|
CHARLES GUITEAU
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown and Ballad
ARTIST: Lyrics as collected from Clorine Lawson, Kentucky, 1977; reprinted in W. K. McNeil, Southern Folk Ballads, Little Rock, AK, 1988.
Listen: Clorine Lawson - Cloyd Ridge, Monroe County I Kind Of Believe It's A Gift - Field Recordings from Kentucky 1977
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: 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- Clorine Lawson
Listen: Clorine Lawson - Cloyd Ridge, Monroe County I Kind Of Believe It's A Gift - Field Recordings from Kentucky 1955-77
Come all you young people and listen unto me,
And likewise pay attention to these few words I say.
For the murder of James A. Garfield, I am condemned to die
On the thirtieth day of June, upon a scaffold high.
CHORUS:My name is Charles Guiteau, that name I'll never deny.
I left my aged parents in sorrow for to die.
How little did I think, while in my youthful bloom,
That I'd be taken to the scaffold to meet my fatal doom.
'Twas down at the depot I tried to make my escape.
But, Providence against me, I found I was too late.
I tried to play insane; I found that would not do.
The people were against me, proved I was untrue.
My sister came to prison to bid her last farewell.
She threw her arms around me and wept most bitter and well.
She says, "My darling brother, tomorrow you must die,
For the murder of James A. Garfield, upon the scaffold high."
The hangman is a-waiting, it's a quarter after three.
The black cap's on my forehead, I can no longer see,
The black cap's on my forehead, I can no longer see,
But when I'm dead and buried, oh Lord, remember me.
|