311
Shu Lady
Dr. Brown wrote the following note on the song :
"Words and air from Reverend Andrew Jackson Burrus, who
played his own accompaniment on his banjo. He was born and
reared in the territory concerned in this story, Rockford, I think.
Mr. Burrus was born evidently in the 1850's.
"This song records the incidents and results of the tearing-up
of the fish-trap of Pleasant Chandler and Jeremiah Phillips (his
son-in-law), which was located at the intersection of the Yadkin
and Fisher's River — a trap which extended up Fisher's River.
Chandler and Phillips owned the land on either side of Fisher's
River, Phillips on the west side and Chandler on the east.
* "no nearer heaven . . ." : an echo of Thomas Hood's poem / Remem-
ber, 11. 31-32.
726 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
"Chandler and Phillips sold fish to persons in all the small towns
along the River — Booneville, Rockford, Siloam, etc. — and to those
living in the country : in consequence those living in the two settle-
ments near the head of Fisher's River decided to tear up the fish-
dam so the fish could come up to them.
"Two different crowds went at the same time to tear up the dam,
all of the settlers having gone but one who was not able to go but
who furnished the whiskey for the crowd.
"They tore up the dam, but were prosecuted and lost the case.
Some had to sell their possessions, cows, to pay their fines. Mr.
Joe Dobson, of Rockford, was state solicitor ; Judge Cloud, orig-
inally of Rockford but at the time perhaps living in Winston-Salem,
was the judge.
"The song is the work of a woman by the name of Lawless, who
was not able to read or write, who was a sort of Amazon or virago,
who felt that she was the censor of the conduct of all persons in
her community, and who before the time of the episode recorded
in the song had had a grudge against a man named Bill Doss, who
(as owner) opened a little store up at Copeland, situated to the
northeast of the Fisher's River settlements. This store is still in
existence. She had doubtless made a song against Doss before she
began the attack on Chandler, Phillips, et al., but there is no trace
of this song except the suggestion in the chorus of Shu Lady. Her
quarrel with Doss seems to have been the result of an overcharge,
as she thought (Doss seems to have charged too much), on a spool
of thread.
"The Masons appear prominently in the song, as Chandler, the
plaintiff, and many of the jurors were Masons; Pilson was not a
Mason, and lived in one of the settlements."
The locale of this song is the same as that of one of the earliest
collections of folktales in America, H. E. Taliaferro's Fisher's
River (North Carolina) Scenes and Characters, by "Skitt, who was
raised thar," published in New York by Harper and Brothers in
1859. (See R. S. Boggs, "North Carolina Folktales Current in the
1820's," JAFL XLVii 269-88.)
'Shu Lady.' From the Reverend Andrew Jackson Burrus, whose early
addresses were Cliffside, Weaverville, and Rockford, in western North
Carolina, and who contributed to the Frank C. Brown Collection in the
years 1920-22. A phonograph recording of the song was made in
1921-22.
I Three cents is the money,
Five cents is the bill.
All I want's a quarter
To buy out Doss's hill.
Chorus:
Shu lady, shu gall,^
Shu 111 lady low.
I'm goin' to change the program
And sing on Doss no more.
* "gall" may be a scribal error for "gal."
NORTH CAROLINA BALLADS 727
2 Squire Brown says, 'Boys,
Come go along with me ;
We'll tear out all the mud-sills.
And let the fish go free.'
3 They all went down to the river.
Pleas came with his gun.
Ming Jenkins being the captain,
He bid his men to run.
4 Yonder comes old Abe Phillips f
He's as black as Hamlin's Sam.
He cuts him down some grape vines
To survey old Chandler's dam.
5 Henry Anderson says, 'Boys,
Into the water I can't go,
But I will treat to a gallon,
And I can't do any more.'
6 Yonder comes old Miss Chandler.
How do you reckon I know?
I know her by her horny-heads.
She's bound for Hamlin's store.
7 Joe Dobson says, 'J"dge Cloud,
Do sympathize with me,
For Chandler he's a Mason,
And so is brother Lee.'^
8 Turner Pilson hung the jury
For one long night and day,
To listen at Dobson's lies
And hear what Cloud would say.
9 Squire Brown was the magistrate ;■*
He marched along before.
But they made him shake his pocketbook
And sell his cow for more.
[O Ming Jenkins was the captain ;
He marched along before.
But they made him shake his pocketbook
And sell his cow for more.
[I If we had it to do over again.
We'd act a little more wise ;
* "Son of Chandler's brother-in-law." — MS note.
* "Lee Dobson, brother of Joe Dobson, solicitor." — MS note.
* "In the section in Fisher's River." — MS note.
728 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE
We'd object to a Freemason jury
And John EUis^ to swear the Hes.
--------------------
Shu Lady
'Shu Lady.' Sung by the Reverend Andrew Jackson Burrus. Recorded as ms
score at Cliffside, Rutherford county, 1921-22.
Scale : Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center : g. Structure : aba^bi (2,2,2,2) = aa^
(4,4)-