|
Charles Guiteau
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown and Ballad
ARTIST: Two versions: 1) Lyrics as collected in South Dakota; first published in Louise Pound, American Ballads and Songs, New York, NY, 1922, p. 146;
2) Bascom Lamar Lunsford from Bascom Lamar Lunsford's World.
Listen: Basom Lamar Lunsford Charles Guiteau
Also Listen: Clorine Lawson - Cloyd Ridge, Monroe County I Kind Of Believe It's A Gift - Field Recordings from Kentucky 1955-77
LISTEN: Kelly Harrell Version 1
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Late 1800's
OTHER NAMES: "Charles Giteau;" "Ewing Brooks;" "The Murder of F. C. Benwell;" Johnny Runkins ; Death of Young Bendall ; Lament of James Rodgers
RELATED TO: (melody) Floyd Collins; (melody) Little Mary Phagan; Coal Creek Troubles ; Jimmy Brown (the Newsboy)
RECORDING INFO: Kelly Harrell, "Charles Giteau" (Victor 20797B, 1927; on KHarrell02, AAFM1) Roscoe Holcomb, "Charles Guitau" [instrumental version] (on Holcomb1); Loman D. Cansler, "Charles Guiteau" (on Cansler1); Harrell, Kelly; & the Virginia String Band. Kelly Harrell and the Virginia String Band, County 408, LP, cut# 3; Harrell, Kelly; & the Virginia String Band. Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW 40090, CD( (1997), cut# 16; Harrell, Kelly; & the Virginia String Band. Old Time Ballads from the Southern Mountains, County 522, LP (197?), cut# 12; Holcomb, Roscoe. High Lonesome Sound, Folkways FA 2368, LP (1965), cut#B.05; Lawson, Clorine. I Kind of Believe It's A Gift, Meriweather Meri 1001-2, LP (198?), cut# 18; Phipps Family. Phipps Family, Folkways FA 2375, LP (1965), cut# 11; Scott and Stanley. Hard Times in the Country, Talkeetna TR 100, LP (1974), cut#B.06
SOURCES: Laws E11, "Charles Guiteau;" Randolph 134, "Charles Guiteau;" Eddy 128, "Charles Guiteau, or, The Murder of James A. Garfield;" Friedman, p. 230, "Charles Guiteau;" McNeil-SFB1, pp. 56-59, "Charles Guiteau;" Combs/Wilgus 58, pp. 186-187, "Charles J. Guiteau;" Lomax-FSNA 142, "Charles Guiteau" (1 text, 1 tune, claiming to be a transcription of the earliest recorded version by Kelley Harrell -- but in fact the text has been slightly modified); LPound-ABS, 65, pp. 146-148, "Charles Guiteau or James A. Garfield;" Darling-NAS, pp. 192-193, "Charles Guiteau;" Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 48 "Charles Giteau;" Silber-FSWB, p. 290, "Charles Guiteau;" American Ballads and Songs, Scribners, Sof (1972/1922), p146; Native American Balladry, Amer. Folklore Society, Bk (1964), p181; Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 48; Lambert, Corie. Southern Folk Ballads, Vol. 1. American Originals: A Heritage..., August House, Sof (1987), p. 56; Lawson, Clorine. Southern Folk Ballads, Vol. 1. American Originals: A Heritage..., August House, Sof (1987), p. 58; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
NOTES: "G Major. Standard. AABBCC. Jere Canote [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1), 1994; pg. 46. Lomax-FSNA 142, "Charles Guiteau" transcription of the earliest recorded version by Kelly Harrell." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
On July 2, 1881 James A. Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau, who thought Garfield owed him a patronage job. Garfield had been president for less than four months. This ballad about the murder of James Garfield is also listed as a fiddle tune in some (Phillips) editions. Garfield died on Sept 19, 1881 and on June 30, 1882 Charles Guiteau was hanged.
The song derives from "The Lamentation of James Rodgers" (executed Nov. 12, 1858) or one of its kin- "My Name it is John T. Williams"
CHARLES GUITEAU- Louise Pound
Come all you tender Christians, wherever you may be,
And likewise pay attention to these few lines from me.
For the murder of James A. Garfield I am condemned to die
On the thirtieth day of June, upon the scaffold high.
CHORUS:My name is Charles Guiteau, my name I'll ne'er deny.
I leave my aged parents in sorrow for to die.
But little did they think, while in my youthful bloom,
I'd be taken to the scaffold to meet my earthly doom.
'Twas down at the station I tried to make my escape,
But Providence being against me, there proved to be no show.
They took me off to prison while in my youthful bloom
To be taken to the scaffold to meet my earthly doom.
I tried to [play off] insane but found it ne'er would do,
The people were all against me, to escape there was no clue.
Judge Cox, he read my sentence, his clerk he wrote it down,
I*d be taken to the scaffold to meet my earthly doom.
My sister came to see me, to bid a last farewell.
She threw her arm around me and wept most bitterly.
She says, "My darling brother, this day you must cruelly die
For the murder of James A. Garfield, upon the scaffold high."
CHARLES GUITEAU- Lunsford Listen: Basom Lamar Lunsford Charles Guiteau
Come all you Christian people, wherever you may be,
And likewise pay attention to these few lines from me.
On the thirtieth day of June when I am condemned to die
For the murder of James A. Garfield, upon the scaffold high.
CHORUS: My name is Charles Guiteau, my name I'll never deny.
I leave my aged parents in sorrow for to die.
But little did I think, while in my youthful bloom,
That I'd be taken to the scaffold to meet my fatal doom.
My sister came to prison, to bid me a last farewell.
She threw her arms around me and bitterly did dwell.
She says, "My darling brother, this day you must die
For the murder of James A. Garfield, upon the scaffold high."
They carried me to a depo I thought I'd make my escape,
But Providence was against me, I found I was too late.
They took me off to prison all in my youthful bloom
They carried me to the scaffold to meet my earthly doom.
Now that I'm on the scaffold I bid you all adieu,
The hangman is a waiting for a quarter of an hour or two.
Black cap's on my forehead I never more will see,
When I'm dead and buried you'll all remember me.
|