566. Down by de Ribberside

566
Down by de Ribberside

The song resembles the refrain in 'Down by the River.' in T. P.  Fanner. Religious Folk Songs of the Negro (Hampton, Va., 1916),   p. 167. The chorus and first stanza are close to part of a song in  Utica Jubilee Singers Spirituals as Sung at the Utica Xormal and  Industrial Institute of Mississippi (New York, 1930), pp. 16-17. 1"  pattern and diction, the whole resembles 'Down by the Riverside,'  in Fauset JAF"L XL 297. Cf. .Sandburg, ASb 480-1, and 'Gwine-a  Study War No Mo'!' in W. A. Fisher, Sc-c'enty Negro Spirituals  (Boston, 1926), pp. 60-2.

From W^ J. Andrews, Raleigh (?). witiiout datf. Dr. Brown's cor-
respondence with Mr. Andrews contains four l(.•tte^^, dating 1927-42, l)ut
no reference to this text.

1 Down hy de rihherside,
Down hv de rihherside.

Ain' gwine ter study 'hout war no mo';

Down hv de rihherside,

Down hv de rihherside,

Ain' gwine ter study 'hout war no mo'.

2 Down hv de rihherside,
Down hy de riljlierside,

Ain" gwine ter study 'bunt peace no mo";

Down by de ril)berside,

Down by de ribberside,

Ain' gwine ter study 'bcnit peace no mo'.

3 Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribberside,

Ain' gwine ter study 'bout nothin' no more ;
Down by de ribberside,
Down by de ribl:)erside.
Jest goin' ter study 'Ijout beaben some more.

----------------------
566

Down by De Ribberside

'Down by De Ribberside.' Sung by W. J. Andrews, probably in Raleigh.
No date given. See III 619. For additional versions cf. RFSN 167 ; ASb
480-1 ; and SNS 60-2.

 
F-499

 Down by   de  rib - ber -  side,

 
Down  by  de rib - ber - side,

 

Ain' gwine  ter   stud - y  'bout  war  no  mo',  no mo'

 

Down by

de


rib - ber - side,


Down by de rib - ber - side,

 

 

Ain' gwine ter stud - y 'bout war no mo', no mo'. («

For melodic relationship cf. **SCS 24, compare measures 2-4 with our
repeated phrase; ANS 202, measures 3-4 with our 1-2 and 5-6.

Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: abab^ (2,2,2,2) ^ aa^
(4,4).


566(1) 'Down by de Ribberside.' MS score furnished by Miss Andrews of Raleigh,
the text furnished by Miss Clara Hearne of Roanoke Rapids, Halifax county,
in 1923. There is, however, another score which is also credited to Miss
Andrews, melody and text. The words as given in III 619-20 do not fit our
tune ! The beginning of the latter reminds one of 'Nobody Knows the
Trouble I've Seen.' Cf. also WNS 192-3.

F-500


Gwine to lay down my bur- den Down by the riv - er - side,

Down by the riv - er - side, —


Down by the riv - er - side,

Gwine to lay down my bur - den
Down by the riv - er - side

 

To stud - y war no more. — I ain't gwine stud - y war


no more, Ain't gwine stud - y war no more. Ain't gwine


stud- y war no more. — Ain't gwine stud-y war no more,

 

Ain't gwine stud - y war no more, Ain't gwine stud-y war no more.

For melodic relationship cf. ***Botsford 32-3, i, stanza only; ANS 202;
**SCS 24; *ASb 480, chorus only, although the intervallic progression of
"lay down my sword and shield" is the same as for "lay down my burden."

Scale: Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: abacded^ei (2,2,2,
2,2,2,2,2) = aa^bbi (4,4,4,4).