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Devilish Mary
Traditional Old Time Ballad and Breakdown- US; widely disseminated.
ARTIST: Collected from Emma Dusenbury, Ark., 1930
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: This 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:
When I was young an' in my youth,
I thought I'd never marry;
But ever' time I'm away from home
It's hello, gals, won't you marry?
It's tararinktum, tararinktum ,
Tararinktum ready!
Well I went down to London town,
They called it Londonderry,
An' there I spied a purty little gal,
They called her Devilish Mary .
We got to courtin' very fast
An' got in the devil of a hurry;
We made up the match that very day
An' got married the very next Thursday.
We hadn't been married but about three weeks
Till she looked as mad as the devil,
An' ever' time I said a word
She hit me with the shovel.
We hadn't been married but about four weeks
Till I told her it was best we parted;
She didn't say nary a word to me,
But she gathered up her duds an' started .
If ever I marry ag'in in this world
It won't be for love or riches;
I'll marry a gal that's six foot high,
So she cain't git in my britches!
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