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Charleston Gals/Charleston Girls
Old-Time and minstrel song,
ARTIST: Slave Songs of the United States. New York: A. Simpson & Co., 1867.
Edited by William Francis Allen, 1830-1889, edited by, Charles Pickard Ware, 1840-1921, edited by, and Lucy McKim Garrison, 1842-1877.
Listen: Panther Hollow String Band; Charleston Gals
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1844 (1867)
RECORDING INFO: A Mixolydian. AABB. The melody is similar to (and perhaps a variant of) Henry Reed’s “Texas” and to a tune in Phil Rice's Banjo Instructor (1858) appearing under the title “Hi! Ho! Charleston Gals.” John Heine reports it apparently was in minstrel tradition under the later title and appears in sheet music from the mid-1840’s. West Virginia fiddler Melvin Wine plays a crooked version and sings a few words to it. Source for notated version: Melvin Wine (W.Va.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 46.
RELATED TO: "Billy Patterson” “Fire on the Mountain” “The Humors of Bantry” "Poor Old Man"
OTHER NAMES: "Charleston Girls”
SOURCES: Kuntz; Levy site; Songs of the Virginia Serenaders
NOTES: Listed in The Fiddler’s Companion as an Old-Time fiddle tune and breakdown; A Mixolydian. AABB. The old-time versions (see link to listen above) I've heard are different than the minstrel sheet music by Rice (Version 1) and that collected and publish in 1867 (Version 2). See Version 3 (fiddle tune) for similar lyrics to the recording. I haven't heard West Virginia fiddler Melvin Wine's version or seen his lyrics (according to Kuntz he sings a verse).
The melody is similar to (and perhaps a variant of) Henry Reed’s “Texas” and to a tune in Phil Rice's Banjo Instructor (1858) appearing under the title “Hi! Ho! Charleston Gals.” John Heine reports it apparently was in minstrel tradition under the later title and appears in sheet music from the mid-1840’s. West Virginia fiddler Melvin Wine plays a crooked version and sings a few words to it. Source for notated version: Melvin Wine (W.Va.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 46. Some lyrics are also found in the Chorus of Daniel Emmett’s Billy Patterson:
Bill Patterson rode bye (sic),
Old Bill your horse will die.
“He dies, I’ll tan his skin,
He lives I’ll ride agin.”
The shanty Poor Old Man from the singing of Richard Maitland found in Doerflinger - Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman - p 14, has similar lyrics:
POOR OLD MAN
(Doerflinger - Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman - p 14)
As I walked out up-on the road one day,
[for they say so, and they know so,]
I saw 'n old man with a load of hay,
[Oh, poor old man!]
Says I, old man, your horse is lame,
Says I, Old man that horse will die
Now if he dies he'll be my loss
And if he lives he'll be my horse.
And if he dies I'll tan his skin
If he live I'll ride him again
Similar lyrics can be found in other songs such as Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers 'Jaw Bone' recorded February 6, 1928 in Memphis, Tennessee, and issued as Victor 21577 in October 1928:
Little old man come riding by
Say, 'Old man, your horse will die'
'If he dies, I'll tan his skin
'If he lives, I'll ride him again'
Chorus: Walk jaw bone and walk away
Walk jaw bone both night and day
To what extent Daniel Emmett (Virginia Serenaders) 1844 song was an influence on the fiddle tune today is uncertain. It was popular during the Civil War period. It seems likely that Emmett wrote similar verses and the chorus was arranged from existing folk/minstrel lyrics such as the ones found in Ol’ Ridin’ Hoss and other songs.
Charleston Gals- 1867 lyrics
As I walked down the newcut road,
I met the tap and then I met the toad.
The toad commenced to whistle and sing
And the possum cut the pigeon wing.
CHORUS: Hi ho, for Charleston gals!
Charleston gals are the gals for me.
Along come an old man riding by;
Old man, mind, or your horse will die;
If he dies I'll tan his skin,
And if he lives I'll ride him agin.
As I went a-walkin' down the street,
Up steps Charleston gals to walk with me.
I kep' a walkin' and they kep' a talkin',
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin'.
Hi ho! for Charleston gals!
Charleston gals are the gals for me.
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