Fly Around- Mrs. N.J. Herring (NC) c.1920 Brown D
[My date, title. From Brown Collection of NC Folklore, Volume 3, 1952. Stanza 2 The Gal from the South, Stanza 3 Shady Grove and Stanza 4 Woah Mule.
R. Matteson 2018]
D. [Fly around, my blue-eyed miss] 'The Blue-Eyed Girl.' Reported by I. G. Greer from the singing of Mrs. N. J. Herring of Tomahawk, Sampson county. Highly composite. For what is here marked "chorus" see 'Shady Grove' ; the needle and thread stanza belongs to a play-party song, 'Wish I Had a Needle and Thread"; and the joke about the yellow girl's kinky hair is one of the floating items of Negro (or pseudo-Negro) song.
Fly around, my blue-eyed miss,
Fly around , my daisy
Fly around my blue-eyed miss,
You're about to run me crazy.
CHORUS:
Shady Grove, my little love,
Shady Gove, I say;
Shady Gove my little love,
Going far away.
Massy had a yellow girl,
Brought her from the south;
Her hair was kinked uon her head
She couldn't shut her mouth.
I wish I had a needle and thread
As fine as I could sew;
I'd sew my sweetheart to my side
And down the river I'd go.
Wish I had a banjo string
Made of golden twine;
Every tune I could pick on it
'I wish that gal was mine.'
Wish I was a mocking-bird
In yonders mountain high;
I'd take wings and fly
To my true love's side.