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Alabama Gals (see also: BUFFALO GALS) (See: Alabama Gal Give the Fiddler A Dram)
Traditional Old-Time; Breakdown, Song. North Ga., central Ala.
ARTIST: Standard Buffalo Gal Lyrics
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes.
DATE: Mid-1800’s. Used in the 1850’s at minstrel shows.
OTHER NAMES: (The “Buffalo” name can be changed to any city’s name, and was used as New York Gals etc.)"Round-Town Girls/Gals," “Buffalo Girls/Gals,” “Portsmouth Airs”; “Bear Creek Hop” has same melody.
RELATED TO: "Dance all Night" "Alabama Gal Give the Fiddler A Dram" "Give The Fiddler a Dram" “Bear Creek Hop”
RECORDING INFO: Seeger, Pete;, Mike Seeger, and Larry Eisenberg. American Playparties/Play Parties, Folkways FC 7604, LP (1959), cut#A.04; Stoneking, Lee R.. Missouri Old Time Fiddling, Stoneking, LP (197?), cut#A.04 (Alabama Gals); Warren, Paul. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 12/1, p55 (Alabama Gals)
SOURCES: Lyrics from "Folk Song USA" John and Alan Lomax. Woodring and Neithammer (Pa.) [Kuntz]. Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 323. Marimac Cassette, "Tuesday Nite Live." Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc.
NOTES: One frequent name for “Buffalo Gals” in the south is "Alabama Gals" when played as a fiddle tune for dances. The title "Alabama Gal Give the Fiddler A Dram" has been used in connection with the tune "Dance all Night." Gid Tanner's version uses the "Buffalo Gals" melody and quotes a line form the lyrics (See: Alabama Gal Give the Fiddler A Dram) Listen To Tanner:
Clayton McMichen plays a great version titled, "Give The Fiddler a Dram" which uses the Buffalo Gals melody for the A strain. Listen Here
Listen to instrumental version: Give the Fiddler a Dram- Alan Lomax Collection - Black Appalachia track 10 featuring Murphy Gribble, John Lusk & Albert York. Leadbelly also does a fast guitar version with ad lib floating lyrics. See: "Fiddler's Dram" and "Gwine Dig A Hole."
"G Major. Standard. AABB. This popular melody was in the repertoire of Fiddlin John Carson (north Ga., 1922) under this title. It was predicted (in the Chilton County {Ala.} News of June 1st, 1922) to "vie with the latest jazz nerve wreckers for first place" at a Chilton County convention (Cauthen, 1990). African-American fiddler Joe Thompson played this tune in GDGD tuning." Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
Fiddler Henry Reed played "Alabama Girls" which is a different tune related to "Ebenezer." Reed probably couldn't remember the name.
ALABAMA GALS- Standard lyics
Alabama gals, won’t ya come out tonight,
Woncha come out tonight, won’t ya come out tonight?
Alabama gals, won’t ya come out tonight,
And dance by the light of the moon?
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin',
And her heel kept a-rockin' and her toe kept a-knockin',
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin',
And we danced by the light of the moon.
O yes, pretty boys, we're comin' out tonight,
We're comin' out tonight, we're comin' out tonight,
O yes, pretty boys, we're comin' out tonight,
And dance by the light of the moon.
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin',
And her heel kept a-rockin' and her toe kept a-knockin',
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin',
An' her heel kept a-rockin' to the moon.
As I was walking down the street,
Down the street, down the street,
A pretty girl I chanced to meet,
Under the silvery moon.
I asked her if she'd stop and talk,
Stop and talk, stop and talk,
Her feet covered up the whole sidewalk,
She was fair to view.
I asked her if she'd stop and dance,
Have a dance, care to dance,
I thought that I might get a chance,
To shake a foot with her.
I asked her if she'd be my wife,
Be my wife, be my wife,
Then I'd be happy all my life
If she'd marry me.
I danced with the dolly with a hole in her stocking,
And her feet kept a-rocking & her knees kept a-knocking,
Oh I danced with the dolly with a hole in her stocking,
And we danced by the light of the moon.
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