243
Jesse James
Probably the exploits and fate of no other American bandit are
so widely celebrated as those of this Missouri outlaw of the years
immediately following the Civil War. After about fifteen years of
successful operations on banks and trains he was shot by one of
his own gang, Robert Ford, for the sake of the $10,000 reward
offered by the governor of the state. James was living at the time
(1882) in St. Joseph under the name of Howard; one day, so the
story goes, when Ford was in the house with him, James climbed
a stepladder to correct the hanging of his wife's picture on the
wall ; and Ford seized the opportunity to shoot him. His taking
off by the hand of a traitor was just what was needed to make him,
in a sort, a popular hero. Roland had his Ganelon, Arthur his
Modred, and Jesse James his Robert Ford —
that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
And laid poor Jesse in his grave.
For some account of the range of the song in popular tradition see
BSM 401-4. To the references there given should now be added
North Carolina (FSRA 132), Mrs. Steely 186-8, two versions
(1933 and 1935), Virginia (Davis FSV 283, listed), Tennessee
(BTFLS II 28), Florida (FSF 99), and Michigan (BSSM 339-
40). Most of the texts reported are variations on what might be
called the vulgate fo'-m of the song, but there are a few that do
558 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
not belong to that tradition.^ Including fragments, there are ten
texts in our collection.
'Jesse James.' Collected by L. W. Anderson from Alva Wise, one of
his pupils in the school at Nag's Head on the Banks. The claim o<
authorship in the last stanza appears in various texts over the country,
most often with the name "Gashade."
1 Jesse James was a man that killed many a man.
He robbed the Danville train.
But the dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
Has laid Jesse James in the grave.
2 It was Robert Ford, that dirty little coward ;
I wonder how he does feel.
For he ate Jesse's bread and slept in Jesse's bed,
Then laid Jesse James in his grave.
3 Poor Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life.
Children that were brave ;
But that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard
Has laid Jesse James in his grave.
4 It was with his brother Frank they robbed the Gallatin
bank
And they carried their money from the town.
It was at that very place they had a little chase,
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground.
5 They went to the crossing not very far from there
And they did the same.
With the agent on his knees he delivered up his keys
To the outlaws, both Frank and Jesse James.
6 It was on Wednesday night, while the moon was shining
bright,
They robbed the Glendale train.
The people they did say, for many miles away,
It was robbed by Frank and Jesse James.
7 It was on Saturday night ; Jesse was at home
Talking to his family brave.
Robert Ford came along like a thief in the night
And he laid Jesse James in his grave.
8 How people held their breath when they heard of Jesse's
death
And wondered how he ever came to die !
^ Here it may be noted that the Brim text in BSM is the work, as he
has since told me, of Professor John Robert Moore, who was at the time
a student at the University of Missouri. ("Me" here means H. M. B.)
NATIVE AMERICAN BALLADS 559
It was one of the gang, called little Robert Ford ;
He shot Jesse James on the sly.
This song was made by Billy Bashade
As soon as the news did arrive.
He said, 'There's no man with the law in his hand
Can take Jesse James alive.'
'Jesse James.' Published in 1909 in JAFL xxii 246-7 by Louise Rand
Bascom. She supposes that "some Missouri mountaineer, moving back
to North Carolina, has brought the songs with him." It is the vulgate
version, but has some interesting variations from the normal text as we
have it in A. The chorus is represented as sung after each stanza except
the fourth and sixth.
1 Yes, I went down to the depot not many days ago ;
They followed on behind,
And I fell upon my knees, and I offered up the keys
To Frank and his brother, Jesse James.
C horns:
Poor Jesse James, poor Jesse James,
He robbed the Danville train ;
Yes, the dirty little coward, he shot Mr. Howard,
And they laid poor Jesse in his grave.
2 Frank says to Jesse, not many days ago,
'Let's rob that Danville train.'
An' Jesse says to Frank, 'We'll take it as we go,
For we may not be hyar any more.'
3 Jesse was a man, an' he travelled over the land,
With his sword an' his pistol to his side.
Robert Ford watched his eye an' shot him on the sly,
An' they laid poor Jesse in his grave.
4 Yes, Jesse had a wife, the darlin' of his life.
An' the children all was brave.
Robert Ford watched his eye an' shot him on the sly.
An' they laid poor Jesse in his grave.
5 It was on Friday night, the moon was shinin' bright.
An' Jesse was standin' 'fore his glass,
Robert Ford's pistol ball brought him tremblin' from the
wall.
An' they laid \k>ov Jesse in his grave.
6 Well, the people of the West, when they heard of Jesse's
death,
56o NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
They wondered how he come to die.
Robert Ford watched his eye an' shot him on the sly,
An' they laid poor Jesse in his grave.
'Jesse James.' Obtained from Otis S. Kuykendall, of Asheville, in 1939.
A shortened form, in which the traitor has become "little Robert Bly"—
to rhyme with "sly" — and the chorus is different:
Oh, Jesse, won't you meet me, oh, Jesse, won't you meet
me
On Canaan's happy shore ?
It was^on Friday night when the moon was shining bright
When they laid Jesse James in his grave.
'Jesse James.' From Lucille Cheek, Chatham county. A fragment, con-
sisting of the first stanza and the chorus of B.
'Jesse James.' From Mrs. Sutton, but she does not say when or from
whom she got it. Although she says that "the song continues through
an interminable recital of Jesse's crimes" she gives only four stanzas,
the first and third of which are the first and third of A, and the fourth
contains no new matter. But the second stanza introduces a Robin
Hood touch :
Jesse was a robber, but he robbed from the rich
And he gave what he got to the poor.
But the dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard,
He laid Jesse James in the grave.
'Jesse James.' From Thomas Smith of Zionville; not dated, but prob-
ably in 1915. Four lines only, which Smith calls "part of 'Jesse James'
as sung by our people. This was a popular song here twenty or more
years ago and is still sung a good deal as well as played on the fiddle."
When the people of the west heard of poor Jesse's death
They wondered how that hero came to die.
Robert Ford's pistol ball brought him tumblin' from the
wall.
And they laid Jesse James in his grave.
'Jesse James.' From the manuscript book of songs of Miss Lura Wag-
oner of Vox, Alleghany county, lent to Dr. Brown in 1936. .Mthough
it adds little new matter to the texts already given, it has a progressively
varied chorus the effect of which can best be seen if the whole text is
given.
NATIVE AMERICAN BALLADS 561
1 Jesse James was a man who traveled through the land.
He robbed many a coach and train.
Robert Ford caught his eye and shot him on the sly,
And they laid Jesse James in his grave.
Chorus:
Oh, Jesse, dear old Jesse!
How came the poor man to die?
Robert Ford caught his eye and he shot him on the sly.
And they laid Jesse James in his grave.
2 It was at the depot station not many days ago
He gave up the keys of the bank.
He fell upon his knees and delivered up the keys
Of the bank he had robbed the day before.
Chorus:
Oh, Jesse, dear old Jesse,
He robbed the Danville train.
Robert Ford caught his eye and he shot him on the sly.
And they laid Jesse James in his grave.
3 He was brushing pictures on the wall when shot with a
pistol ball ;
He hardly turned his face away.
That dirty little coward who shot Mr. Howard
Has laid Jesse James in his grave.
Chorus:
Oh, Jesse, dear old Jesse,
He was often giving alarm^ to the poor.
Robert Ford's pistol ball brought him tumbling from
the wall.
And they laid Jesse James in his grave.
4 Jesse James' little wive was a mourner all her life.
Her two children were very brave.
That dirty little coward who shot Mr. Howard
Has laid Jesse James in his grave.
H
'Jesse James.' As sung by Sam Summer at Bear Waller near Bat Cave,
Henderson county. Date not given. A very confused version of four
stanzas and chorus. Summer explained that Robert Ford and Charlie
Howard are the same person, and so they are in the first two stanzas and
the chorus but not in stanza 3, where "the thief and the coward who shot
Mr. Howard" "laid poor Jesse in the grave."
^ Presumably "alms" is meant.
562 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
'Song Ballet.' Collected by W. Amos Abrams at Boone from Margaiet
Barlow, who got it from friends in the Cove Creek section. This is not
a form of the vulgate version but an independent working over of the
story — on the model, to judge from the rhythm, of 'Casey Jones.'
1 Way down in Missouri lived a bold, bad man,
He was known from Seattle to the Birmingham,
Over Boston, Massachusetts, and across the state
From Denver, Colorado, to the Golden Gate.
2 People will forget a lot of famous names ;
Every nook and corner knew of Jesse James.
How we used to read about him in our homes at night,
When the wind blew down the chimney made us shake with
fright !
3 Jesse said to his boys, 'A little more coin we need.'
He polished up his rifle, got his trusty steed,
And he galloped o'er the mountain to his brother Frank,
Says, 'We need a little money from the Pittsfield bank.'
Her two children were very brave.
That dirty little coward who shot Mr. Howard
Has laid Jesse James in his grave.
4 Well, they got into town about nine o'clock.
The cashier of the bank he got an awful shock ;
While Jesse had him covered with his harmless forty-four,
Frank got half a million dollars or more.
5 Jesse was a-standing in the door all alone ;
His wife had left him there for to polish up the home.
He was standing in the corner when the door-bell rang
And up stepped forty members of the outlaw gang.
6 Jesse's wife's photo was a-hanging on the wall.
Jesse said to Robert Ford, 'Tonight we'll make a haul ;
For at ten o'clock tonight the western mail will be in town.'
Then he reached for the rifle, knocked the picture down.
7 Jesse said to Robert Ford, 'I'll hang it back up there.'
He stooped to pick it up ; he got up in a chair.
The old Ford leveled his pistol at poor Jesse James' head.
And the news flew o'er the country Jesse James was dead.
J
'Jessie James.' From the John Burch Blaylork Collection. The text is
the same as A except that the making of the song is ascribed in the last
stanza to "Billy Gashade" instead of "Billy Bashade."
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243
Jesse James
'Jesse James.' Sung by Mrs. Louise Rand Bascom. Recorded at Highlands,
Macon county, in 1914. Only in measures 2 and 5-6 is there any similarity to
the following version, 243H. For additional reference cf. CS 27-31.
For melodic relationship cf. **ABFS 128; ASb 420; FSUSA 296, No. 80;
*OFS II 23, version G.
Scale : Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center : a-flat.
2,2,2,2,2,2) = aa^ba^ (4,4,4,4) ^ Reprisenbar.
Structure : abacdb^ac (2,2,
Note. In 1925 Mr. Lunsford sang several songs for Mr. Robert W. Gordon,
and later Mr. Gordon sent him typewritten copies of the texts of those songs.
After some delay Mr. Lunsford sent to Dr. Brown (for whom he had already
sung in 1920 and 1921) a duplicate of these texts with the names of the people
from whom he had first received them — without, however, adding his own name.
The following versions should therefore be credited to Mr. Lunsford in H 561
(No. 243H), 571 (No. 248), 626 (No. 270H), and 658 (No. 282). Corrections
are also made below in the proper places.
H
'Jesse James.' Sung by Bascom Lamar Lunsford. Recorded at Bear Wallow,
Henderson county, probably 1921. Mr. Lunsford learned this from Sam Sum-
ner in 1903. He says that the latter was drunk at the time and therefore we
have the confused version as he learned it from the singer.
For melodic relationship cf. *ABFS 128; FSUSA 296, No. 80.
Scale: Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: aa^ba^ (4,4,4,4)
Reprisenbar.