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Boat's up the River/Alabama Bound
Traditional Song and Fiddle Tune, Widely known; US south.
ARTIST: Roscoe Holcomb from The High Lonesome Sound 1965
Listen: Roscoe Holcomb- Boat's Up the River
Listen: Ola Bell Reed- Boat's Up the River
Listen: John Jackson- Boat's Up the River
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE (Boat's Up the River): Early 1900s- 1942 (see below)
DATE (Alabama Bound): c1939 First collected version 1908; First published in 1909 Hoffman; First Recording Papa Charlie Jackson, May 1925
RECORDING INFO: Boat's Up the River
Rt - Freight Train
Armstrong, Cort; and Blue Rooster. My Heart Is Fixed, Armstrong ARCD-1, CD (2001), trk# 11
Holcomb, Roscoe. High Lonesome Sound, Folkways FA 2368, LP (1965), trk# B.01
Holcomb, Roscoe. High Lonesome Sound, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40104, CD (1998), trk# 11
Holcomb, Roscoe. Bredenberg, Fly & Stephen Cicchetti (eds.) / Old-Time Country Guitar, Oak, Sof (1976), p34
Jackson, John. Blues and Country Dance Tunes from Virginia, Arhoolie 1025, LP (1966), trk# B.05
Jackson, John. Traum, Happy / Traditional and Contemporary Guitar Finger-Picking Styles, Oak, Sof (1969), p44
Powell, Dirk;, John Herrman, Tom Sauber. One Eyed Dog, Yodel-Ay-Hee 008, Cas (1993), trk# 9
Reed, Ola Belle. Old Time Banjo in America, Kicking Mule KM 204, LP (1978), trk# 15 [1975ca]
Reed, Ola Belle. Third Annual Farewell Reunion, Rounder 0313, CD (1994), trk# 6
Reed, Ola Belle; and Family. Ola Belle Reed & Family, Rounder 0077, LP (1977), trk# B.03
Sparkill Creek Seranaders. Young Fogies, Vol. II, Rounder 0369, CD (1995), trk# 17 [1994/05]
Traum, Happy. Relax Your Mind, Kicking Mule KM 110, LP (1975), trk# B.04
RECORDING INFO- Alabama Bound/Preacher Got Drunk: Pete Seeger, "Alabama Bound" (on PeteSeeger18) (on PeteSeeger22) (on PeteSeeger43) Tennessee Ramblers 1928 (The Preacher Got Drunk and Laid His Bible Down) Br 259; Delmore Brothers 1938. Bowlegs. Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.206 [1920s?]; Brown, Rich (Uncle Rich). Alabama. From Lullabies to the Blues, Rounder 1829-2, CD (2001), 8 [1937/07/25]; Edwards, Cliff (Ukelele Ike). Shakin' the Blues Away, Totem LP 1005, LP (198?), trk# A.04 [1940s]; Horton, Abe. Old Time Music from Fancy Gap, Heritage (Galax) 019, LP (1978), trk# 5; Leadbelly. Folk Go-Go, Verve/Folkways FV 9011, LP (1965), trk# 8
Morrison, Van;, Lonnie Donegan, and Chris Barber. Skiffle Sessions, Virgin 8 48307 2 4, CD (2000), trk# 7; Odetta. Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues, Tradition TLP 1010/TCD 1, CD (1996/1956), trk# 12; Reno, Don;, Bill Harrell and the Tenn. Cutups. Tally Ho, King Bluegrass KB-526, LP (1973), trk# 10; Reser, Harry. Banjos Back to Back, RCA (Victor) LPM-2515, LP (1962), trk# B.06a; Seeger, Pete. Treasures from the Folk Den, Appleseed CD 1046, CD (2001), 8; Snowden, Elmer; Quartet. Harlem Banjo, Riverside RLP 9349, LP (1961), trk# B.03; Ungar, Jay; and Lynn Hardy. Songs, Ballads and Fiddle Tunes, Philo 1023, LP (1975), trk# 6; Watson, Doc and Merle. Ballads from Deep Gap, Vanguard VSD 6576, LP (1971), trk# 12
RECORDING INFO- Don't You Leave Me Here/ Don't Leave Me Here: Barrier Brothers. Pickin' and Singin', Old Homestead OHCS 108, LP (1977), trk# 10 [1957ca] Big Joe Williams; Chasman, Paul. Solo Guitar, Rose, LP (1978), trk# B.02 Geremia, Paul. Hard Life Rockin' Chair, Adelphi AD 1020, LP (1973), trk# B.07 Kweskin, Jim; & the Jug Band. Jug Band Music, Vanguard VSD 79163, LP (1963), trk# 6 Laura Smith 1927; Morton, Jelly Roll (Ferdinand) 1939; Sunny Boy And His Pals or "Long Cleve Reed" and "Little Harvey Hull" Thomas, Henry (Ragtime Texas Henry). Texas Worried Blues, Yazoo 1080/1, LP (1989), trk# 23 Van Ronk, Dave. Folk Box, Elektra EKL-9001, LP (1964), trk# 62 Van Ronk, Dave. Blues Project, Elektra EKL-264, LP (1964), trk# B.01 Washboard Sam recorded "Don't Leave Me Here" in 1938
RELATED TO: "Baby Please Don’t Go” (form); Alabama Blues; Elder Green Blues;
OTHER NAMES (Alabama Bound): I'm Alabama Bound; Don't You Leave Me Here; Elder Green’s in Town; Preacher Got Drunk; Boat’s Up the River; Don't Ease Me In; Don't Leave Me Here; I'm Alabamy Bound;
SOURCES: Lomax-ABFS, pp. 206-209, "Alabama-Bound" (1 text, 1 tune, probably composite) MWheeler, pp. 54-55, "I'm Alabama Bound" (1 text, 1 tune); PSeeger-AFB, p. 44 "Alabama Bound" (1 text, 1 tune); Silber-FSWB, p. 47, "Alabama Bound" (1 text) Seeger, Pete. Sing Out! Reprints, Sing Out, Sof (196?), 2, p55; Seeger, Pete. Seeger, Pete / American Favorite Ballads, Oak, Fol (1961), p44
NOTES (Alabama Bound): Typical choruses include: "I'm Alabama bound, I'm Alabama bound/And if the train don't stop and turn around/I'm Alabama bound (I’ve got a mule to ride)"; Typical verses include: "Oh the preacher got drunk/He throwed his Bible down/Told his congregation/that he’s Alabama bound;” or “Don't you leave me here/Don't you leave me here/ If you must go/Leave me a dime for beer"; or "Don't you be like me... You can drink... cherry wine and let the whiskey be."
The sentiment of the song lyrics seem to come from the Minstrel stage. One possible source is "I Hab Leff Alabama" by Marshall S. Pike published in 1849:
Alabama agen, Alabama agen
And if I ever lib ‘till the sunrise tomorrow,
I’s a-goin’ back to Alabama agen.
Not many changes are needed to make it a version of Alabama Bound:
(Alabama bound, Alabama bound,
And if I ever lib ‘till the sunrise tomorrow
I’s Alabama bound)
In an interview with Alan Lomax, Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941) claimed to have written the song Alabama Bound in 1905 which he recorded for Bluebird in 1939 as "Don't You Leave Me Here." The Devil's Music: a history of the blues - Page 61 by Giles Oakley –1997: "In 1939 Jelly Roll Morton claimed to Alan Lomax to have made the song up himself in 1905 when he was in the Alabama barrell house circuit."
For his 1939 recording Morton was told to change the name from Alabama Bound to avoid possible copyright conflicts. [Morton: "but I am getting Alabama Bound in (in the session with Bluebird) and the title must be changed to- Don't You Leave Me Here."] Morton apparently left the Alabama Bound lyrics that he knew off his recording which features his vocals on only two verses.
The "Don't You Leave Me Here/Don't Leave Me Here" songs were also known as “Elder Brown’s in Town” in Texas and a similar version to Morton’s was recorded by Laura Smith in 1927. Little is known about the life of blues singer Laura Smith. She is thought to have come from Indianapolis, Indiana and is known to have toured the TOBA vaudeville circuit in the early 1920s. Her recording career began in 1924 on the Okeh label and ended in 1927 on Victor. Smith's 1927 version of Jelly Roll Morton's "Don't You Leave Me Here" is quite good and features lyrics that differ from Morton's classic 1939 solo version of the song. The first lyric section is more of an intro, it has a different melody and rhythm from Morton's version. The next five verses are similar to the standard blues/jazz versions. The third line of each verse has some unusual vocal phrasing.
[From Songsters and Saints by Paul Oliver p.116: In Texas W.H. Thomas of College Station included “Don’t You Leave me Here” in some current folk songs which he presented as a paper in 1912 to the Texas Folk Lore Society. Some years later Gates Thomas published his own, fuller version that included Alabama Boun’ with Elder Green verses, which he dated at 1908. “Several others were collected before or during the First World War in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee and in Alabama itself.” Its widespread distribution suggests its early date as a folk song. Though it was described as a dance, a song with the title Alabama bound was published as early as 1910 by Ed Rogers and Saul Aaronson which shows a clear link to the chorus of the folk song.”]
In 1909 a white New Orleans theatre pianist named Robert Hoffman published “I’m Alabama Bound” subtitled “The Alabama Blues.” Though not a blues in the strict 12-bar form it did feature enough characteristics to be considered one of the first published “blues.”
Here’s some info from Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff, "It Cert'ly Sound Good to Me": Sheet Music, Southern Vaudeville, and the Commercial Ascendancy of the Blues," American Music Vol. 14, No. 4 (Winter 1996), p406-408:
[Another historical landmark of blues in sheet music is 'I'm Alabama Bound,' claimed by Alabama-born, New Orleans-based mainstream theatre pianist Robert Hoffman. It was originally published in 1909 by Robert Ebberman, a clerk at the D. H. Holmes Department store on Canal Street. The cover of the original Ebberman edition notes that, although Hoffman adapted it as a'ragtime two-step,' 'I'm Alabama Bound' was also known as the 'The Alabama Blues.' The implication is that by 1909 the term blues was known to describe a distinctive folk-musical genre from which Hoffman extracted his melody.
"Paul Oliver has noted that 'Alabama Bound' was one of a song cluster which included 'Don't Leave Me Here' and 'Elder Green's in Town.' Oliver cites exemplary race recordings of it by Papa Charlie Jackson, Harvey Hull, Charlie Patton, and Henry Thomas, and there are others as well. Jelly Roll Morton claimed to have originated the tune when he 'hit Mobile in 1905,' and the relationship of Hoffman's composition to the blues Morton later recorded as 'Don't You Leave Me Here' is obvious.
"'I'm Alabama Bound' was also published in 1909 by the legendary African American concert pianist Blind Boone as one of three melodies constituting 'Boone's Rag Melody No. 2 – Strains From Flat Branch.' Robert Hoffman's version appears to have enjoyed the better measure of commercial success. Shortly after that version's initial publication, the copyright was transferred to the Music Shop, another Canal Street operation, which put out a new edition with a garish coon-song-style cover illustration. At the end of 1909 Prince's Band made a commercial recording of it, and in 1910 a vocal edition appeared with lyrics attributed to the Music Shop's proprietor, John J. Puderer. The lyrics include such blues-ready couplets as:
I'm Alabama bound, I'm Alabama bound,
I've tried to you out, I've got to turn you down.
I done told you, man*, for to be like me
Just drink good whisky, let your cocaine be.
"According to the cover of the vocal edition, Hoffman's 'I'm Alabama Bound' was being 'sung with great success' in mainstream vaudeville by the white Rag Trio. By 1910, the title was turning up in newspaper reports from African American entertainers. On a bill with Ma Rainey at the Belmont Street Theater in Pensacola, Florida, in February 1910, "Watkins and Watkins' were 'featuring a new act written by themselves entitled 'I'm Alabama Bound.'" A couple of months later a member of Richard and Pringle's Minstrel Band complained: 'We would like to know what to do when a band of fifteen pieces under the leadership of able Fred Simpson renders standard overtures from 'Il Trovatore,' William Tell,' etc., and some admirer of classic music shouts, 'play us Alabama Bound.' Well, it must be the way of the world." SOURCE: Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff, "It Cert'ly Sound Good to Me": Sheet Music, Southern Vaudeville, and the Commercial Ascendancy of the Blues," American Music Vol. 14, No. 4 (Winter 1996), p406-408]
[Blind Boone's Rag Medley #2 by John W. "Blind" Boone was published in 1909: The "Flat Branch" was an area of Columbia, Missouri where many amateur song purveyors tried their wares in the bars and the alleys. Boone seemed to spend as much time in these areas as he did entertaining the elite in concert halls as a savant oddity (a blind colored man with talent). Although this is not a true rag, but rather a collection of songs that influenced ragtime, it still contains some light syncopation reminiscent of the genesis of the genre from the previous decade. It opens and closes with Carrie's Gone to Kansas City, a well-known ditty of the day. I'm Alabama Bound, the Mississippi Valley song that follows, was also released by itself as a song/rag that same year by Robert Hoffman, and is considered to be the first blues-based tune ever in print.]
"Some rag-time historians think that the 'Alabama Bound' chorus of 'Rag Medley, No. 2' may be the first publication of boogie-woogie. (Berlin 1980, 155)" Cited by Ann Sears, "John William 'Blind' Boone, Piano-Composer: 'Merit, Not Sympathy Wins,'" Black Music Research Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Autumn 1989) p. 238
Preacher in the pulpit/preacher got drunk lyrics appear in fragments collected in Alabama and New Orleans, 1915-1916, in White, General and Misc. Labor, no. 51 and 52.
No. 51
Preacher in a pulpit,
Jumping up and down,
Negroes in the cornfield,
Shouting, "I'm Alabama bound."
No. 52
De preacher in de pulpit put his bible down,
And all the men* in the cotton field shouted,
"I'm Alabama bound."
White remarks "The first line comes from the common type of songs about women, in which a good-looking woman, a blondy woman, a brunette woman, etc., "make a preacher lay his Bible down."
In the section Songs About Women, White gives several examples:
No. 8
It takes a dark-skinned baby
To make a preacher throw his bible down.
Besides the blues versions first recorded in 1925 by Charlie Jackson, a hillbilly/country song with the preacher lyric entitled, “The Preacher Got Drunk and Laid His Bible Down” by the Tennessee Ramblers was recorded in 1928. “I’m Alabama Bound” was popularized by Lead Belly who recorded it June 15, 1940 in NYC on 051299-1. There were several recordings other popular recordings done in 1940 besides Leadbelly’s; the previously mentioned recording by Morton and a jump blues recording by Louis Jordan. Among the early blues recordings were two by Henry Thomas.
[From Devil’s Music: “Two of Thomas’ blues “Don’t Ease Me in” and “Don’t You Leave Me Here” written in 1928 and 1929 respectively are pretty much the same melody with only slightly different words. More interestingly they both relate to a very popular theme “Don’t leave me here, I’m Alabama bound.”]
In 1929 Thomas cut a version of "Don't Ease Me In" with the Alabama bound lyric:
"Don't You Leave Me Here" Henry Thomas 1929
Don't leave, oh don't leave,
Don't you leave me here.
It's all night long sweet Papa,
Don't leave me.
I'm going away and it won't be long,
Just ease your train, lovin' babe,
I'm Alabama Bound.
Another early blues by Furry Lewis has the Alabama Bound lyrics:
"Deputy told Kassie you must leave town
Believe to my soul I'm Alabama Bound."
"Kassie Jones" by Furry Lewis (Victor 21664, 1928)
The blues standard "Baby, Please Don't Go" is based on the Alabama Bound form and was originally called Don't Leave Me Here until the lyrics were changed. Here's some info:
"Baby Please Don't Go (Origins of a Blues)" by Max Haymes "Baby, Please Don't Go" is often associated with Poor/Big Joe Williams (in 1963,Paul Oliver credited him with composing it) who recorded several post-war versions of the song. But both he and "Baby Doo" Caston drew on a group of earlier blues songs: "Alabama Bound"/Elder Greene's In Town"/ "Don't Leave Me Here". Oliver reports that a Texas collector "published.. . an "Alabama Boun'" with Elder Green verses, which he dated from 1908." (5).
As Oliver notes, in 1925, banjoist Papa Charlie Jackson's "I'm Alabama Bound" showed the links between all three titles. "Elder Greene" would be featured on later recordings by Blind Lemon Jefferson Charlie Patton(1920s) and in 1958 by Mississippi singer/guitarist "Cat-Iron". "Alabama Bound" was recorded by Leadbelly in 1935 and 1940 and cropped up c.1956 by Lonnie Donegan during the British skiffle craze! Whilst "Don't Leave Me Here" was first recorded in 1927 by a Mississippi group who were sometimes billed as "Sunny Boy And His Pals" or "Long Cleve Reed" and "Little Harvey Hull". Tampa Red and Georgia Tom backed each other's vocals on "Mama Don't Leave Me Here" (1931) and "Don't Leave Me Here"(1932), respectively; but are 2 versions of an unrelated blues.
Washboard Sam recorded "Don't Leave Me Here" in 1938 again unheard by me but is probably an urbanised version of the Long Cleve Reed title or of "Baby Please Don't Go". The melody from this group of songs was utilised and speeded up with a more aggressive approach to the vocal. Indeed, Big Joe William's first postwar version of "Baby Please Don't Go" was titled "Don't You Leave Me Here", made in 1947. Though the string bass of Ransom Knowling and the drums of Judge Riley have been added to Sonny Boy's harp, giving a 'Chicago blues' feel to the song Joe himself, curiously, harks back to many of the lines of his 1935 recording with fiddle and washboard. These include the reference to "his long chain on" and "my baby's done lyin'.' Joe substitutes the phrase 'don't you leave me here' for 'baby please don't go' and changes the Southern locale of New Orleans for the more relevant one of Chicago, where he cut this track.
FINAL NOTES (Alabama Bound): Lomax collected various versions which were slightly different from the standard “Alabama Bound” songs. These Alabama Bound songs feature the Boat’s Up the River lyric and are similarly titled. Typical lyrics include: "Oh, the boat's up the river And the tide's gone down; I believe to my soul She's (Alabama/water) bound." Lovers are reunited by boat and train, Alabama bound. The Arctic explorer Cook is also mentioned as being Alabama bound to escape the cold. Some recording’s include Arthur "Brother-in-Law" Armstrong, "The Boat's Up the River" (AFS 3979 B3, 1940); Delmore Brothers, "I'm Alabama Bound" (Bluebird B-8264, 1939); Roscoe Holcomb, "Boat's Up the River" (on Holcomb1, HolcombCD1). The Traditional Ballad Index on-line attempts to separate them (Alabama Bound I and Alabama Bound II) but fails to do so.
An On-line source Tony Bove talks about Alabama Bound (May 7th, 2006): Well, I have versions by Tom Rush and Roger McGuinn (folk versions) as well as Charlatans. I don’t have Leadbelly’s version but know of it. Most likely the version you know is based on the one Leadbelly did, called “Alabama Bound” Louis Jordan did a jump blues version of “Alabama Bound.” Pete Harris covered it in 1934. Of course, these versions all quote the version by Jelly Roll Morton, which though recorded later (1938) was part of Morton’s repertoire from his early days. “I’m Alabama Bound” published by Robert Hoffman in 1911 [1909] combines three folk themes — the well known first part was claimed by Jelly Roll Morton as early as 1901 [1905]. “Alabama Bound Blues” was recorded by Ethel Ridley sometime between 1921 and 1925. The song is related to “Don’t You Leave Me Here” (please leave a dime for beer), well done by Jim Kweskin and his Jug Band (featuring Geoff Muldaur singing). Plenty of versions exist of “Don’t You Leave Me Here” or similar titles. One of my favorites is “Don’t You Leave Me Here” by Henry Thomas, which sounds more like “Don’t Ease Me In” (also by Henry Thomas). Henry Thomas even sings “I’m Alabama bound” in the lyrics, along with “dime for beer” and other essentials, but the tune is a bit faster. Well, that’s all I can report. The song is timeless and probably dates back to before there were trains to take these folks to Alabama. Maybe the Civil War. When Jelly Roll did it, a beer still cost a dime.”
There is also a popular song, "Alabamy Bound," with words and music by Bud De Sylva, Bud Green, and Ray Henderson, published in 1925. The Chorus is vaguely related; it begins: “I’m Alabamy bound.” This a different song. It was a popular jazz song in the 20’s and 30’s. It has been repeatedly confused with the song, "Alabama Bound/I’m Alabama Bound."
There are versions by Lonny Donegan and Van Morrison entitled “I’m Alabamy Bound” which are clearly versions of “Alabama Bound.” The song Big Daddy by John Loudermilk, which was recorded by various country artists, uses the “Alabama bound” tag. There’s even a variant by Lynyrd Skynyrd entitled “The Mississippi Kid” which uses the lyric tag.
NOTES: Boat's Up the River by Ola Belle Red is a version of Alabama Bound. The Folk Index online says it is related to Freight Train, although this is questionable. Here's the lyrics to a 1942 version of "Alabama Bound" with the "Boat's up the river" lyrics:
ALABAMA BOUND (steamboat song)
Oh, de boat's up de ribber,
An' de tide's gone down;
Believe to mah soul dat
She's Alabama boun'.
"Where was you, sweet Mama,
When de boat went down?"
"On de deck, baby, yellin',
'Alabama boun'!'"
Got a train in Cairo
Forty coaches long
All I want dat train to do
Is fetch mah gal along.
Doctuh Cook's in town,
Doctuh Cook's in town
He foun' de No'th Pole so doggone cold
He's Alabama boun'.
Sung by Tom Gregory of Georgia. From Satis N. Coleman and Adolph Bregman, 1942, "Songs of American Folks," pp. 62-63. Reproduced in Botkin, B. A., 1955 (1978 Bonanza), "A Treasury of Mississippi Folklore," p. 598 with music.
Boat's Up The River- Ola Belle Reed
Boat's up the river won't come down
tell by the way she's comin', Alabamy bound.
Alabamy bound, boys, Alabamy bound
Tell by the way she's comin', Alabamy bound.
Well there' just one thing that bothers my mind
it's my old Waterbury, she can't keep time
She won't keep time boys, can't keep time
it's my old Waterbury, she can't keep time
BOAT'S UP THE RIVER- Roscoe Holcomb from The High Lonesome Sound 1965
(Lyrics from: Fly Bredenberg and Stephen Cicchetti, Old-Time Country Guitar, Oak, 1976, p. 35; with Tab)
The boat's up the river and it won't come down,
Then I believe to my soul, Lord, that I'm waterbound.
If the river was whiskey and I was a duck,
Lord, I'd dive to the bottom and I'd never come up.
Going down to the river, take my rocking chair,
If that blues overtakes me, rock away from here.
The boat's up the river and it won't come down,
Then I believe to my soul, Lord, that I'm waterbound.
I'll go down to the river, and I'll set right down,
If those blues don't leave me, jump in the river and drown.
Repeat first verse.
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