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Been to the East, Been to the West
Old-Time, Breakdown. Traditional music and words.
ARTIST: Leake County Revelers;
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbfDPkP21pE&feature=related
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes;
DATE: Black-Eyed Susiannah! 1846; Published 1911 JOAFL Ames; Revelers 1927-1928.
RECORDING INFO: Columbia 15318 (78 RPM), Leake County Revelers (1928). Varrick VR -038, Yankee Ingenuity - "Heatin' Up the Hall" (1989). Leake County Revelers. Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, Vol. 2, County 529, LP (1975), cut# 12 .Winston, Dave. Southern Clawhammer, Kicking Mule KM 213, Cas (1978), cut#B.05. Yankee Ingenuity. Heatin' up the Hall, Varrick 038, LP (1989), cut# 4a . Bubba Hutch- Clawhammer Banjo.
OTHER NAMES: "Great Big Yam Potatoes" A similar tune is "Going to Chattanooga," in the 'A' part.
SOURCES: Liz Slade (Yorktown, New York) [Kuntz]; Mary Lea [Phillips]. Kuntz, Private Collection. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 29. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 26. Leake County Revelers Volume 1, 1927-1928 Document DOCD-8029; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc.
NOTES: G Major. Standard. AB (Phillips): AABB (Kuntz, Songer). Traditional Fiddle and clawhammer banjo tune. The song became a popular play-party song in the late 1800s and early 1900. The first published lyrics are from the 1846 minstrel song "Brack Eyed Susianna."
In 1846 (and 1848) a minstrel tune was published as "Brack Eyed Susianna," by A. Fiot, Philadelphia. Copies are in American Memory and the Levy collection. The blackface dialect is thick, but a little-less stylized version was published in a broadside by Pratt, Birmingham, England, about 1850; Bodleian Library, Ballads Catalogue, Harding B 11(360).
View page 1 Black-Eyed Susiannah!- View page 2 Black-Eyed Susiannah!-
Black-Eyed Susiannah!
I've been to the east, I've been to the west,
I've been to Indiana,
There is no one there, or anywhere,
Like my charming Susiannah.
As a play-party song it was first published by Ames in the 1911 JOAFL under the title "I've been to the East" (with music- see below). Ames said, "As this was sung, the real name of the father of some girl on the floor was substituted for "John Jones," and the young man without a partner chose her for his partner. Many of the plays included a method of changing partners."
I'VE BEEN TO THE EAST- 1911 with music; Ames- JOAFL
I've been to the East I've been to the West,
I've been to the jay-bird's altar,
And the prettiest girl I ever did see
Was old John Jones's daughter.
Randolph published a version in 1940 titled "Jaybird's Alter" with substantially the same lyrics as Ames (See Version 3). The only early recording I have is from fiddler Steve Meekin in 1941 (See Version 4).
Been to the East, Been to the West- Leake County Revelers 1928
Been to the east and been to the west
Been to Alabama
I'm gonna get me something for to eat
Gonna 'light on the Yellowhammer
Prettiest little girl I ever did see
Lives in Alabama
Wanna know her name, I'll tell you what it would be
Her name is Susianna
Been to the east and been to the west
Been to Alabama
Prettiest little girl I ever did see
Lives in Alabama.
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