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Big Ball In Memphis/Two Dollar Bill/Yonder Comes The High Sheriff/Long Journey Home/Deadheads and Suckers
*Note this is a different song than the "Big Ball in Town" songs
Old-Time, Song Tune. Traditional;
ARTIST: Georgia Yellow Hammers
Listen: Georgia Yellow Hammers- Big Ball In Memphis
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: 1800’s- Version printed in Sandberg in 1927
RECORDING INFO: Long Journey Home [Me II-U 6]
Rt- Worried Man Blues; Gotta Travel On; Yonder Comes the High Sheriff
At - I'm On My Long Journey Home
Wernick, Peter (ed.) / Bluegrass Songbook, Oak, Sof (1976), p 63a
Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1977/11,p20b (Two Dollar Bill)
Cobb, Roy. Roy Cobb, Old Homestead OHS 90057, LP (1975), trk# A.02
Cooper, Wilma Lee. Cooper, Wilma Lee. Songs to Remember, Cooper, Fol (196?), p14 (Lost All My Money But a Two Dollar Bill)
Eanes, Jim; and the Shenandoah Valley Boys. Early Days of Bluegrass, Vol. 4, Rounder 1016, LP (1978), trk# 1 [1958]
Jenkins, Snuffy; and Pappy Sherrill. Snuffy Jenkins. Pioneer of the Bluegrass Banjo, Arhoolie 9027, CD (1998/1962), trk# 5
Lilly Brothers. Lilly Brothers: Early Recordings, County 729, LP (1971), trk# 4 [1956]
Mainer, Wade. From the Maple on the Hill, Old Homestead OHTRS 4000, LP (1976), trk# C.03
Marion, Carlie; and Andy Cahan. Going Across the River to Hear my Banjo Ring, Marimac 9018, Cas (1988), trk# 5 (Lost All My Money But a Two Dollar Bill)
Monroe Brothers. Feast Here Tonight, Bluebird AXM2-5510, LP (1975), trk# 1 [1936/02/17] (My Long Journey Home)
Neaves, Glen; and the Virginia Mountain Boys. Country Bluegrass from Southwest Virginia, Folkways FA 3830, LP (1974), trk# B.01 (Two Dollar Bill)
New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 3, Folkways FA 2398, LP (1961), trk# 16 (My Long Journey Home)
New Lost City Ramblers. Cohen, John, Mike Seeger & Hally Wood / Old Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1976/1964), p176 ()
Reno, Don;, Bill Harrell and the Tenn. Cutups. Don Reno and Bill Harrell with the Tennesse Cutups, Rural Rhythm RR 171, LP (1967), trk# 3
Scruggs, Earl. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1981/03,p18 (Lost All My Money But a Two Dollar Bill)
Smith, Glen; & the Mountain State Pickers. Fiddler, Bluetick BTR 101, LP (197?), trk# B.03 (Two Dollar Bill)
Stanley, Ralph. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1981/05,p23
Watson, Doc; Clint Howard and Fred Price. Old Timey Concert, Vanguard 107/8, Cas (1987/1967), trk# A.11
RELATED TO: "Worried Man Blues;" "Gotta Travel On"
OTHER NAMES: "Long Journey Home" "Yonder Comes the High Sheriff"
SOURCES: Folk Index
Traditional Ballad Index: Two Dollar Bill (Long Journey Home)
DESCRIPTION: Singer has lost "lost all my money but a two dollar bill"; he's homesick, lonesome and blue. He sees the smoke of a train, and says he's on his long journey home.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1936 (recording, Monroe Brothers)
KEYWORDS: poverty homesickness loneliness train travel lyric nonballad
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 177, "My Long Journey Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Jim Eanes, "Long Journey Home" (Blue Ridge 201, n.d.)
Monroe Brothers, "My Long Journey Home" (Bluebird B-6422, 1936)
New Lost City Ramblers, "My Long Journey Home" (on NLCR03, NLCRCD1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Worried Man Blues" (tune)
NOTES: This should not be confused with the song composed by Rosa Lee and Doc Watson, "Your Long Journey."
Traditional Ballad Index: Yonder Comes the High Sheriff
DESCRIPTION: "Yonder comes the high sheriff ridin' after me, Ridin' after me, yes, ridin' after me. Yonder comes... O it's captain, I don't want to go." "Been down to Frankfort servin' out my time...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg; recording, Ollis Martin)
KEYWORDS: prison police
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Sandburg, p. 213, "Yonder Comes the High Sheriff" (1 short text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Ollis Martin, "Police and High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down" (Gennett 6306, 1928; rec. 1927; on StuffDreams1)
Poplin Family, "Goin' Back to Sumter" (on Poplin01)
NOTES: "Gotta Travel On" became enormously popular in the 1950s-1960s folk revival, to the point where it was a parodied cliche; the song was always credited to Paul Clayton. This song, though, is clearly its source. Ollis Martin's recording seems to have been made only a few weeks before Sandburg's book was published. - PJS
NOTES: The “Big Ball in Memphis” by the Georgia Yellow Hammers is a version of the Long Journey Home family of songs which include "Yonder Comes the High Sheriff," "Goin' Back to Sumter," "Deadheads and Suckers" and "Gotta Travel On."
In bluegrass circles it's known as "My Long Journey Home" (Monroe) or "Long Journey Home." In 1927 Carl Sandburg published a version titled "Yonder Comes the High Sheriff." The song cycle is an old one and surely dates back to the 1800s
The “Big Ball in Memphis” is not related titled "Big Ball in Town/Roll on The Ground" songs.
BIG BALL IN MEMPHIS- Georgia Yellow Hammers
Listen: Georgia Yellow Hammers- Big Ball In Memphis
Looked out at the window, what do you reckon I see
What do you reckon I see boys and what do you reckon I see
Looked out at the window, what do you reckon I see
The high sheriff is right after me.
Before I'd be arrested, I'd fight him at my door
Fight him at my door boys, I'd fight him at my door
Before I'd be arrested, I'd fight him at my door
Nobody to go my bond
Yonder comes my sweetheart with a ten dollar bill
Ten dollar bill boys, ten dollar bill
Yonder comes my sweetheart with a ten dollar bill
She's going to go with me
There's a big ball in Memphis and I'm bound to go
I'm bound to go boys, I'm bound to go
There's a big ball in Memphis and I'm bound to go
Nobody to go with me
I hopped out of the window and tore down the blind
Tore down the blind boys, tore down the blind
I hopped out of the window and tore down the blind
Doggone my rowdy times
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