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Devilish Mary
Traditional Old Time Ballad and Breakdown- US; widely disseminated.
ARTIST: Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers; Skillet Lickers, Vol. 1,
County 506, LP (196?), cut# 6
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Earliest date-1897.
OTHER NAMES: I'm Going to Take the Train to Charlotte
RECORDING INFO: Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers, "Devilish Mary" (Columbia 15589-D, 1930; on CrowTold02, GTanner01); Pete Seeger, "Devilish Mary" (on PeteSeeger02, PeteSeegerCD01) Art and Paul. Hangin', Drinkin' and Stuff, Columbia CL 1702, LP (196?), cut# 3; Atcher, Bob. Early American Folk Songs, Columbia HL 9006, LP (1949), cut#B.01; Beers Family. Golden Skein, Biograph BLP-12054, LP (1972), cut# 3; Beers Family. Introducing the Beers Family, Columbia MS-6705, LP (196?), cut#A.04; Bluestein, Evo. Evo's Autoharp, Greenhays GR 715, LP (1985), cut# 11; Brand, Oscar. Shivaree!, Esoteric ES-538, LP (1955), cut# 12; Hall, Kenny; and the Sweets Mill String Band. Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band, Bay TPH-727, LP (1973), cut#B.01; Highwoods String Band. No. 3 Special, Rounder 0074, LP (1978), cut# 9; Ives, Burl. Women. Folk Songs About the Fair Sex, Decca DL 8246, LP (195?), cut#B.05; Neaves, Glen; and the Grayson County Boys. Traditional Music From Grayson and Carroll Counties, Folkways FS 3811, LP (1962), cut# 5; Odetta. Odetta at Town Hall, Vanguard VRS-9103, LP (1962), cut#A.04; Red Fox Chasers. Red Fox Chasers, County 510, LP (1967), cut# 10; Skillet Lickers. Skillet Lickers, Vol. 1, County 506, LP (196?), cut# 6; Stamper, Billy Don; and Earl Thomas, Jr.. Land of Yahoe, Rounder 8041, CD (1996), cut#16; Tanner, Gordon; and Joe Miller. Skillet Licker Music, 1955-1991. The Tanner Legacy, Global Village C 310, Cas (1992), cut#B.06; Wills, Bob; and the Texas Playboys. Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 6. Sally Goodin, Kalidescope F-27, LP (1987), cut# 12;
SOURCES: Lomax-FSNA 93, "Devilish Mary,” American Balladry from British Broadsides, Amer. Folklore Society, Bk (1957), p275; Anderson, Jubal. Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p101; Laws Q4, "Devilish Mary" Randolph 437, "Devilish Mary;" Lomax-FSNA 93, "Devilish Mary;" Chase, pp. 154-155, "Devilish Mary;" Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 721, "Devilish Mary;" PSeeger-AFB, p. 70, "Devilish Mary;" Darling-NAS, pp. 145-149, "Devilish Mary;" Silber-FSWB, p. 191, "Devilish Mary"
NOTES: The song of English origin was popular in the Georgia area not only with the Skillet Lickers but other recording artists like Roba Stanley. Fiddlin' John Carson did a song with the same melody titled, "Take the Train to Charlotte." Found in Jubal Anderson’s Fiddle Book-Oak Pub. and Kenny Hall’s Music Book- Mel Bay Pub. (with words from the Skillet Lickers and fiddle solo). The verse to this popular ballad (Laws Q4) has a similar melody to “Old Joe Clark” and "Yankee Doodle."
LYRICS:
Verse: When I was young and foolish,
I thought I never would marry
Fell in love with a pretty little gal
And sure enough we married.
Chorus: Rattle, rattle ring-dum daree
The prettiest little gal that ever I saw
Her name was Devilish Mary.
We both were young and foolish
She was just a girly
We both agreed upon one word
Our wedding day was Thursday.
Rattle, rattle ring-dum daree
The prettiest little gal that ever I saw
Her name was Devilish Mary.
We hadn't been married but about six weeks
She got mean as a devil
Every time I look cross-eyed
She knocked me in the head with a shovel.
Rattle, rattle ring-dum daree
The prettiest little gal that ever I saw
Her name was Devilish Mary.
We hadn't been married but about six months
We both agreed to be parted
So she up with her leather goods
And down the road she started.
Rattle, rattle ring-dum daree
The prettiest little gal that ever I saw
Her name was Devilish Mary.
She filled my back with ol' soap suds,
Filled my back with stitches,
She let me know right at the start
She's gonna where my britches.
Rattle, rattle ring-dum daree
The prettiest little gal that ever I saw
Her name was Devilish Mary.
If I marry another time,
Gonna be for love and not riches
Marry a little gal about two feet high
She can't wear my britches.
Rattle, rattle ring-dum daree
The prettiest little gal that ever I saw
Her name was Devilish Mary.
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