-grievin',
Grieving after you.

Little birdie, little birdie,
What makes your head so red?
Well, after all that I've been through,
It's a wonder I ain't dead.

Little birdie, little birdie,
Come sing to me a song.
I've a short while to be here
And a long time to be gone.

Here some great historic info about the banjo in Kentucky near where Lily May grew up from the CD: Last Possum Up The Tree. From George Gibson:

"I was born May 14, 1938 on Burgey's Creek in Knott County, Kentucky, in a log cabin built ca. 1900 by James Edward "Uncle Ed" Thomas, the first known dulcimer maker in Kentucky. Burgey's Creek is officially known as Little Carr Creek and is a tributary of Carr Creek, which is a tributary of the Kentucky River. My parents were descendants of some of the earliest pioneers in east Kentucky. Settlers brought banjo songs and frolics into east Kentucky well prior to the Civil War. I have found two references to the banjo in Kentucky prior to 1700. Early settlers in the area were mostly from Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

My father, Mal Gibson (1900-1996), learned to play banjo around 1905-10 along with his older sister Flora (1896-1936) and Mel Amburgey (1893-1972), a neighbor from a very musical family. Mel Amburgey told me that he, my father and my father's sister could play over 100 songs in one tuning of the banjo. This was a remarkable feat, for they used many different tunings. My father's younger brother, Bob Gibson, also learned to play banjo, although I never heard him play. My mother, Tishie Hammons Gibson, had several relatives that played banjo.
My grandfather, George W. Gibson, and his first cousin, Dan Gibson, were playing banjo in Knott County by the 1890s. Dan was a noted banjo player and square dance caller."

LITTLE BIRDIE, e-CGAD:Little Birdie was a popular dance tune on Carr Creek in Knott County. One old gentleman said "I wore out a new pair of shoes one night while dancing to Little Birdie." My father said he learned to play the tune when he was about seventeen (in 1917) after hearing his uncle, Nord Gibson, whistle the tune. My father then remarked that he could play any tune that he could whistle. Once in a while he would tune for Little Birdie, play a stroke or two before laying the banjo down. I subsequently learned that the tune was the favorite of his only sister, Flora Gibson Morton, who learned to play banjo at the same time he did - Flora died in 1936. I heard Gar Maxie, a neighbor who was an excellent banjoist, play this tune. I cannot recall from whom I actually learned the verses. I do know that I was playing it not long after I traded for my first banjo. The verses below are those I sang on the Possum CD; however, I do know, and occasionally sing, other verses.

Little Birdie, Little Birdie,
What makes you fly so high?
Don't you know Little Birdie
that life will pass you by.

Little Birdie, Little Birdie,
Come sing to me your song,
We've a short time to be here
And a long time to be gone.

Used to be a little boy,
And I played down in the sand,
NowI am a great big boy,
Trying to make myself a man.

Married woman, married woman,
Just see what you have done,
You've cased me for to love you,
And now your man has come.

Little Birdie, Little Birdie,
Come sing to me your song,
We've a short time to be here
And a long time to be gone.

The Coon Creek Girls' version was reissued on Trikont US-0310, Flowers in the Wildwood: Women in Early Country Music. One of Stefan Grossman's videos of old time music at the Newport Folk Festival has some very impressive footage of the Coon Creek Girls performing Little Birdie.

I'll need to do some more research about the origin of this song. Any information would be helpful. I'll be doing one more post on Lily May Ledford for now. I might come back to her and the Coon Creek Girls later.

Take care,

Richard

Jim Along Josie

Howdy,

I'm continuing covering songs and info about Lily May Ledford. One song she played that I learned from her recording several years ago is "Jim Along Josie."

Lily May was not only an authentic mountain girl who interpreted the real songs from her region but she had a natural feeling for bluesy songs of African-American origin. Listen to her connect with the spiritual "Didn't It Rain." Perhaps it's through music that we are best reminded that we are all children of God.

Many of the hillbilly songs were passed around from both white and black sources and the first big hillbilly star was Jimmie Rodgers, a white interpreter of the blues. Bill Monroe was strongly influenced by a black guitarist. Other Kentucky hillbilly artists like the Carlisle Brothers reveled in the magic of the blues even to an extent where their racy lyrics were considered to be offensive by listeners in their region.

With this background information, let's look at the Coon Creek Girls (led by Lily May) version of Jim Along Josie:

JIM ALONG JOSIE by the Coon Creek Girls

Banjo

Down in Mississippi as you well know
There’s a song named Jim Along Joe
Folks call out when the bell does ring
And this is the song that they do sing:

Chorus: Hey get along, Jim along Josey,
Hey get along, Jim along Joe! (REPEAT optional)

Banjo

Sister the other night did dream,
She was floating up and down the stream
When she awoke she began to cry,
And the white cat scratched out the black cat’s eye.

Chorus: Hey get along, Jim along Josey,
Hey get along, Jim along Joe!

Chorus: Hey get along………, Jim along Josey,
Hey get along……………, Jim along Joe!

Let's look at the origins of this minstrel song. "Jim Along Josie" was widely known both here on the US and abroad by the mid 1800s. It was written by Edward Harper about 1838. The Levy Collection has the sheet music by Edward Harper published in 1840. Did he write the song? No one now for sure but he did publish the song as author and it's credited to him.

With this and other old songs sometimes the lyrics use racial slurs which I find offensive and have changed. You can look at the real sheet music on-line.

SOME RECORDINGS: Lawrence Older, Adirondack logger, ballad singer and fiddler, back in 1964 and released the recording, with excellent notes written by Pete McElligott, as Folk-Legacy FSA-15;
Pete Seeger, (on PeteSeeger3, PeteSeegerCD03);
Ledford, Lilly Mae. Banjo Pickin' Girl, Greenhays GR 712, LP (1983), cut# 15;
Older, Lawrence. Adirondack Songs, Ballads and Fiddle Tunes, Folk Legacy FSA-015, Cas (1964), cut#B.07;
Seeger, Peggy And Mike. American Folk Songs for Children, Rounder 8001/8002/8003, LP (1977), cut# 19;

OTHER NAMES: “Hey Jim Along Josie,” "Jim along Josy" “Hey Jim Along”

RELATED TO: The “Limber Jim/ Buckeye Jim” group which is related to “Seven Up,” “Shiloh” and the large “Liza Jane” family has floating lyrics with “Jim Along Josey.” Floating lyrics from Cotton-Eyed Joe,” “Fire on the Mountain” and “Granny will Your Dog Bite”

PRINT SOURCES: Randolph 575, "Jim Along Josie;" Warner 180, "Get Along Josie;" Spaeth-Weep More, pp. 103-104, "Jim Along Josey;" Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p239; American Folk Songs for Children, Doubleday/Zephyr Books, Bk (1948), p. 72;

NOTES: AABB form and also AB form (the verse being only two lines instead of four). Original sheet music (1840) key of C. “Jim Along Josey” is a minstrel song written by Edward Harper around 1838. It is not clear if the song was in the African-American tradition before 1838 and adapted by Harper or whether it was an original composition. I suspect Harper rewrote (adapted) the song from traditional sources.

In the title "Jim Along Josey" the word- Josey, is used as a name (could be a man's or woman's name) The word "Josey" is an African-American dance step. The word, Jim, is not really used for a name. "Get Along Josey" could just as easily be substituted for "Jim Along Josey." There is one version entitled, "Git Along Josie."

The “Jim Along Josey” lyrics and fragments of the lyrics show up in a number of songs and fiddle tunes. The “Limber Jim/ Buckeye Jim” group which is related to “Seven Up,” “Shiloh” and the large “Liza Jane” family has floating lyrics with “Jim Along Josey.” Floating lyrics from Cotton-Eyed Joe,” “Fire on the Mountain” and “Granny will Your Dog Bite” also appear in “Jim Along Josey.”

The melody is used for the 2nd part of the fiddle tune, “A Horse named Rover” and has spawned several sequels and parodies Ticket Taker (Bowery, 1840); The Black Ghost (1841); and The Masquerade (1843).

There are two distinct versions:

The Minstrel Version: Based on the Harper 1838 version which entered the folk process and eventually changed the number of verses from 4 verses to two verses. Other verses were created and added to the mix.

The Play Party Version: The first word in the chorus line is changed- Hey jim along, jim along Josie/Walk jim along, jim along Josie/Hop jim along, jim along Josie, etc.

FROM S. FOSTER DAMON "Notes to 'Jim Along Josey' [Firth & Hall edition (1840)]", in Series of Old American Songs (Brown University Library, 1936, No. 24):

"Jim Along Josey" was another sweeping success in the burnt-cork tradition. It was written by Edward Harper, who sang it in his drama, The Free Nigger of New York, about 1838 (E.L. Rice: Monarchs of Minstrelsy, p 24). In February 1839, John Washington Smith was singing it at the Bowery Amphitheater (Odell: Annals IV, 324). Thereafter, everybody sang it. It was developed into a number of extravaganzas and afterpieces: Jim Along Josey (Chatham Theater, 1840); Jim Along Josey, or the Ticket Taker (Bowery, 1840);

The stricter sects, which prohibited dancing, whether square or round, admitted "Jim Along Josey" as a game and not a dance, although to uncritical eyes the players seemed to be doing something easily mistaken for a Virginia reel. For the game, see the Journal of American Folk Lore (XXIV, 295 ff): "Play Parties and Games of the Middle West."

JIM ALONG JOSEY/LIMBER JIM: The widespread popularity of “Jim Along Josey” among both blacks and whites led to the quick adaptation of the lyrics into oral tradition. Compare the “Jim Along Josie” lyrics with Limber Jim/Buckeye Jim. Perhaps the “whooping cough,” is a reference to the disease, tuberculosis.

Jim Along, Josie: Now way down south, not very far off,
A bullfrog died wid de hooping cough,

Chorus: Hey get along, get along Josey,
Hey get along, Jim along Joe!

Limber Jim: Way down yonder in a wooden trough,
An old lady died with the whooping cough.

Chorus: Go limber, Jim; you can't go.
Go weave and spin, you can't go, Buckeye Jim.

From White: Way down yonder in de growin' corn
De old cow died wid de holler horn.
Way down yonder, in de forks o' de creek,
De old cow died in de middle o' next week.

JIM ALONG JOSEY/JAYBIRD DIED: Other songs have used the whooping cough lines including Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough and Bile Dem Cabbage Down:

Jaybird died of the whoopin' cough,
Sparrow died of the colic.
'Long come a frog with a fiddle on his back
Inquirin' his way to the frolic.

EARLY EXAMPLES: The song was popular during the Civil War- here’s a letter from Prock, Baltimore and Ohio R. R., Va., Feb.13, 1862:

I see by the papers that several soldiers, formerly of the 14th, who are said to have been "through the campaign in Western Virginia," are recruiting for other regiments. The through meant I suppose to the tune of "Hey Jim a 'long, Jim a 'long Josey,"- our regimental "sick call."

Everyone knew when the showboat was coming because for twenty or thirty minutes before its arrival a steam-powered calliope, which was brought outside and set up on the deck, would send music echoing through the hills. The catchy tune "Get Along Josie" was one I remember, but there were many more."

From "The Journal of an African Cruiser," by An Officer of the U.S. Navy, in The United States Democratic review, Volume 16, Issue 83 (J.& H.G. Langley, etc., May 1845, p. 483) [N.B. the date]: August 2, 1843.--Liberia.--We were visited by Governor Roberts, Dr. Day, and General Lewis, the latter being Colonel Secretary, and military chief of the Settlement. They looked well, and welcomed me back to Liberia with the cordiality of old friendship. The Governor was received by the Commodore, Captain and officers, and saluted with eleven guns. He and his suite dined in the cabin, and some of the officers of the Porpoise in the ward-room. In the evening, we brought out all our forces for the amusement of our distinguished guests. First, the negro band sang 'Old Dan Tucker,' 'Jim along Josey,' and other ditties of the same class, accompanied by violin and tambourine. Then Othello played monkey, and gave a series of recitations.

Bodleian Library collection has numerous broadside printings of Jim Along Josie” in the British Isles from the 1840’s to 1860’s.

From firemen in NY in the mid 1800’s:I went down town to see my posey, Who did I meet but Jim Along Josey. Hey, Jim Along, Jim Along Josey, Hey, Jim Along, Jim Along Joe.

WITH A JOSEY ON: Here is a recurring verse found in many songs:
Who's been here since I've been gone? Pretty little gal wid a josey on.

Bert Mayfield was born in Garrard County, May 29, 1852. One song we would always sing was:

Who ting-a-long? Who ting-a-long?
Who's been here since I've been gone?
A pretty girl with a josey on.

FINAL NOTES: "Jim Along Josey" is one of the early minstrel songs and has had a profound effect on the lyrics and popularity of many American songs. The melody uses only 5 notes of the pentatonic scale. The song itself is followed by a lively ‘dance’ in which the comic actor had a chance to ‘do his stuff.’ The popularity of the song was doubtless due in large measure to the catchy tune of the chorus. The song became used as a ‘play party song’ in the Middle West and was admitted as a game even among those stricter sects that prohibited dancing.

Here are the original edited minstrel lyrics from Levy Collection- 1840 in dialect:

JIM ALONG JOSIE

I’se from Lucianna as you all know,
Dar whare Jim Along Josey’s all de go,
Dem folks all rise when de bell does ring,
And dis is de song dat dey do sing.

Chorus: Hey get along, get along Josey,
Hey get along, Jim along Joe.
Hey get along, get along Josey,
Hey get along, Jim along Joe.

Oh! When I get dat new coat I expects to hab soon,
Likewise new pair tight-kneed trousaloon,
Den I walk up and down Broadway wid my Suzanna,
And the folks will take me to be Santa Anna.

Chorus

My sister Rose de oder night did dream,
Dat she was floating up and down de stream,
And when she woke she began to cry,
And de white cat picked out de black cat’s eye.

Chorus

Now way down south, not very far off,
A bullfrog died wid de hooping cough,
And de other side of Mississippi as you must know,
Dare’s where I was christen’d Jim Along Joe. (Chorus:)

De folk think dey’re fine,
Because dey drink de genuine
De southern folk dey lib on mush,
And laugh when dey say, “Oh hush!” (Chorus:)

I’m de man dat don’t mind my troubles,
Because dey are not’ing more dan bubbles,
De ambition dat dis man feels,
Is showing the science of his heels. (Chorus)

De fust President we eber had was Gen’ral Washington,
And de one we got now is Martin Van Buren,
But altho’ Gen’ral Washington’s dead,
As long as de country stands his name shall float ahead. (Chorus)

Clearly the Coon Creek Girls song lyrics come from the original. I'll see if I can find out more about where they learned their version and when. There's no mention of the song coming from her childhood which leads me to believe it was a song that came from John Lair's extensive song collection.

If you want more lyrics there are about one dozen versions at my web-site here:
http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/fiddle.html

See you later,

Richard

Lily May Ledford and White Oak Mountain

Hi,

Today we'll look at one of Lily May's songs, "White Oak Mountain." Many recent recordings including a guitar version by Pete Seeger and the Georgia Mudcat's version are based on Lily May's. New old-time bands have been covering her version and calling it "44 Gun." Initially I was curious about why the song was titled "White Oak Mountain" yet there was no mention of White Oak Mountain in the lyrics. This blog will give some related versions and answer a few questions about the title and origin.

Lily May Ledford learned White Oak Mountain from her cousin Lillie Branham. Lily plays it in A minor on the banjo.

WHITE OAK MOUNTAIN

Am Am G G G G Am Am

Am......... Am.......... G............. G
Don't you remember that rocky mountain side,

.........G........G..... Am..... Am
Where we sat down to rest.

You promised to be my blue eyed boy

While the sun goes down in the west.

Mary don't go, don't go little girl
Come back and see me once more.
Fifteen cents all the money I got
Honey don't you want some change
All I want is a 44 gun
To blow outside them trains.

I wish to the lord I've never been born
And died when I was young
Before I'd seen them pretty blue eyes
Or heard that lying tongue

Hand me down my old white hat
Its hanging there on a nail
Before this time tomorrow night
I'll ride out on that long, long trail

Oh I'll never believe what another man says
Though his eyes be blue or brown
Less’un (Unless) he’s on the scaffold to be hung
Saying darling I wish to come down.

In the second verse the lyrics are irregular (six lines). Perhaps the original lyrics that Lily May heard could have been:

All I wants is a 44 gun
To blow out someone's brains

Look at the same line in this variant:

MARY DON'T YOU GO

Woke up last night, heard a knock on the door,
I heard a rough voice say:
"I've come here tonight. I don't want to fight.
I just come to take Mary away."

CHORUS: Oh, Mary, don't you go, don't you go.
Come back and see me once more.

Fifteen cents is all the money I've got.
Mary, don't you want some change?
All I want is a forty-four gun
To blow out some dirty man's brains. CHORUS

If you find me alive at your door tonight,
With a forty-four in my hand,
I'll tell you the reason that I killed myself
Was because you loved another man. CHORUS

Another version has this:

Now if you see me standin' on my porch,
With a forty-four in my hand,
Just tell them all I've killed myself,
'Cause you've gone to some foreign land.

FORTY FOUR GUN

From Wandering Ramblers recorded in 1991 on Marimac 9033. Key on Cassette C/Bb double tonic, no thirds in C chord. Tune only has one part, but is played both high and low. The same version has been recorded by the Tiger Maple String Band with the same melody and chords as Lily May's. The Ramblers attribute the song to Lily May Ledford, Powell County, Kentucky, and Clarence Hay Ashford, Kentucky.

Don't you remember on that rocky mountain side
When we lay down to rest
You promised to be my blue eyed boy
While the sun sank in the west (High instrumental)

Now hand me down my old grey hat
It's a hanging there on the nail
Before this time tomorrow morn
I'll be gone on that long, long, trail. (Low instrumental)

Now if you see me standing on my porch
With a forty four in my hand
Just tell them all I've killed myself
Because you've gone to some foreign land (High instrumental) Repeat first verse

I wish to the lord I'd never been born
Died when I was young
I never would have seen those two blue eyes
Or heard that lying tongue (High instrumental)

I never will listen what another man says
Let his hair be black or brown
Unless that he's on some scaffold high
Saying darling I wish to come down. (Repeat first verse)

Whether Lily May misheard, "All I want is a 44 gun; To blow outside them trains," we'll never know. She learned the song from her cousin.

Where did the song originate and where is the "White Oak Mountain" ?

The White Oak Mountain probably is a range in Hamilton County, Tennessee. It has an elevation of 1,495 feet. There's a White Oak Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Cleveland, Tennessee.

There's also a White Oak Mountain located in south central Virginia. This was made famous in the song:

WRECK OF THE OLD 97

They give him his orders at Monroe, Virginia,
Saying, "Pete, you're away behind time.
This is not Thirty-Eight, but it's old Ninety-Seven.
You must put her in Spenter on time."

He looked round, says to his black greasy fireman,
"Just shovel in a little more coal,
And when we cross that White Oak Mountain,
You can watch old Ninety-Seven roll.

Regardless of which White Oak Mountain it's hard to understand how Lily May's song became titled White Oak Mountain when there's no reference to the mountain in her song. The key to understanding this comes from the first recorded version of the group of songs by Luther Clark and his Blue Ridge Highballers recorded in 1926 for Columbia as "Wish To The Lord I'd Never Been Born." The lyrics, at times garbled, are from Coltman and others' transcriptions. You can listen here: http://honkingduck.com/78s/listen.php?s=20114A Corrections are welcome.

The Highballers version is in a major key: G G G C D D D G but it still could be sung in the minor key with Lily May's melody.

WISH TO THE LORD I'D NEVER BEEN BORN

Wish to the Lord I'd never been born
Or died when I was a baby.
Wouldn't been left to shed a tear
Or to eat so much old gravy.

Wisht I'd never been a co-op
Or listened to T. H. Wilson.
I'd a-been riding a four day sale
And a-paying my bills and a-whistling.

Never sold on an open floor
You just wait till fall,
I'm a-gonna ride to Vanaware House
I can hear old Sam Rob's call.

I want to hear Sam Robinson say
I'm gonna drive in the White Oak Mountain.
You been a durn fool all of your life.
You can drink right at this fountain.

Henry Payne carries the mail,
Sometimes drives a mule.
Ain't got time to cuss no more
He's busy in that pool. (Repeat First Verse)

This has been recorded by Bob Coltman, based his version on Charley LaPrade/Blue Ridge Highballers version, sung by band member Luther B. Clarke from the Martinsville and Danville, VA, Spray NC area of Charlie Poole fame. The main point of interest is that this similar song has the White Oak Mountain mentioned. At one time Lily May's song probably was sung with the White Oak Mountain lyric in it but when it was passed around the mountains that verse was forgotten.

Kinney Rorrer's sleeve note to 'Blue Ridge Highballers' County 407 perhaps sheds some light:
Clarke sang on the remaining three sides. Clarke, who was blind, recorded two traditional mountain ballads, 'I'll Be All Smiles Tonight' and 'The Bright Sherman Valley' plus a composition of his own, 'Wish To The Lord I Had Never Been Born'. This last song was particularly interesting since it dealt with a local farm problem. Many tobacco farmers in the area had joined 'co-ops' in order to sell their tobacco directly to the tobacco companies without having to go through the middlemen at the locally-owned tobacco warehouse. The 'co-op' warehouse system was largely a failure by the mid-1920s. Clarke sang the song from the point of view of a farmer who had lost money through the 'co-ops' and was now regretting he had not sold his crop through the regular warehouse system. In the song, Clarke mentions several local people who were then involved in the 'co-op' controversy.


Similar lyrics appear in the song "Long Lonesome Road." This was recorded by NLCR on their 'Gone to the Country' album. In respect of the title line, John Lomax recorded Fields Ward in 1937 in Galax, Virginia, singing 'Long Lonesome Road' which has stanzas expressing similar sentiments to Clarke's opening stanza.

LONG LONESOME ROAD by Fields Ward

Oh, I wish to the Lord I had never been born,
Or died when I was a baby,
Or died when I was a baby

No, I wouldn't a been a eatin' this old cold corn bread
Soppin' in this salty gravy,
Soppin' in this salty gravy


So Lily May's White Oak Mountain comes from the larger family of True Lover's Farewall songs that include the Turtle Dove songs. The first Turtle Dove lyrics appear in "My Mary Ann" by M. Tyse with lyrics by Barney Williams. Published in Baltimore: Henry McCaffrey, 1856.

The song is categorized by Guthrie Mead as "Hard to Love" first found in Johnson and Powers’ Little Moke Songster in 1873.

Another related version is Lunsford's 1928 song Little Turtle Dove which can be heard here: http://www.archive.org/details/Dove

It has the "All I want is a pretty little girl to feed them when I'm gone" lyrics found in Bill Monroe's "Pig in a Pen," first recorded by Arthur Smith in 1937.

Another related song is "I Truly Understand That You Love Another Man" which again relates to "Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet" part of the large group including White Oak Mountain. The Monroe Brothers recorded a similar song titled "Little Red Shoes" in 1936. Here are some recordings of "I Truly Understand":

1. Garcia, Jerry; and David Grisman. Shady Grove, Acoustic Disc ACD 21, CD (1996), trk# 10
2. Molsky, Bruce. Warring Cats, Yodel-Ay-Hee 011, Cas (1993), trk# 8
3. Montgomery, Blanche. Scarborough, Dorothy (ed.) / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p125 [1930]
4. New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Folkways FA 2396, LP (1958), trk# 3
5. New Lost City Ramblers. Cohen, John, Mike Seeger & Hally Wood / Old Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1976/1964), p 24
6. Roark, Shortbuckle; and Family. Kentucky Country; Old Time Music From Kentucky, Rounder 1037, LP (1983), trk# 4 [1928/11/04]
7. Roark, Shortbuckle; and Family. Going Down The Valley; Vocal & Instrumental Music from the South, New World NW 236, LP (1977), trk# 1 [1928/11/04]
8. Roark, Shortbuckle; and Family. Gambler's Lament, Country Turtle 6001, LP (1970), trk# 11 [1928/11/04]
9. Roundtown Boys. Deadheads and Suckers, Swallow 2001, LP (1978), trk# A.06
10. Seeger Family. Folk Songs with the Seegers, Prestige PR 7375, LP (1965), trk# 21
11. Seeger, Peggy. Three Sisters, Prestige International 13029, LP (1960s), trk# A.03
12. Strange Creek Singers. Strange Creek Singers, Arhoolie 4004, LP (1972), trk# 6
13. Wry Straw. From Earth to Heaven, June Appal JA 0028, LP (1978), trk# 2

I TRULY UNDERSTAND by the Roark Family

I wish to the Lord I never been born,
Nor died when I was young,
I never would've seen them two brown eyes,
Nor heard that flattering tongue, my love,
Or heard that flattering tongue.

CHORUS: I truly understand that you love another man,
And your heart shall no longer be mine.
I truly understand that you love another man,
And your heart shall no longer be mine.

Who will shoe your little feet,
Who will glove your hand,
Who will kiss your red rosy cheeks,
When I'm in the foreign land, my love,
When I'm in the foreign land? CHORUS:

Remember what you told me, dear,
As we stood side by side,
You promised that you'd marry me,
And be no other man's bride, my love,
And be no other man's bride. CHORUS:

I never will listen what another woman says,
Let her hair be black or brown,
For I'd rather be on the top of some hill,
And the rain a-pouring down, down,
The rain a-pouring down. CHORUS:

My father will shoe my little feet,
My mother will glove my hand,
And you will kiss my red rosy cheeks,
When I'm in the foreign land, O love,
When I'm in the foreign land. CHORUS

Here are some recordings of the "Hard to Love" songs under Meade [Me II-E17:

1. Block, Allan. Alive and Well and Fiddling, Living Folk LFR 104, LP (197?), trk# 4
2. Coltman, Bob. Lonesome Robin, Minstrel 9022, LP (1973), trk# 1 (Wish to the Lord I'd Never Been Born)
3. Reams, James; and the Barnstormers. Barnstormin', Copper Creek CCCD 0195, CD (2001), trk# 2
4. Shepherd, Hayes (Appalachian Vagabond). Kentucky Country; Old Time Music From Kentucky, Rounder 1037, LP (1983), trk# 2 [1930/04ca] (Hard for to Love)
5. Shepherd, Hayes (Appalachian Vagabond). Country Blues, Revenant 205, CD (1997), trk# 19 [1930/04ca] (Hard for to Love)

Another Turtle Dove song which has a different melody is "All the Good Times are Past". It has similar lyrics:

ALL THE GOOD TIMES ARE PAST AND GONE

I wish to the lord I'd never been born
Or died when I was young
I never would have seen your sparkling blue eyes
Or heard your lying tongue

All the good times are past and gone
All the good times are o'er
All the good times are past and gone
Little darling don't weep no more

Don't you see that turtle dove
That flies from pine to pine
He's mourning for his own true love
Just like I mourn for mine

Come back, come back my own true love
And stay awhile with me
For if ever I've had a friend in this world
You've been that friend to me

The last related song we'll look at is "Red Rosy Bush:"

RED ROSY BUSH

Go dig up that red rosy bush
Stands by the willow tree.
And it will show to the wide world around
That she's forsaken me.

Go show me the crow that is so black
It surely will turn white.
If I forsake the darling girl I love
The day will turn to night.

Oh, it's hard to love and can't be loved,
It's hard to change your mind.
You broken up the heart of many a poor boy,
But you never will break up mine.

I'll take my knapsack on my back,
And a parasol (parcel) in my hand.
I will travel this wide world over,
Until I find some better a land.

Till I find some better a land, my little love,
Till I find some better a land.
I will travel this wide world, my love,
Till I find some better a land.

Oh, it's who will shoe your pretty little foot,
And who will glove your hand?
Or who will kiss those red rosy cheeks
When I'm in a foreign land?

When I'm in a foreign land, my little love,
When I'm in a foreign land,
Oh, who will kiss those red rosy cheeks
When I'm in a foreign land?

My papa will shoe my little foot,
My mama will glove my hand,
And you may kiss my red rosy cheeks
When you return from the foreign land.

When you return from the foreign land, my little love,
When you return from the foreign land.
And you may kiss my red rosy cheeks
When you return from the foreign land.

Oh I wish I'd died when I were young,
Or never had been born,
Before I seen those red rosy cheeks,
And heard that flattering tongue.

This is from Frank Warner, Collected from Lee Presnell, TN in 1951. It is yet another turtle dove song with some Annie of Loch Royal added in.

These are some of the many songs that have similar lyrics. Hope this sheds some light on Lily May's "White Oak Mountain."

'Til next time,

Richard