[I own a copy of Pound's Syllabus of Nebraska and Central West folk songs. This copy was printed in 1915 and is nearly 100 years old. Her Syllabus lists the names and gives abbreviated lyrics for these folk songs and is similar to and may be based on the 1911 Shearin-Combs "Syllabus of Kentucky Folk-Songs" also in my online collection. After Pound misspelled Combs last name (Coombs) several other researchers including Kittredge (1917 JAFL) made the same mistake (I've corrected it in her first footnote).
The real weakness of this syllabus is the lack of sources, locations and dates for many of the entries. Pound uses some of these songs/ballads in her other publications, such as the 1922 American Ballads and Songs, where she does give source information. So check (search with text) and see if the song/ballad appears in her or other publications.
I might add separate pages for each section and attach them to this page. Right now it's mostly raw text- hope it helps. Footnotes renumbered and moved to the end of each section.
R. Matteson 2014]
Folk-Song of Nebraska and the Central West
A Syllabus
_______________
by Louise Pound, Ph. D
From reports given before the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Sciences 1913-15
OFFICERS NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1915-16
President Lawrence Bruner, Lincoln.
Secretary Addison E. Sheldon, Lincoln.
Treasurer A. J. Mercer, Kearney.
First Vice-President C. O. Carlson, Crete.
V. P. Earth Sciences Section G. E. Condra, Lincoln.
V. P. Physical Sciences and Mathematics Section
G. D. Swezey, Lincoln. V. P. Biological Sciences and Medical Section
C. W. M. Poynter, Omaha.
V. P. Ethnology and Folk-Lore M. R. Gil more, Lincoln.
V. P. Engineering Section G. R. Chat burn, Lincoln.
Nebraska Academy of Sciences Publications Vol. IX No. 3.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
I. English and Scottish Popular Ballads. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
II. Songs of British or Scottish Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
III Irish or Pseudo-Irish Ballads and Songs. . . . . . . . . .15
IV. Songs of Lovers Reunited.. ......16
V. Songs of the Tragic Death of the True Love, or Lovers . . .17
VI. Dying Messages and Confessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
VII. Pioneer and Western Songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
VIII. Songs of Criminals and Outlaws . . .33
IX. Elegies and Complaints ... ..35
X. Songs of Dying Soldiers and Other War Pieces. . . . . . .39
XI. Songs of Notable Tragedies or Disasters . . . . . .40
XII. Songs of the Lost at Sea . . . . . . . . . 41
XIII. Songs in Dialogue or Two-Part Songs . . . . . 42
XIV. Sentimental Lyrics.... . . . . . .45
XV. Popular Lyrics of Homesickness . . .49
Memories of Objects Familiar in Childhood... . . . . .50
Moralizing or Reflective Pieces . . . .51
Religious Pieces . . . . . 53
Temperance Songs. . . . . . . . . .55
Railroad Songs and Narratives . . . .56
Humorous Narratives. . . . . . .57
Humorous Songs . . . . . .59
Negro or Pseudo-Negro Songs . . . . .63
Songs Dealing with Indian Material . . . .66
Songs of Familiar Literary Origin... . . . .67
Movement Songs ......68
Miscellaneous Songs and Fragments . . . .69
Singing Games ...73
Marching Songs . .75
Sequence Songs and Rhymes. .....75
Nursery Rhymes and Fragments . .76
Skipping Rope Songs or Rhymes. . .78
EDITOR'S PREFACE
More than ten years ago, at the suggestion of Professor H. M. Belden of the University of Missouri, President of the American Folk-Lore Society, Miss Louise Pound began the collection of Nebraska folk-songs as a contribution to the literature and history of Nebraska. This pamphlet is the first printed guide to the total results. It is, as the title page indicates, a syllabus only, giving, with brief comment, the first stanza, or most familiar lines, of the songs sung by the people of Nebraska, passing by word of mouth from singer to hearer and thus perpetuated. It is the initial step, it is hoped, toward the publication of a complete collection, with full text, of Nebraska folk-songs and its music,—which is the ultimate goal.
In the early settlement of Nebraska were blended two main stocks of American born ancestry. The larger came from New England, New York and Pennsylvania, via the states of the old Northwest Territory through Iowa. The lesser came from Virginia and the Carolinas through Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Illinois and Missouri. The former, in the main, gave Nebraska her constitution, laws, political and business framework. The latter, far beyond its numbers, contributed to the oratory, literature and folk-lore of the new commonwealth. Fresh in the mind of the editor as this is written are the childhood memories of forty years ago and the wonderful phrases, folk-tales and folk-songs which came into our community with its southern strain of settlers. These southern backwoods vocabularies, stories and ballads were never ending entertainment to children of northern stock, for they revealed to us a rude literature, quaint and uncouth, transcending all the tales of our grandmothers in novel interest. Ours were, without doubt, as novel to them. Both the north and the south are contributors to this collection.
The material of this pamphlet is, as Miss Pound shows, mostly migrant from Europe, often strangely altered in its journey from the Atlantic coast to the Nebraska prairies. I cannot help thinking there are yet to be found additional songs of purely American origin: for, while the mediaeval minstrel may never have sung here in ivied castles, there dwelt in each pioneer neighborhood of the American frontier the minstrel successor, generally an odd character, half genius and half jester, who was log cabin and sod house entertainer, and made his own contributions of song and story to the stock he had inherited. Many of these, I know, have lived in Nebraska.
Besides the folk-song of Nebraska in the English tongue there is another Nebraska folk-song, more varied in its origins. Included in it are the songs of the Nebraska Indians, especially those of the Pawnee tribe; songs of the Canadian voyageurs who were the first white explorers, and folk-lore of the many European peoples who have found homes here for themselves and their children. This is a rich field for the lovers of folk-lore, and progress in its study and organization is just beginning.
The collection of this Nebraska material by Miss Pound and its publication by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences is part of a nation-wide movement, fostered by the American Folk-Lore Society, whose aim is to preserve, publish and popularize exact knowledge of that most interesting part of the folk life, which expresses itself most fully in the folk-song. In Nebraska it finds congenial company with the research work in Nebraska ethnology and history, carried on and published under the auspices of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Nebraska History Seminar of the State University.
One of the main purposes of the present publication is to reach every section of Nebraska with copies of this pamphlet, stimulating interest, reviving memories now dormant and bringing to light the texts of many songs familiar to the hearts but unknown to the books of Nebraska. As an incentive to this end the full text of the selections in Chapter VII, "Pioneer and Western Songs" is printed.
To each reader of this pamphlet goes this special request from the editor: Send at once to Miss Louise Pound, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, the text of any additions known to you, with exact information of the circumstances regarding their use in Nebraska, together with your own address.
For the illustrations the editor is to be held solely responsible.
Addison E. Sheldon
University of Nebraska,
October 1, 1915.
INTRODUCTION
Purpose Of Syllabus.
Of interest to both the student of folk-song and the student of literature are the themes and motives of the popular song of recent times, the types of narrative, the nature of the sentiment and the humor, which make an impression strong enough to secure preservation. What is the general character of the material commending itself to the American folk-consciousness in the period just passing? Of the thousands of songs having currency, which types have the people liked well enough to remember and to hand on? The answer to questions like the foregoing should be based on widespread collection, followed by analysis and comparison of the materials secured. There are now many enthusiastic recoverers of ballads and folk-songs in the United States, especially in the Atlantic States, the South, and the Southwest[1]; indeed, contemporary interest in the recovery and preservation of folk-song is now at a high level. The interest of most American collectors has centered hitherto in registering the survival of English and Scottish popular ballads in this country, or in following the fate of Old World songs which have migrated to the New. The songs and ballads of American origin, preserved alongside these aliens and persisting under the same conditions, have received less attention. For example the collection, of national scope, made through the United States Commissioner of Education, at the instance of Professor C. A. Smith, is, at least as yet, a collection of English and Scottish ballads in America and of these only.
The Nebraska collection listed and classified in the following pages is neither so exhaustive as might be wished, nor was it gathered in so systematic a way. Nevertheless a syllabus or finding list of the collection in its present state will assist, it is believed, in the identification and comparison of American folk-pieces, and will help to determine their diffusion. The Nebraska collection, though open to the charge of partiality, deserves the charge, it is hoped, in less degree than most collections made heretofore. The Old World pieces have the greater interest because of their longer history and, usually, their higher poetical quality; and in the Nebraska collection, too, greater effort was made to secure these. But a collection of folk-song should be what its name implies. It should register what the people have cared to preserve, regardless of questions of origin, or quality, or technique.
The arrangement in the following pages is provisional; often the same piece might be classified to advantage in several groups. Where fragments only were secured sometimes these fragments were full enough for identification and sometimes not. From the stray stanzas remaining, a ballad or song might seem to belong to one group when, if the whole were at hand, it might prove to belong elsewhere. In general the chief wish in the presentation of material has been to differentiate it into classes. An effort has been made to bring pieces of the same general type together, so that the themes or motives which they exhibit and the relative popularity of these will be clear at a glance. In recovering ballads and songs, more attention was given to securing representative variety than to the accumulation of multiple texts of individual pieces.
Sources Of Material.
"Folk-Song of Nebraska" would be misleading as a heading for the following lists, and was discarded in favor of "Folk-Song of Nebraska and the Central West". Although in every instance the pieces were recovered in Nebraska, the greater part were not learned in this state but were brought from elsewhere. The provenience of each piece has interest and but for the space demanded by the entry of details would have received systematic mention. No compositions among those included took shape in Nebraska, so far as could be determined, except "The Kinkaiders' Song" (VII, 16) and probably "The Little Old Sod Shanty" (VII, 4), both adaptations of older songs originating elsewhere. The songs in the Nebraska collection were brought to this region from Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin, Colorado, New York, etc. For the most part they were preserved in the memory of some dweller in an outlying region, as on a ranch, or by some villager, or they are current in some isolated community. A few were derived from manuscript collections of songs (as I, 3, 12; II, 15, 16, etc.). Not many came from city dwellers, and most of the small group which did were learned in childhood on a farm or in a village.
The recording of the tunes of songs is of special value but difficult. For most of those cited here the words only have been obtained. In many cases it was possible to determine the composer, or composers of the piece, or the year of its original appearance. So for example with "Lorena" (XIV, 11), or with some of the songs of H. C. Work or of George F. Root. It is always surprising how soon the memory is lost of the authorship of even the most widely circulated songs. No doubt canvass of the popular lyrics of the early and the later part of the nineteenth century, and wider familiarity with the works of minor poets, would add materially to the number of these identifications. But for a certain percentage of New World pieces, as of Old, it would now be wholly impossible to trace the time and place of their appearance, or the manner of their composition. This is very difficult even for pieces like "The Death of Garfield" (VI, 2) or "Jesse James" (VIII, 2); although they have arisen and found diffusion before our eyes, as it were.
Tests Of Inclusion.
The chief requisite for inclusion as belonging to folk-song, in the following syllabus, was recovery from oral tradition. The pieces listed were learned by their singers not from the printed page but from the singing of others, and have by this time an existence not dependent upon a written original. The main essential of a folk-song is that the people sing it; that it has "lived in the folk-mouth[2], and has persisted for a fair period of years. Entries have not been limited to song-narratives, i. e., to ballads proper, but popular lyrics of many classes have been admitted, provided they may be said, in the sense noted, to have existence in folk-song. As already indicated, for some of the pieces entered no printed original has ever been found; on the other hand, a ballad or song was not omitted because it happens to have been or to be still well-known in print. Scrap-book collections of clippings from "Old Favorites" columns of newspapers have often afforded variant texts, and have helped in identifications; but pieces found in such form only have not been included. An attempt was also made to list children's songs, and singing games and rhymes of various kinds. Here again the fact that many of these are accessible in books was not allowed to stand in the way of their admission, provided that those reporting them had not learned them there.
Left out of account, however, even when the singers had never seen the printed text, are folk-songs of the following types:— (1) Certain patriotic pieces of widespread currency, as "Yankee Doodle", "America", "Dixie", "Marching Through Georgia", "John Brown's Body", "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are Marching", (2) Certain very popular religious songs, as "Over There", "Onward Christian Soldiers", "The Lily of the Valley", known to many who have never seen them in printed form. A few of these pieces have been included however.[3] (3) Many minstrel songs of the type of " Massa's in the Cold, Cold Ground", or "My Old Kentucky Home". (4) popular songs fairly recent in origin, as "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight", and especially sentimental songs of the parlor or drawing room type.[4] (5) Student's songs, like "Bingo", "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean", except in a few cases where those reporting the songs had never known student nor city life.
Some Modes Of Diffusion.
How did the songs in this collection win diffusion? Chiefly they were learned in childhood or youth in the east, the south, the north, or in the Old World, and were then brought by migration to the middle west. Here they have been kept alive in the memory of pioneers, or emigrants, and their descendants. Often one acquaintance taught a song to another, a member of the same community; or sometimes the words were transcribed from hearing and preserved in a manuscript song-book or a scrap-book. The colored "minstrels" of the past generation who traveled from one section of the country to another, giving entertainments [5] undoubtedly gave currency to a surprising number of songs. Among their favorites were the compositions of Stephen C. Foster, Will S. Hays, and others; indeed pseudo-plantation songs and melodies, such as those of "Old Dan" Emmett's singers, or those sung by Sam Lucas, have shown, as a group, especial vitality. Still other songs, those of a religious or moralizing character, were popularized by Moody and Sankey and other revivalists; and some were floated into general currency at temperance gatherings. Another group of popular songs, humorous, sentimental, narrative, gained geographical distribution by their sale in sheet-music form, or with the words only printed, by itinerant vendors of patent medicines and the like, or at booths established in the wake of circuses and wandering bands of entertainers. And, especially, the songs learned and sung in childhood at the schoolhouse have lingered in the memory, and have been handed on in new communities. But very often the exact mode of diffusion and preservation of some popular song cannot now be established.
A noticeable feature of the collection considered as a whole is the popularity of the short song telling a story, the ballad proper, as usual in folk poetry. There is no doubt that the song presenting some striking narrative—in particular a tragic narrative—has the best chance of vitality. Another noticeable feature is the number of pieces in persistent currency which are adaptations.[6] American folk-song as a whole is, to a marked degree, imported from the Old World. A relatively large percentage of the more persistent pieces are derived from, or come directly from, Old World originals, English, Irish, or Scottish. Not only is this true for the first and second groups, for the singing games of group XXVIII, and for individual pieces in other divisions, but it is also true for many, as "The Dying Cowboy" (VII. 8), "The Death of Garfield" (VI, 2), and "Jack Williams" (VIII, 5), which seem at first glance to be certainly indigenous.
Among the many who have been of assistance in securing material may be mentioned especially Messrs A. J. Leach of Oakdale, Lowry C. Wimberley of Omaha, and Dr. H. C. House of Peru, Mrs. Mary F. Lindsey of Hebron, Mrs. E. A. Froyd of Galva, Illinois, and Mrs. I. E. Diehl of Mammoth, Utah, who are former Nebraskans, Misses Amy Shell man of Palouse, Washington, Lillian Gear of Junction, Wyoming, Mabel Conrad of Stanford, Montana, and Myrtle G. Hayden of Hobson, Montana, also former Nebraskans, and Misses Edna Fulton of Havelock, Mary Crawford of Kearney, Blanche Pope of Red Cloud, Elisabeth Wittmann, Bessie Aten, Vivian Cleaver, Marian Gee of Lincoln, Jeanne Allen of Seneca, Kansas, Francis Withee of Stella, and S. R. Brown of Ansley.
Footnotes: Introduction
1 See chiefly the immense collections in the Harvard library; the texts printed in The Journal of American Folk-Lore; A Syllabus of Kentucky Folkong by H. G. Shearin and J. H. Combs (1911); the Bulletin of the Missouri Folk-Lore Society (1910); Cowboy Songs by J. A. Lomax, New York (1910); also the collections of Mr. Phillips Barry for New England, of Professor C. A. Smith in Virginia, and of Professor Reed Smith in South Carolina. The most complete bibliographical references for balladry in America are to be found in Professor H. M. Belden's article in The Journal of American FolkLore, XXIV, 1-23.
The present writer wishes to acknowledge indebtedness for some points of arrangement and presentation to the syllabus of Professor Shearin. Complete texts of several of the pieces listed in the following pages are to be found in the writer's "Traditional Ballads in Nebraska", The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXVI, 351-366.
2 To the present writer it seems a mistake to make style standard-giving in a collection of folk-song. There are many who seem to hold as standard giving the style prevailing in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; all songs of whatever time conforming to these in tone and diction are "genuine"; all others are spurious. Usually, too, the former are assumed to have some romantic-mystic "communal" origin, while the latter are termed "art" poetry. But is there such a thing as a permanent or eternal style in folk-song? Not unless reference is had to the circumstance that folk-song is addressed to the ear only; that on its appeal to the ear depends its vitality. There is a "history of taste" for folk-poetry just as for book-poetry. There are as great differences between the folk-poetry of the sixteenth and the twentieth centuries as between the book poetry of the sixteenth and the twentieth centuries.
When we contrast the older and the newer in folk-song it becomes obvious that the superiority for persistence in the popular mouth belongs with the former; nor is this to be wondered at. The older singer composed for the ear; otherwise his work was vain. The newer writes for the eye, both words and music; instead of professional musicians we now have printing. Skill in creating memorable songs is more likely to characterize composition of the first type than of the second. Much in modern song is unsingable and unrememberable; no one can expect it to make a deep impression on the popular mind. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries poets, whatever their class, were likely to be singers too. If we approach popular song from the side of musical history, it is clear enough that contributions to folk-song should be especially rich at a time when the connection between composition and delivery was very close. In the sixteenth century song was as nearly universalized as it is likely to be for a long time to come. Some musical proficiency was demanded of nearly everybody, whether belonging to the upper classes or to the lower. The renaissance lyric, words and music, seems to have had its origin in the higher culture of the times, but it attained unparalleled popularity.
Acknowledgement that the period of the English renaissance had the most memorable style in folk-song is not the same thing however as acknowledgment that only such folk-songs as conform to this style are "genuine". The making of popular ballads—that variety of folk-song having especial interest —is not a "closed account", though the making of ballads or songs in the older and more memorable style maybe; nor is some hypothetical communal mystic manner of origin, based on this older style, a valid test for determining what is folk-poetry and what is not.
3. See Group XVII.
4. Illustrated in Groups XIV, XV.
5. Some account of these is given in Brander Matthews' "The Rise and Fall of Negro Minstrelsy", Scribner's Magazine, June, 1916.
6. As "the Little Old Sod Shanty" (VII, 4), "I Want to Be a Cowboy" (VII, 1), "The Texas Rangers" (VII, 13).
----------------------------
I. ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH POPULAR BALLADS
This group includes wanderers from the Old World, songs brought from England or Scotland which have lived by oral transmission on the lips of pioneers or emigrants. They may be identified by comparison with the Old World originals as printed in the Child collection.
1. Barbara Allen's Cruelty, Barbary Allen, The Fate of Barbara Allen (Child 84) tells the familiar story of Barbara's heartlessness, Sweet William's death of a broken heart, and her death of remorse.
'Twas in the merry month of May
When the green buds were a-swelling
Sweet William on his death bed lay
For the love of Barbary Allen.
2. Lord Lovel, Lord Lovel and Lady Nancy Belle, Lord Lover (Child 73). The hero of this ballad bids farewell to his sweetheart and goes on a journey. He returns to find her dead.
"O where are you going;, Lord Lovel?", she said,
"O where are you going?", said she.
"I'm going, my lady Nancy Bell, Strange countries for to see, see, see,
Strange countries for to see".
3. Lord Bay ham (Young Beichan, Child 53). The hero is rescued from his Turkish prison by his captor's daughter. She follows him seven years later to his own country, arrives on the eve of his wedding to another, and herself becomes his bride.
The Turks they had one only daughter,
She was as fare as fare could be;
She stole the keys of her father's prison
And vowed Lord Bayham she would set free.
4. Johnny Randall (Lord Randal, Child 12) preserves the conventional features of the Old World ballad, with modifications adapting the story to New World circumstances.
"Where was you last night, Johnny Randall, my son?
Where was you last night, my heart's loving one?"
"A-fishing, a-fowling; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at my heart and I fain would lie down."
5. Two Little Boys (The Two Brothers, Child 49). Two little boys going to school wrestle, and one of them is fatally though accidentally wounded by a "little penknife."
"Take off, take off thy fine cotton shirt
And tear it from gore to gore,
And bind it around that bloody, bloody wound
That it may bleed no more."
6. The Gipsy Laddie (Black Jack Daly, Child 200) entices a lady from her husband by his singing. One stanza recovered.
The gipsy came tripping over the plain,
The gipsy he sung bravely;
He sung till he made the wild woods ring
To charm the heart of a lady.
7. The House Carpenter (The Demon Lover, Child 243). A woman leaves her husband and child to go away with a sailor who represents himself to be her former lover.
They had not been on board three weeks,
I'm sure it was not four,
When this gallant ship she sprung a leak
And she sunk for to rise no more.
8. Three Sailor Boys (The Mermaid, Child 289). The "man of the gallant ship "speaks, then the boy, then the girl, then the cook. The ship sails round three times, then sinks to the bottom.
For the roaring sea, they do roar, oh roar,
And the stormy winds they do blow,
And the three per sailor boys, they were mounted up aloft,
While the love land was lying down below, down below,
While the love land was lying down below.
9. The Three Babes (The Wife of Usher's Well, Child 79). A mother's three babes return at Christmas time. She spreads a table and bids them to eat and drink. They refuse,
For yonder stands our blessed Lord".
She made them a bed, but the eldest says,
"I would not stay in this wicked world".
A tombstone at our head, mother,
The cold clay at our feet,
The tears we have shed for you, mother,
Have wet these winding sheets.
10. [Every Grove is Merry in Time]1 (The Elfin Knight, Child 2).—Part I. A young man tells a maid how to make a shirt. She must buy a yard of tow cloth, sew it without any seam, etc.
Tell this young maid When she's done all this, Every grove that's merry in time, To come unto me and I'll give her a kiss, And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Part II. The maid tells the young man to buy an acre of land,plough it with a cow's horn,plant it with peppercorn; then she gives directions how to reap, thresh, etc.
Tell this young man when he's finished his work,
Every grove that's merry in time, To come unto me and I'll give him his shirt, And he shall be a true lover of mine.
For other American versions of this piece see The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XVIII, 51, and XIX, 130.
11. Lord Thomas (Child 73). Lord Thomas hesitates between Fair Ellen and the "brown girl". He is advised to wed the latter since she has "house and land". Fair Ellen goes to the wedding and when Lord Thomas shows his preference for her, is slain by the "brown girl". The bridegroom then kills his bride and himself.
Lord Thomas he was a bold forester,
The chaser of the King's deer, Fair Ellen she was a sweet young lady, Lord Thomas he loved her dear.
12. [There Was An Old Woman] (Child 10). The eldest and youngest of the old woman's daughters walk on the sea shore, and the oldest pushes the youngest in. As the youngest swims away she is brought to the shore by the miller with his "big long hook". He took from her finger gold rings, and plunged her back again.
The miller was hung on his own mill gate, bow down, The miller was hung on his own mill gate, balance true to me, For robbing poor sister Kate, saying I'll be true to my love, If my love is true to me. 13. [Geordie] (Child 209). Fragment corresponding to a stanza in one version of the Scottish ballad.
He never stole on the King's Highway,
And he never murdered any; But he took sixteen of the King's horses And sold them in Bohemy.
Footnotes:
1 Bracketed titles are supplied.
14. See also XXVII, 12.
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II. SONGS OF BRITISH OR SCOTTISH ORIGIN
In this group are included some miscellaneous pieces certainly, or apparently, of British or Scottish origin.
1. The Farmer's Boy. A poor boy comes to a farmer's door. His father is dead and his mother is left with five small children. The farmer takes the lad, who in the course of time marries the farmer's daughter and inherits the farm.
"Pray tell to me if any there be to give to me employ,
To plow, to sow, to reap and mow, and to be a farmer's boy."
Reported as "brought from Newcastle, England, as early as 1870". The same source was reported for the three following pieces.
2. [In Former Times]. In former times sons were taught to plow and sow; now they follow the hounds. In former times the farmer's daughters learned to card and spin; now they go to boarding school, etc.
With their lofty heads and paltry pride I'm sure it's all the go
To distress poor working men and keep their wages low.
3. The Aged Man. An aged man meets a young man plowing and says he has a horse no one can tame. The young man tames the horse next day. Then the old man says that he has a daughter who is stubborn and wild. The young man goes courting, marries the daughter, and locks her up and starves her until she is willing to work.
An aged man rode out one day
And plenty he did know;
He saw a young man ploughing
And horses he had two.
4. [But Now It is All Gone to Ruin]. A poor man on Radnor Forest had a cot. He had sheep in a forest, a cow, a hen and pigs, and there was work for all. Things are not now as in the reign of Queen Anne, for "now it is all gone to ruin".
Old England! why what are you doing?
Old England! awake from your sleep!
Old England! why what are you doing?
5. [Toppin and the Lawyer]. The lawyer and a stranger were riding together. The stranger asked the lawyer if he were not afraid of Toppin (Turpin) the highwayman. The lawyer said no, for he had his money concealed in his cape cloth.
They rode till they came to the bottom of the hill,
When Toppin told the lawyer to stand still,
Saying "Your cape cloth it must come off,
For my old horse needs a new saddle cloth".
And it's oro Toppinero,
I'm your valiant Toppin do.
Compare the "Cobbler Song", XXVI, 1.
6. Guy Fawkes. This song was reported as popular about forty years ago. It was brought to Nebraska by immigrant families from South Carolina, about 1872.
I'll tell you a doleful tragedy,
Guy Fawkes, the prince of sinisters, Who once blew up the House of Lords, The King and all his ministers. Chorus: Singing bow, wow, wow, Whack fol-de-riddle, Singing bow wow wow. A text is published in The Universal Songster, vol. 3, p. 218. London 1827.
7. The Rich Merchant of London. See V. 2, 4.
8. Father Grumble. Father and Mother Grumble exchange tasks for the day, and the former comes to grief.
Father Grumble he did say As sure as the moss round a tree That he could do more work in a day Than his wife could do in three, three, That he could do more work in a day Than his wife could do in three. For the pedigree of this piece see The Journal of American Folk-Lore XXVI, 364-365.
9. The Old Crow. An old man calls for his dog and his
gun to shoot down an old crow sitting on an oak. He fired off his gun. The crow flew away, the dog was scared and ran, and the crow cried caw.
There was an old crow a-sitting on an oak, Sun shines merrily, merrily away, There was an old crow a-sitting on an oak, He spied a tailor cutting out a cloak, To mario, the solemn old crow cried caw. 10. Counting Your Chickens Before They Are Hatched.
All over the world people "count their chickens before they are hatched";—as Muggins the banker, young Charles Augustus in love with a girl, a young girl who thought her beauty her fortune.
You'll find them in places all over the world, Counting their chickens before they are hatched. Compare with this modern song an eighteenth century piece entitled "The Young Man and Maiden's Forecast; Showing How They Reckoned on Their Chickens Before They Were Hatched", a text of which is printed in Ash ton's A Century of Ballads, p. 326. London, 1887. The American and the eighteenth century song are written in the same measure and have the same refrain.
11. The Death of a Romish Lady tells the story of a lady who became a convert to Protestantism, possessed a Bible, and would not "bow to idols". For this her cruel mother had her brought before priests and burned.
There lived a Romish lady
Brought up in proper array, Her mother ofttimes told her She must the priest obey.
12. I'll Hang My Harp on a Willow Tree. The singer's lady has proved inconstant and is soon to be the bride of another. He goes to fight the Saracens in Palestine.
"I'll hang my harp on a willow tree,
I'U on to the wars again, My peaceful home has no charms for me, The battle field no pain." 13. Old Rosin the Bow. Retrospect of the speaker as his death is approaching.
"I've travelled the wide world over,
And now to another I'll go; I know that good quarters are waiting To welcome Old Rosin the Bow." This song might also be included under VI.
14. Babes in the Woods. Two babes are stolen, become lost in the woods, and die. Robins cover them with leaves.
Poor little babes in the woods, Poor little babes in the woods, O who will come and find Poor little babes in the woods. 15. The Soldier. A soldier wooes a lady with a fortune. When'eloping they are met by the father and armed men. The soldier draws his weapon while the lady holds the horses.
The first one he came to, he run him through the brain, The next one he came to, he served him just the same. "Hold on", said the old man, "Don't strike so bold, And you can have my daughter and ten thousand pounds of gold." See The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXIII, 447.
16. Let's Go to the Woods, (Robin, Bobbin, Richard, and John, or the Wren Shooting). For this song see the account of the St. Stephen's day customs in English Folk Rhymes by G. F. Northall, 1892. It was printed as a nursery song in Gammer Gurton's Garland, 1783.
Shoot at the ren, says Richard to Robin, Shoot at the ren, says Robin to Bobin, Then shoot at my ren, says Johnny alone, Then shoot at my ren says everyone. 17. Billy Boy. See XIII, 1.
18. The Quaker's Courtship, XIII, 9.
19. Jack Williams, VIII, 5.
See also IV and V, and many pieces in later groups.
III. IRISH OR PSEUDO-IRISH BALLADS AND SONGS
The songs of this group are importations from Ireland, or they purport to deal with Irish characters.
1. William Reilly, or The Coolen Bawn, originated in County Ulster in Ireland. It tells of a young Irish fanner who eloped with the daughter of his wealthy master, was caught, imprisoned on the charge of theft, but finally escaped with his Coolen Bawn.
Her father full of anger most scornfully did frown,
Saying, "There are your wages, now, sir, depart from this town."
Increasing still his anger, he bade me quick begone,—
"For none but a rich squire shall wed my Coolen Bawn."
A text of this piece is printed in P. W. Joyce's Old Irish Folk Music and Songs, p. 420, London, 1909.
2. Shamus O'Brien tells the regrets of a girl for her lover absent at sea, and recalls his promises.
O Shamus O'Brien, why don't you come home!
You don't know how happy I'll be; I've one darling wish, and that is that you'll come, And forever be happy with me.
This song is by Will S. Hays.
3. Belle Mahone. Love song of the drawing-room or music hall type.
Soon beyond the harbor bar Shall my bark be sailing far; O'er this world I wander lone, Sweet Belle Mahone. 4. There'* Many a Shlip. Irish dialect song. The speaker complains of having expected to wed Miss Kitty McKay, but she said "nay", and "on with Mike Rooney she went".
Oh! There's many a shlip, a shlip, a shlip, There's many a shlip, so they say, There's many a shlip 'twixt the cup and the lip, There's many a shlip, so they say. 5. Nora O'Neal, (I Am Lonely Tonight, Love). A man longs for his sweetheart, and asks her to meet him at the foot of the lane.
Oh, don't think, love, that ever I'll doubt you.
My love I will never conceal, For I'm lonely tonight, love, without you, My darling sweet Nora O'Neal.
This song is by Will S. Hays.
6. Barney McCoy. Dialogue between Barney McCoy, leaving for the "land of the free", and Norah, who remains behind.
I am going far away, Norah darling, And the ship is now anchored in the bay. IV. SONGS OF LOVERS REUNITED
The songs of this group, like those of Group II, are of British origin. They deal with the reunion of lovers who though parted have remained constant.
1. The Rich Young Farmer is sent away by his true love's parents. He returns in disguise, finds her mourning for him, and they are happily reunited.
There was a rich young farmer
And he was of high renown; He courted a fair and handsome daughter As ever lived in England town.
2. The Lover's Return, (The Banks of Cloudy). A girl asks the way to Cloudy where she goes to seek a young man named John. It is John whom she questions, but he conceals his identity till the last stanza.
When he beheld her royalty he could no longer stand;
He flew into her arms crying, "Betsy, I am the man.
I am your royal true love, the cause of all your pain,
And since we have met on Cloudy's banks, we never shall part again."
For the complete text of this piece, see The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXVI, 362-363.
3. The Prentice Boy, (Cupid's Garden) tells of a young man, banished by his true love's father, who wins a fortune of 20,000 pounds in a lottery. He returns to England, finds her waiting, and they are married.
As low in Cupid's garden for pleasure I did walk,
I heard two loyal lovers most sweetly for to talk;
It was a brisk young lady and her prentice boy,
And in private they were courting, and he was all her joy.
Printed as a "peasant ballad" in R. Brimley Johnson's Popular British Ballads, II, 246, 1894.
V. SONGS OF THE TRAGIC DEATH OF THE TRUE LOVE, OR LOVERS
The songs of this group deal with the death of a girl, or her lover, or of both.
1. THE MURDEROUS LOVER.
1. The Weeping Willow, Poor Lurella, Poor Floella, Poor Lora, The Jealous Lover. Down in the valley, under the weeping willow, lies Lurella, in her "cold and silent grave". She died not from sickness or a broken heart, but was killed by her lover, who says that her parents will forgive him, since he expects to leave the country "never more for to return".
Down on her knees before him
She pleaded for her life; But deep into her bosom, He plunged the fatal knife.
2. On the Banks of the Old P. D., The Old Shawnee. A youth asks his sweetheart to take a walk, and talks of the day when their wedding is to be. She says she will never be his.
From my breast I drew a knife,
And she gave a shrilling cry, "O Willie dear, don't murder me, For I am not prepared to die."
Then I took her lily white hands And swung her around and again around, Until she fell in the waters cruel,
And there I watched my true love drown.
2. DEATH BY SUICIDE.
1. The Silver Dagger. A young man courted a maiden, but his parents wished to part them on the ground of her poverty. When the girl learned this, she wandered down by a river and stabbed herself with a silver dagger. Her lover heard her voice, rushed to her, found her dying, and killed himself with the same dagger.
Come all young men, please lend attention,
To these few words I'm going to write; They are as true as ever were written Concerning a lady fair and bright.
2. The Butcher Boy. In Jersey City a girl loves a butcher's boy, but he deserts her "because she has more gold than I". Later it is discovered that she has hanged herself, leaving lines pinned on her breast.
Go dig my grave both wide and deep, Place a marble stone at my head and feet, Upon my breast a turtle dove, To show the world I died for love. This is a somewhat stock stanza in older songs. See XII, 3.
3. Lovely Caroline of Edinboro Town. Lovely Caroline weds young Henry. They go to London, he deserts her, and she drowns herself.
Come all young men and maidens,
Attend unto my rhyme, 'Tis of a lovely maiden Who was scarcely in her prime.
4. The Rich Merchant of London. Two stanzas telling of Dinah, the daughter of a rich London merchant. In the complete piece she drinks poison, because loving against her father's wishes, and is found by her lover, who dies also.
There was a rich merchant in London did dwell, He had but one daughter, a nice kinsom young girl; Her name it was Dinah, scarce sixteen years old, With a very large fortune of silver and gold. For a text of this piece, which was a popular music hall song and broadside piece, see "Vilikens and his Dinah", in Ash ton's Modern Street Ballads, p. 89. London, 1888.
5. Willie and Mary, The Drowsy Sleeper, (The Bedroom Window). Willie urges Mary to ask her mother, then her father, if she may marry him. She replies that she dares not, adding that her father has a weapon "to pierce the one that I love best". Willie kills himself with a silver dagger, and Mary uses the same weapon on herself.
"Oh who is at my bedroom window. Who weeps and sighs so bitterly?" Another Nebraska text has the name Jimmy instead of Willie. For other American versions see The Journal of American Folk
Lore, XX, 260-61 (with annotations by G. L. Kittredge) and Professor H. M. Belden's note in Archiv fur das Studium etc., CXIX, 430-431.
6. The Fatal Wedding. The wedding bells are ringing, and a marriage is about to take place. A woman with a child asks to be admitted, then claims the bridegroom as her husband. The child is found to be dead, and the bridegroom kills himself.
"Just another fatal wedding, Just another broken heart." 3. DEATH FROM OTHER CAUSES.
1. Young Charlotte tells how Charlotte was frozen to death at her lover's side when going to a Christmas ball.
"Such a dreadful night I never saw, my reins I can scarcely hold." Young Charlotte faintly then replied:—"I am exceedingly cold." For the history of this song see Phillips Barry's article hi The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXV, 1912.
2. Mary O' the Wild Moor, (The Village Bride). Mary comes with her child one winter's night to her father's door. He does not hear her and in the morning finds her dead, though the child is alive.
'Twas on a cold winter's night When the wind blew across the wild moor, That Mary came wandering home with her child, Till she came to her dear father's door. See Helen K. Johnson's Our Familiar Songs, p. 303, New York, 1904.
3. O Johnny Dear, Why Did You Go? (Springfield Mountain). A youth goes down to the meadow to mow, is bitten by a pizen serpent, carried to his sweetheart, and dies.
In Conway town there did dwell A lovely youth I knew full well. Ri tu nic a neari Ri tu nic a neari na See "Elegy of a Young Man Bitten by a Rattlesnake" in E. E. H ale's New England History in Ballads, p. 86, Boston, 1904.
4. There Was an Old Woman Who Lived on the Strand,
(Betsy Brown). Her son Johnny loves Betsy the servant. The mother takes Betsy to the seaside, where she sells her across to
"Verginny". Her son dies, and the mother repents her act too late. Compare Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXIX, 130.
0 son, O son, your love's in vain for we sold betsy cross the main;
My son, my son, my son, says she, your bringing scandal on you and me.
1 would rather see your corps lie dead than to marry betsy a servant maid.
5. The Constant Farmer's Son. Mary is courted by Willie, a fanner's son. He is killed by her brothers, who wish her to marry a lord. The brothers are punished with death, and Mary dies of grief.
There was a farmer's daughter near Dublin town did dwell,
So modest, fair and handsome, her parents loved her well;
She was admired by lords and dukes, but all their hopes were vain,
There was but one, a farmer's son, young Mary's heart could gain.
VI. DYING MESSAGES AND CONFESSIONS.
The songs of this group may be termed "death-bed" pieces. They are supposed to represent the speaker's last message, or confession, or his meditations.
1. The Dying Californian, sometimes called The Dying Brother's Farewell, gives the speech of a dying man to his brother. It consists of messages to his father, mother, and wife. The pattern of the piece resembles that of Caroline Norton's "Bingen on the Rhine."
"Lay up nearer, brother, nearer,
For my limbs are growing cold And thy presence seemeth dearer When thy arms around me fold; I am dying, brother, dying, Soon you'll miss me in your berth, For my form will soon be lying 'Neath the ocean's briny surf."
2. Charles Guiteau, (The Death of Garfield). The dying words of the assassin of President Garfield.
My sister came to prison to bid her last farewell, She threw her arms about me and weep most bitterly; She said, "My dearest brother, today you must die, For the murder of James A. Garfield upon the scafel high." Probably an adaptation of "John T. Williams"—"Myname it is John T. Williams, my name I'll never deny", brought to Nebraska from Canada, and reported by the contributor as antedating the assassination of Garfield. Credibility is lent this account by the nature of other pieces from the same contributor. For example his version of "The Dying Cowboy" (VII, 8) makes clearer than do most texts of this piece its Old World derivation.
3. A Package of Old Letters. A woman tells her sister to get a package of old letters, and to sit beside her.
In the little rosewood casket
That is sitting on the stand, Is a package of old letters, Written by a cherished hand.
4. Sing Me a Song of the South. A dying soldier calls for a last song.
Sing me a song of the Sunny South,
One with a sweet refrain, Sing me a song of Dixie Land That I may be happy again.
See Group X.
5. Bring My Harp to Me Again. An old man, feeling the end of his life near, calls for his harp.
Bring my harp to me again, Let me sing a gentle strain, Let me hear its chords once more, Ere I pass to yon bright shore. 6. Go Tell Little Mary Not to Weep. Message of a husband to his wife; his wish to see again his "two little babes".
Go tell little Mary not to weep
For the loss of her dear husband; For the Southern foe has laid him low On this cold ground to suffer.
7. The Dying Nun. A nun, dying at midnight, addresses "Sister Martha", her nurse. She recalls her love for Douglas and remembers home scenes.
Sister, in your white bed lying,
Sleeping in the June moonlight,
Through your dreams comes there no message,
Clara dies alone tonight!
8. [Come Brothers Gather Round My Bed]. A dying man sends messages to his father, mother, and a ring to his old sweetheart.
Farewell dear friends and happy home, I ne'er shall see thee more; For I must slumber here alone On San Francisco's shore. This song is much like "The Dying Californian" above, and is possibly a variant of it; although the words are dissimilar. Compare also "I Am Dying", by Rev. William Lawrie. See The Speaker's Garland, I and II.
9. The Dying Girl's Message. She asks her mother not to chide her faithless lover, but to give him her ring, as a token of forgiveness and peace.
Raise the window higher, mother,
Air can never harm me now; Let the breeze blow in upon me, It will cool my fevered brow.
Here might be grouped also "Rosin the Bow" (II, 13), "The Lone Prairie" (VII, 9), Ocean Burial" (XII, 6), "The Dying Cowboy," (VII, 8), "Captain Kidd", (VIII, 1), "Young McFee", (VIII, 4), and many pieces in X.
VII. PIONEER AND WESTERN SONGS
The songs of this group deal or purport to deal with pioneer or western life.1
1. I Want to Be a Cowboy. The speaker tells of his day's work, and how, when this is done, he'll head for Cheyenne, fill up on whiskey, and paint the place red.
I WANT TO BE A COWBOY
I want to be a cowboy and with the cowboys stand, Big spurs upon my bootheels and a lasso in my hand; My hat broad-brimmed and belted upon my head I'd place, And wear my chaperajos with elegance and grace. The first bright beam of sunlight that paints the east with red Would call me forth to breakfast on bacon, beans, and bread; And then upon my bronco so festive and so bold I'd rope the frisky heifer and chase the three year old. And when my work is over to Cheyenne then I'll head,
Fill up on beer and whisky and paint the d town red.
I'll gallop thru the front streets with many a frightful yell; I'll rope the staid old heathen and yank them all to h—1. Adapted from "I Want to Be an Angel" (XVIII, 7).
2. The Dreary Black Hills. A man gives up his trade of selling Ayres' Patent Pills and goes to hunt gold in the Black Hills. He warns others to stay away from Cheyenne and the Dreary Black Hills.
THE DREARY BLACK HILLS
Now friends if you'll listen to a horrible tale
It's getting quite dreary and its getting quite stale,
'At the request of Mr. A. £. Sheldon, the editor, selected texts of the songs of this group are given in full.
I gave up my trade selling Ayers' Patent Pills To go and hunt gold in the dreary Black Hills. Chorus:
Stay away, I say, stay away if you can
Far from that city they call Cheyenne,
Where the blue waters roll and Comanche Bill
Will take off your scalp, boys, in those dreary Black Hills.
Now, friends, if you'll listen to a story untold Don't go to the Black Hills a-digging for gold; For the railroad speculators their pockets will fill, While taking you a round trip to the dreary Black Hills. I went to the Black Hills, no gold could I find. I thought of the free land I'd left far behind; Through rain, snow, and hail, boys, froze up to the gills, They called me the orphan of the Dreary Black Hills. The round house at Cheyenne is filled every night
With loafers and beggars of every kind of sight;
On their backs there's no clothes, boys, in their pockets no bills.
And they'll take off your scalp in those dreary Black Hills.
Stay away, I say, stay away if you can Far from that city they call Cheyenne; Where the blue waters roll and Comanche Bill Will take off your scalp in those dreary Black Hills. 3. [In the Summer of Sixty]. In the summer of "60 came the Pike's Peak excitement. The speaker buys a ranch. When he reaches it he finds that a miner has jumped his claim. He purchases a revolver and goes to Denver. Here he tries a card game, bets all his money, and loses it.
IN THE SUMMER OF SIXTY
In the summer of sixty as you very well know . The excitement at Pike's Peak was then all the go; Many went there with fortunes and spent what they had And came back flat-busted and looking quite sad. 'Twas then I heard farming was a very fine branch, So I spent most of my money in buying a ranch, And when I got to it with sorrow and shame I found a big miner had jumped my fine claim. So I bought a revolver and swore I'd lay low The very next fellow that treated me so; I then went to Denver and cut quite a dash And took extra pains to show off my cash. With a fine span of horses, my wife by my side, I drove through the streets with my hat on one side; As we were agoin' past the old "Denver Hall" Sweet music came out that did charm us all. Says I, "Let's go in and see what's the muss For I feel right now like having a fuss." There were tables strung over the hall, Some was a-whirling a wheel with a ball. Some playin' cards and some shakin' dice And lots of half dollars that looked very nice; I finally strayed to a table at last Where all the poor suckers did seem to stick fast. And there stood a man with cards in his hand, And these were the words which he did command, "Now, gents, the winning card is the ace, I guess you will know it if I show you its face." One corner turned down, it's plain to be seen, I looked at that fellow and thought he was green, Yes I looked at that feller and thought he was green, One corner turned down, 'twas so plain to be seen. So I bet all my money and lo and behold 'Twas a tray-spot of clubs and he took all my gold. Then I went home and crawled into bed And the divil a word to my wife ever said. 'Twas early next morning I felt for my purse Biting my lips to keep down a curse; Yes, 'twas early next morning as the sun did rise You might have seen with your two blessed eyes, In an ox wagon, 'twas me and my wife
Coin' down the Platte river for death or for life.
4. The Little Old Sod Shanty on the Claim. Song of a man, eastern born, who is holding down a claim.
THE LITTLE OLD SOD SHANTY ON THE CLAIM
I am looking rather seedy now,
While holding down my claim,
And my victuals are not always served the best;
And the mice play slyly round me,
As I nestle down to sleep
In my little old sod shanty in the West.
Chorus:
The hinges are of leather, and the windows have no glass While the board roof lets the howling blizzard in, And I hear the hungry coyote As he sneaks up through the grass Around the little old sod shanty on my claim. Yet I rather like the novelty of living in this way, Though my bill of fare is always rather tame, But I'm as happy as a clam On this land of Uncle Sam's, In my little old sod shanty on my claim. Chorus:
But when I left my Eastern home, a bachelor so gay, To try to win my way to wealth and fame, I little thought that I'd come down to burning twisted hay In my little old sod shanty on my claim. Chorus:
For this song, which is an adaptation of "The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (XXIII, 3), by W. S. Hays, 1871, see Modern Language Notes, January, 1914.
5. Cheyenne Boys. Humorous warning to the girls not to marry the Cheyenne boys. The ways of the latter are described.
CHEYENNE BOYS
Come all you pretty girls and listen to my noise, I'll tell you not to marry the Cheyenne boys, For if you do a portion it will be; Cold butter milk and Johnnie cake is all you'll see, Cold butter milk and Johnnie cake is all you'll see. They'll take you down to a sandy hill,
Take you down contrary to your will;
Put you down in some lonesome place,
And that's just the way with the Cheyenne race,
And that's just the way with the Cheyenne race.
When they go to church I'll tell you what they wear,
An old gray coat all covered with hair,
An old gray coat all torn down,
A stove-pipe hat more rim than crown,
A stove-pipe hat more rim than crown.
When they go in, down they set, Take out their handkerchief and wipe off the sweat, Look at all the pretty girls and then begin to laugh, And roll around their eyes like a dying calf, And roll around their eyes like a dying calf. When they go to milk they milk in a gourd, Put it in a corner, cover with a board. 6. Wyoming Song. Hymn of praise, in literary style, of Wyoming.
WYOMING SONG
O, dear Wyoming, clear and bright, Thy breezes are a treasure; They give us health, they give us wealth And ipy, thy rocks and templed hills, Thy limpid streams and rushing rills, 0, dear Wyoming, clear and bright, Thy breezes are a treasure.
0, dear Wyoming, clear and bright, Much gold cornea from thy mountains, And from thy valleys broad and light Spring forth artesian fountains. With all thy fields of golden grain And sheep and cattle in the plain, O, dear Wyoming, clear and bright, Thy breezes are a treasure. O, dear Wyoming, clear and bright, We love thy sunny weather, Thy people stand for all that's right In usefulness and pleasure. They always keep the golden rule • At home, in college, and in school; O, dear Wyoming, clear and bright, Thy breezes are a treasure. 7. The Dying Cowboy. Description of the death of a young cowboy, with an account of his life.
THE DYING COWBOY
As I walked through Tom Sherman's bar-room, Tom Sherman's bar-room on a bright summer's day, There I spied a handsome young cowboy
All dressed in white linen as though for the grave.
"I know by your appearance you must be a cowboy,"
These words he said as I came passing by, "Come sit down beside me, and hear my sad story, I'm shot through the breast and know I must die." "Once in my saddle I used to look handsome,
Once in my saddle I used to feel gay, I first went to drinking, then went to gambling, Got into a fight which ended my day.
"Go and tell my gray-haired mother,
Break the news gently to sister dear, But never a word of this place must you mention When a crowd gathers round you, my story to hear.
Chorus:
Beat your drums lowly, and play your fifes slowly,
Play the dead march as you bear me along, Take me to the graveyard and lay the sod o'er me, For I'm a dying cowboy and know I've done wrong.
For a history of this piece, which is a plainsman's version of the Old World ballad known as "The Unfortunate Rake", see P. Barry, Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXIV, 341.
8. The Lone Prairie, Bury Me Not on Prairie (The Dying Cowboy). Request concerning his burial by a dying cowboy.
BURY ME NOT ON THE PRAIRIE
Oh! bury me not on the lone prairie. Those words came softly but mournfully From the pale lips of a youth who lay On the cold damp ground at the close of day. He had wasted and pained until over his brow
Death's shades were but gathering now.
He thought of home and loved ones nigh,
As the cowboys gathered round for to see him die.
Oh! bury me not on the lone prairie, Where the wild coyotes will howl o'er me, Where no light breaks in, o'er a lone dark trail, And no sunbeams shine on a lone prairie. In fancy I listen to the well known words, To the free wild winds and songs of birds; I've thought of home and the cotton bowers, And the scenes we loved in childhood hours. I've hoped to have been laid when I died In the churchyard there, neath the green hillside; By the bones of my father let my grave be; On! bury me not on the lone prairie. An adaptation of XII, 6.
9. [The Cowboy's Meditation]. Fragment, obviously an adaptation from the popular religious song, "The Sweet Bye and Bye".
One night as I lay on the prairie
Counting the stars in the sky, I wondered if ever a cowboy Would enter that sweet bye and bye.
10. Out West. There is a famous country of mighty rivers, of abundant gold, and of peace and plenty, but it lies away off in the West.
OUT WEST
There's a country famed in story, As you've oftentimes been told, 'Tis a land of mighty rivers Running over sands of gold, The abode of peace and plenty; And with quietness 'tis blest, But the country that's so famous Is away off in the West. Chorus:
'Tis away off in the West 'Tis away off in the West Oh! I fear I ne'er shall find it, 'Tis so far off in the West. Once a man in Androscoggin, Or in some outlandish place With a view to find this country To the westward set his face. He was weary at Chicago. So he sat him down to rest; But 'twas only there the center, Not the famous golden West. 11. Dakota Land. A satirical praise of Dakota as a land of heat and drouth.
DAKOTA LAND
We've reached the land of desert sweet, Where nothing grows for man to eat. The wind it blows with feverish heat Across the plains so hard to beat. Chorus.
Oh! Dakota land, sweet Dakota land,
As on thy fiery soil I stand,
I look across the plains
And wonder why it never rains
Till Gabriel blows his trumpet sound
And says the rain's just gone around.
We have no wheat, we have no oats, We have no corn to feed our shoats, Our chickens are so very poor They beg for crumbs outside the door. Our horses are of broncho race, Starvation stares them in the face: We do not live; we only stay; We are too poor to get away. The model for this piece is "Beulah Land."
12. The Texas Rangers tells of a fight between Texans and Indians.
THE TEXAS RANGERS
Come all you Texas Rangers wherever you may be, I'll tell you of some trouble which happened unto me. My name 'tis nothing extra, the truth to you I'll tell. Come all you jolly Rangers, I'm sure I wish you well. It was the age of sixteen I joined the royal band, We marched from San Antonio, unto the Rio Grande. Our captain he informed us, perhaps he thought t'was right, Before we reached the station, he was sure we would have to fight. It was one morning early, our captain gave command,
"To arms, to arms," he shouted, "and by your horses stand."
We heard those Indians coming, we heard them give their yell. My feelings at that moment no human tongue can tell. We saw their smoke arising, it almost reached the sky, My feelings at that moment, now is my time to die. We saw those Indian's coming, their arrows around us hailed, My heart it sank within me, my courage almost failed. We fought them full nine hours until the strife was o'er, The like of dead and wounded, I never saw before. Five hundred as noble rangers as ever served the west,
We'll bury those noble Rangers, sweet peace shall be their rest.
I thought of my poor mother, those words she said to me, To you they are all strangers, you had better stay with me. I thought she was old and childish, perhaps she did not know, My mind was bent on roving and I was bound to go. Perhaps you have a mother, likewise a sister too,
Perhaps you have a sweetheart to weep and mourn for you.
If this be your condition I advise you to never roam, I advise you by experience you had better stay at home. According to H. M. Belden, Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXV, 14, this piece is probably an echo of the fight at the Alamo, March 6, 1835, and is modeled on the British ballad "Nancy of Yarmouth."
13. [The Horse-Wrangler]. He meets a cattle king and decides to try cow-punching.
THE HORSE WRANGLER
One day I thought I'd have some fun, And see how punching cows was done, So when the round-up had begun, I tackled a cattle king; Says he, "My foreman is over in town, He's in the saloon and his name is Brown, I think perhaps he'll take you down." Says I, "That's just the thing." We started for the ranch next day, Brown talked to me 'most all the way, He said that punching cows was great, It was no work at all, I tell you, boys, he must have lied, He shorely must have had his gall. He put me in charge of a calfy yard,
And told me not to work too hard;
That all I'd have to do was to guard
The horses from getting away.
Sometimes a horse would make a breaK.
Across the prairie he would take
As though he were running for a stake,
I couldn't head him at all,
At other times, my horse would fall.
And I'd shoot on like a cannon ball Till the ground came into my way. They saddled me up an old gray hack, With a great big set-fast on nis back, And padded him down with a gunny sack, And took my bedding all, When I got on, he left the ground, Went up in the air and turned around, I busted the ground where I came down, It was a terrible fall. They picked me up and carried me in, And laid me down like a rolling pin, "That's the way they all begin, You're doing fine," says Brown, "Tomorrow morning, if you don't die, I'll give you another horse to try," "Oh, won't you let me walk," says I, "Oh, yes" says he, "To town." I've traveled up, I've traveled down,
I've traveled this wide world round and round,
I've lived in the city, I've lived in town,
This much I've got to say:
Before you try it, go kiss your wife,
Put a heavy insurance on your life,
And shoot yourself with a butcher knife,
For that's the easiest way.
14. Starving to Death on a Government Claim. The
speaker humorously describes his privations, and predicts that he will travel back east, get a wife in Missouri, and live on "corn dodgers".
STARVING TO DEATH ON A GOVERNMENT CLAIM
Frank Baker's my name, and a bachelor I am. I'm keeping old batch on an elegant plan, You'll find me out west in the county of Lane, A-starving to death on a government claim. My house is constructed of natural soil, The walls are erected according to Hoyle, The roof has no pitch, but is level and plain, And I never get wet till it happens to rain. Hurrah for Lane county, the land of the free, The home of the grasshopper, bed-bug and flea, I'll holler its praises, and sing of its fame, While starving to death on a government claim. How happy I am as I crawl into bed,
The rattle-snakes rattling a tune at my head,
While the gay little centipede, so void of all fear,
Crawls over my neck, and into my ear.
And the gay little bed-bug so cheerful and bright,
He keeps me a-going two-thirds of the night.
Moses P. Kinkaid, Congressman Sixth Congressional District, Nebraska Introducer of bill for 640 acre homestead, known as Kinkaid Homestead Law.
My clothes are all ragged, my language is rough, My bread is case-hardened, both solid and tough, The dough it is scattered all over the room, And the floor would get scared at the sight of a broom. The dishes are scattered all over the bed, All covered with sorghum, and government bread, Still I have a good time, and I live at my ease, On common sop sorghum, an' bacon an' cheese. How happy I am on my government claim, I've nothing to lose, I've nothing to gain, I've nothing to eat and I've nothing to wear, And nothing from nothing is honest and fair. Oh, here I am safe, so here I will stay, My money's all gone, and I can't get away, There's nothing to make a man hard and profane, Like starving to death on a government claim. Now come on to Lane county, there's room for you all, Where the wind never ceases, and the rains never fall, Come join in our chorus to sing for its fame, You sinners that're stuck on your government claim. Now hurrah for Lane county, where the blizzards arise, The wind never ceasft, and the moon never rise, Where the sun never sets, but it always remains, Till it burns us all out on our government claims. Now don't get discouraged, you poor hungry men. You're all just as free as the pig in the pen, Just stick to your homestead, and battle the fleas, And look to your Maker to send you a breeze. Hurrah for Lane county, the land of the West, Where the farmers and laborers are ever at rest; There's nothing to do but to stick and remain, And starve like a dog on a government claim. Now, all you poor sinners, I hope you will stay, And chew the hard rag till you're toothless and gray, But as for myself, I'll no longer remain, To starve like a dog on a government claim. Farewell to Lane county, farewell to the West, I'll travel back east to the girl I love best, I'll stop at Missouri and get me a wife, Then live on corn dodgers, the rest of my life. 15. The Kinkaider's Song. Homesteaders' song popular in the Nebraska sandhill region. Sung at picnics, reunions, and the like, to the tune of "My Maryland."
THE KINKAIDER'S SONG
You ask what place I like the best, The sand hills, oh the old sand hills; The place Kinkaiders make their home An f Ieiiif chickens freely roam. Chorus (for first and second verses):
In all Nebraska's wide domain Tis the place we long to see again; The sand hills are the very best, She is queen of all the rest. The corn we raise is our delight, The melons, too, are out of sight. Potatoes grown are extra fine And can't be beat in any clime. The peaceful cows in pastures dream And furnish us with golden cream, So I shall keep my Kinkaid home And never far away shall roam. Chorus (third verse):
Then let us all with hearts sincere Thank him for what has brought us here, And for the homestead law he made, This noble Moses P. Kinkaid. 16. Joe Bowers. This version was obtained from Mr. Francis Withee, of Stella, Nebraska, who hearoMt sung many times when a freighter in 1862-65 on the Denver-Nebraska City Trail. It was a freighter's favorite. The song is supposed to be sung by a Missourian in California about 1849-51. It was in existence as early as 1854.
My name it is Joe Bowers, I've got a brother Ike; I come from Old Missouri, It's all the way from Pike. I'll tell you how I came here, And how I came to roam, And leave my good old mammy, So far away from home. There was a gal in our town, Her name was Sally Black; I asked her for to marry me, She said it was a whack. Says she to me, "Joe Bowers, Before we hitch for life You ought to have a little home To keep your little wife." Says I to her, "Dear Sally! All for your own dear sake, I'm off to California To try to raise a stake." Says she to me, "Joe Bowers, You are the man to win, Here's a kiss to bind the bargain," And she threw a dozen in. When I got to this country I hadn't nary red. I had such wolfish feelings, I almost wished I'as dead. But when I thought of Sally It made those feelings git, And raised the hopes of Bowers— I wish I had 'em yet. And so I went to mining, Put in my biggest licks; Come down upon the boulders Like a thousand of bricks. I labored late and early, In rain an' sun an' snow, • I was working for my Sally— 'Twas all the same to Joe.
One day I got a letter, Twas from my brother Ike; It came from Old Missouri, And all the way from Pike. It was the darndest letter That ever I did see, And brought the darndest news That was ever brought to me. It said that Sal was false to me—
It made me cuss and swear—
How she'd went and married a butcher,
And the butcher had red hair;
And, whether 'twas gal or boy
The letter never said,
But that Sally had a baby,
And the baby's head was red!
Here might be grouped also "Jesse James" (VIII, 2), "The Dying Californian" (VI, 1), "Come, Brothers, Gather Round My Bed" (VI, 8), "Seven Long Years in a Prison Cell" (VIII, 6).
VIII. SONGS OF CRIMINALS AND OUTLAWS.
The songs of this group have for their protagonists criminals or outlaws.
1. Captain Kidd tells of his good bringing up, his cursing of his parents, his murder of William Moore, etc.
Oh my name is Captain Kidd, as I sailed, as I sailed, Oh my name is Captain Kidd, as I sailed, Oh my name is Captain Kidd, and most wickedly I did, For my name is Captain Kidd, as I sailed. See "William Kidd" in E. E. Rale's New England History in Ballads, p. 37. Boston, 1904.
2. Jesse James. Song telling of the death, through betrayal, of Jesse James. He was killed by Robert Ford.
Now Jesse had a wife to mourn for hia life, His children they were brave, 'Twas a dirty little coward
That shot Mr. Howard, That laid Jesse James in his grave. See XI. Also "Song Ballets and Devil's Ditties" by W. A. Bradley, Harper's Magazine, May 1915.
3. Charlie's Town, The Boston Burglar. The speaker says he was brought up by honest parents, but his "character was taken" and he could not be cleared. He was sent as the "Boston Burglar" to Charlie's town.
And every station I would pass, I'd hear the people say, There goes a Boston burgular, See, he's all bound in iron. 4. Young McFee. He murders his wife with her babe by giving her poison and then strangling her, because he had fallen in love with Hattie Stout.
Come all my friends and listen to me While I relate a sad and mournful history. On this day I'll tell to thee The story of Young McFee. 5. Jack Williams is a boatman by trade. For the sake of a girl he took to robbing, and was brought to Sing Sing (Newgate).
On Bowery (Chatton) street I did reside, Where the people did me know, I fell in love with a pretty girl, She proved my overthrow. See Group II.
6. Seven Long Years in a Prison Cell. Fragment. The narrator, in a Kansas City prison cell, is serving time for "knocking down a man in Salida" and taking his greenbacks.
Seven long years in a prison cell,
Seven long years to stay; For knocking down a man in Salida, boys, And taking all his greenbacks away.
7. Toppin (Turpin) and the Lawyer. See II, 5.
8. Charles Guiteau. See VI, 2.
IX. ELEGIES AND COMPLAINTS
The songs of this group include laments for the dead, as of parents for children, or of children for a parent, or of a lover for his sweetheart; also miscellaneous complaints, as of the remarriage of a father, or the sorrow of a father at the indifference of his children; or sorrow for the loss of an old home.
1. LAMENTS FOR DEAD CHILDREN
1. Little Nell. A man's memories of his boyhood days and his love for little Nell. One day his boat, to which she had wandered, was afloat with the tide; and the next day her form washed up from the beach. .
Toll, toll, the bell from morn till close of day
For bright-eyed laughing Little Nell of Naragansett Bay.
See also Group XII.
2. Tilly. Lament of a man for a child, whose mother, Jennie, died earlier.
Weep, zephyrs, weep, in the midnight deep, Where the cypress and the pine sadly wave. I have taken down my banjo, for I could not sleep, And I'm singing over my little Tilly's grave. 3. Little Willie Went to Heaven. Little Willie died in his papa's arms. His wagon, his little hat and penknife, his chair, are recalled, and his little sister plants a flower on his tomb.
Little Willie went to Heaven One bright and starry night, In his papa's arms he rested When his spirit took its flight. 4. The Golden Stair. Fragment.
Put away the little dresses that the darling used to wear,
She will need them on earth never, she has climbed the golden stair.
5. Jessie Green. The child, Jessie, sang the sweetest notes the speaker ever heard.
We laid her in the churchyard,
And sadly from the scene, We turned our footsteps homeward And left poor Jessie Green.
2. REGRETS OF AN ORPHAN FOR A PARENT
1. Why Did They Dig Ma's Grave so Deep? "Poor Little Nellie" weeps for her dead mother.
Why did they dig ma's grave so deep? Why did they lay her away to sleep, Leaving me here alone to weep? Why did they dig ma's grave so deep? 2. The Soldier's Daughter. Little Minnie, whose mother is dead, kisses her father goodbye.
I shall have no one to love me, I shall have no place to pray, I shall have no one to love roe, When my father goes away. 3. Since My Mother's Dead and Gone.
In the dear old village churchyard
Oft I stray with heart forlorn, For there's no one left to love me Since my mother's dead and gone.
4. Little Barefoot. She has lost her father, and one winter day dies herself.
Mr., please give me one penny,
For I've not got any paw, Please, sir, give me just one penny, For to buy some bread for maw.
5. The Orphan's Lament. Her father died, then her mother, then her sister.
I am standing by your grave .mother,
The winds are sobbing wild, And the winter stars look dimly down Upon your orphan child.
6. Poor Little Joe. Fragment.
Cold blew the blast and down came the snow, With no place to shelter him, nowhere to go, No mother to guide him, in her grave she lay low, Died on the cold streets, it was poor little Joe. 7. The Drunkard's Lone Child. See XIX, 2.
8. [The Beggar Girl]. See XIX, 3.
3. THE LOST SWEETHEART
1. Falling Leaves. Song of an Indian girl named Falling Leaves and her warrior lover. Her grave is at Laramie, Wyoming.
Falling leaves the breezes whisper,
Spirits of its early flight; But within the lonely wigwam There is a wail of woe tonight.
See GroupIXXIV.
2. Only a Lock of Her Hair. A man has treasured a lock of his sweetheart's hair, and some flowers now faded and dead.
Still in my dreams she appears Loving and beautiful there, Mine after wondering long years, Only a lock of her hair. 3. Let the Dead and the Beautiful Rest. Song of the death and burial of a beautiful maiden.
O so young and so fair,
With her bright golden hair,
Let her sleep, let her sleep,
Let her sleep 'neath the willow by the spring.
4. Down by the Brook. Theme indicated in stanza—
Down by the brook at the end of the lane There side by side we shall ne'er stray again; There on the banks 'neath the spreading oak's shade My own darling Jennie they've laid. 5. Daisy Dean. Regrets of a lover for the death of his early sweetheart.
O down in the meadow I still love to wander Where the young grass grew so fresh and green; But the bright golden vision of springtime now faded With the flowers and my darling Daisy Dean. 6. Listen to the Mocking Bird. Theme indicated in the opening stanza.
I am dreaming now of Hallie, For the thought of her is one that never dies. She's sleeping in the valley And the mocking bird is singing where she lies. By Alice Hawthorne, 1855.
7. The Old Elm Tree. Memories of older scenes, and regrets.
O Laura, dear Laura, my heart's first love, May we meet in the angels' home above, Earth hath no treasure so dear to me As thy lone grave 'neath the old elm tree. This song is by F. N. Crouch. See also XIV.
8. Belle Brandon. Song of the same type as the preceding.
Death has wed the little beauty, Belle Brandon, And she sleeps 'neath the old arbor tree. Other songs for dead or for lost sweethearts which might be grouped here are "A Song for the Girl I Love" (XIV, 4)," Florence Vane" (XIV, 5), "After the Ball" (XVII, 6), "Little Nell" (IX, 1, 1), "Sailor's Trade" (XII, 3), "Lorena" (XIV, 11), "Pretty Maumee" (XXIV, 5), and possibly the (humorous) "Rosie Nell", or "Swinging in the Lane" (XV, 8), and "I'll Hang My Harp", (II, 12). See also groups V, and XIV.
4. MISCELLANEOUS LAMENTS AND COMPLAINTS
1. Old Grimes. Memories of Old Grimes, his characteristics and eccentricities.
Old Grimes is dead, that good old man, We ne'er shall see him more; He wore a single-breasted coat That buttoned down before. A text of this piece is printed in the Bryant Library of Poetry and Song, p. 970, and in the Franklin Square Song Collection, New York 1884. It is by Albert Gordon Greene. 1827.
2. We Shall Meet. Fragment.
We shall meet but we shall miss him;
There will be one vacant chair, We shall linger to caress him While we breathe our evening prayer.
This is from "The Vacant Chair", by George F. Root.
3. The Marriage Rite Was Over, (The Stepmother, I Could Not Call Her Mother).
I wreathed my face in smiles,
And took my little brother To greet my father's chosen, But I could not call her mother.
4. Over the Hills to the Poor House. Complaint of a father driven from his home by his children.
What? No, it can't be they've driven Their father so helpless ana old; O God, may their crime be forgiven, To perish out there in the cold. 5. Crysta Leroy, Christine Leroy. A wife complains that the happiness of her home has been broken by the agency of Crysta Leroy.
When she gave her soft hand to my husband,
And wished me a lifetime of joy, How my heart sank with fear at the malice In the bright eyes of Crysta Leroy.
6. The Sheriff's Sale. A child pleads for the home of his forefathers.
Please spare the old home, please spare it I pray, Don't turn out my mother, she's feeble and gray, And my dear loving sister, so sickly and pale; Auctioneer, auctioneer, won't you please stop the sale? 7. I'll Be AH Smiles Tonight. See XIV, 14.
X. SONGS OF DYING SOLDIERS AND OTHER WAR
PIECES
These songs tell of soldiers, and are based, or purport to be based, on incidents in the civil war.
1. The Blue and the Gray. A mother's three sons go to war and are killed.
One lies down near Appomattox, many miles away, Another sleeps at Chickamauga, and they both wore suits of gray; 'Mid the strains of "Down in Dixie" the third was laid away, In a trench at Santiago, the blue and the gray. 2. The Pardon Came too Late. A boy hastening from the ranks in response to a message from his mother, who is dying, is caught and shot as a deserter.
The volley was fired at sunrise, just at the break of day, And while the echoes lingered a soul had passed away, Into the arms of his Maker, and there to hear his fate; A tear, a sigh, a sad good bye—the pardon came too late. 3. Just as the Sun Went Down. Two soldiers lie dying on the battlefield.
One thought of mother, at home, alone, feeble and old and gray, One of the sweetheart he left in town, happy and young and gay, One kissed a ringlet of thin gray hair, one kissed a lock of brown, Bidding farewell to the Stars and Stripes, just as the sun went down. 4. The Last Fierce Charge. Two soldiers are on a battlefield, one a blue-eyed youth of nineteen, the other tall and dark. The latter asks the youth to take back messages to his sweetheart and his mother; but in the fight both soldiers are killed and the messages are never taken.
It was just before the last fierce charge
Two soldiers drew their rein For a parting word and a touch of hands, They ne'er might meet again.
5. The Dying Soldier, (Buena Vista Battlefield). He asks his comrades to take messages to his father, mother, and sweetheart.
On Beaunavista's bloody field
A dying soldier lay. His thoughts were on his happy home Some thousand miles away.
6. Farewell, Mother, I am Going. Message of a soldier to his mother.
Farewell, mother, I am going;
For my country here I die; I know you'll not forget me, mother, When beneath the sod I lie.
7. The Soldier's Funeral. Meditations, general in character, on a soldier's death.
Hark to the shrill bugle calling, It pierces the soft summer air; Tears from each comrade are falling, For the widow and the orphans are there. 8. Just Before the Battle. Theme indicated by the stanza—
Just before the battle mother,
I am thinking most of you, While upon the field I'm watching With the enemy in view.
9. Just After the Battle. Words of a soldier lying on the field of battle among his comrades. Companion piece of the preceding.
Mother dear, your boy is wounded
And the nights are drear with pain, But still I feel that I shall see you And the dear old home again.
10. Sleeping for the Flag. Lament for a dead soldier.
When the boys come home with triumph, brother,
With bright laurels they shall gain, When we go to give them triumph, brother, We shall look for you in vain.
11. The Happy Day Has Come, Kate. Peace is declared and "the bloody war is over".
Let us sing then for joy,
For our country's truly free,
And the slave shall tread its precious soil no more.
12. Sing Me a Song of the South, See VI, 4.
XI. SONGS OF NOTABLE TRAGEDIES OR DISASTERS
The following pieces tell of notable disasters, assassinations, and the like, taking place in the last fifty or sixty years.
1. The Jamestown Flood, The Johnstown Flood.
The narrator tells of the death of his wife and children in the flood.
Is it news you ask for, strangers, as you stand and gaze around At those cold and helpless bodies, lying here upon the ground? 2. The Milwaukee Fire. The Newhall house was burning and a hundred souls perishing. The firemen worked bravely but vainly. A servant girl in the highest window jumped, and a mother sees her boy above in a window.
'Twas the gray of early morning when the dreadful cry of fire
Rang out upon the cold and piercing air; Just that little word alone is all it would require To spread dismay and panic everywhere.
3. The Lady Elgin, XII, 2.
4. The Texas Rangers, VII, 13.
5. The Death of Garfield, VI, 2.
6. See also "Jesse James", VIII, 2.
XII. SONGS OF THE LOST AT SEA
The songs of this group are of the "lament" type, for those lost in shipwreck, or dying at sea.
1. The Ship that Never Returned. A sailor kisses his wife for a last voyage, and a youth leaves his kind old mother, to sail on the ship that never returned.
Did she ever return? No she never returned, And her fate is still unlearned; But for years and years there were found hearts Waiting for the ship that never returned. 2. The Lady Elgin. A lament for the lives of those lost in a wrecked ship.
Lost in the Lady Elgin,
Sleeping to wake no more, Numbered in death three hundred Who failed to reach the shore.
By George F. Root. The song commemorates a wreck on Lake Michigan in 1860.
3. Sailor's Trade. A maiden regrets the absence of her sailor boy. She hails the captain of a ship returning from Spain, inquires of her lover, and is told that he is "drowned in the gulf". The last stanza corresponds to that of "The Butcher Boy", V. 2 (2), and is found also in the college or parlor song "There is a Tavern in the Town," which is related to the Old World folk-song "Died of Love."
The sailor's trade is a cruel life, It robs the maid of her heart and life; It causes each heart to weep and mourn The loss of a sailor boy never to return. 4. Dublin Bay. Roy Neal and his fair young bride venture forth in a ship.
She has struck a rock, the seamen cried,
In a breath of wild dismay. The ship went down with the fair young bride That sailed for Dublin Bay.
This song is by Mrs. Crawford and George Baker. See the Franklin Square Collection, vol. 4, 118.
5. The Sailor Bride's Lament. She is married in the spring. The sailor's ship is soon ordered away, and he is drowned.
My sailor sleeps beneath the wave, The mermaids sing o'er his ocean grave; The maids now await at the bottom of the sea, And are weeping tears of grief for me. 6. Ocean Burial. A youth dying at sea had hoped to be buried in the churchyard on a hillside by his father, mourned by his mother, sister, and sweetheart. His request for land burial is not heeded.
"O bury me not in the deep, deep sea, Where the billowy shroud will roll over me". Compare "The Lone Prairie", VII, 9. See also VI.
7. Little Nell, IX, 1.
8. Three Sailor Boys, I, 8.
XIII. SONGS IN DIALOGUE, OR TWO-PART SONGS
In the following songs there are two speakers, one following the other in answer or comment.
1. Billy Boy is asked whether his wife can make a cherry pie,a feather bed, a loaf of bread, a "muly cow", etc., and gives humorous responses.
"O where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
O where have you been charming Billy?" "I have been for a wife, she's the treasure of my life, She's a young thing but can't leave her mother."
For this piece see The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XXVI. 357.
2. The Courtship of Billy Grimes. A daughter tells her father that Billy Grimes the drover wishes to marry her and that the next day she is going walking with him. The father refuses consent. The daughter answers that Billy's father is dead and that he is heir to about three thousand yearly. The father then promptly consents.
"He's coming here tomorrow, Pa, He's coming bright and early And I'm to take a walk with him Across the fields of barley." Printed in Choice Selections, p. 7.
3. No Sir. A man asks a girl if she will tell him why she always answers "no" to his questions. She answers that her father was a Spanish merchant, and before he went to sea he instructed her always to answer "no". The man responds—
"If when walking in the garden Plucking flowers all wet with dew Tell me would you be offended If I'd walk and talk with you?", etc. Answer: "No sir, no sir, no sir, no." Printed in The Treasury of Song, 1882. Music by Wakefield. 4. The Gypsy's Warning. The gypsy warns a young lady not to trust the lover kneeling at her feet. The man pleads his constancy. The girl believes the gypsy and wishes to pay her, but the gypsy refuses the gold. She points out the grave of her only child, whom the man had earlier wooed and won.
"Do not trust him gentle lady,
Though his voice be low and sweet,
Heed him not who kneels before thee Softly pleading at thy feet." 5. The Milkmaid. A maiden is asked where she is going whether she may be accompanied, what her father is, and what is her fortune. She answers that she is going a-milking, that her father is a farmer, that her face is her fortune, etc.
Then I won't have you my pretty maid, My pretty maid, my pretty maid Nobody asked you, sir, I say, Sir I say, sir I say
6. [What Will you Give Me if I Get Up?] A daughter asks her mother what she will be given if she gets up. The answer is "A slice of bread and a cup of tea", at which she says she won't get up. Then her mother promised her a "nice young man with rosy cheeks."
Yes, mother, I will get up, I will, I will, I will get up, Yes, mother, I will get up, I will get up today. Also used in a singing game, see XXVIII, 19.
7. Paper of Pins. The wooer offers a girl a paper of pins, a little lap dog, a coach and four, a coach and six, the key of his heart, and finally a chest of gold, if she will marry him. The offers are refused until the last, which is accepted. Then he affirms—
"Ha, ha, money is all,
Woman's love is nothing at all, And I'll not marry, I'll not marry, I'll not marry you. 8. Never Can Thy Home Be Mine. Tempted to seek the land of the stranger, the girl decides for her mountain home.
And there is one who loves me here, Whose voice, if less sweet than thine, To my simple taste is far more dear, No, ne'er can thy home be mine. 9. The Quaker's Courtship. The wooer says that he has a ring worth a shilling, a kitchen full of servants, a stable full of horses, etc., and asks if he must join the Presbyterians; but he meets rebuff.
Madam I have come a-courting, hi, ho hum! I'm for business not for sporting, hi, ho, hum! That you go home is my desire, rol, dol, dil, a day, Unless you stay and court the fire, rol, dol, dil a day. See Newell's Games and Songs of American Children, p. 94. New York, 1903.
10. Johnny Randall, I, 4.
11. Barney McCoy. Ill, 6. See also XXXI, 9.
XIV. SENTIMENTAL LYRICS
This group though conventional in character and not one having greatest interest as folk-song is an especially popular group. Many pieces deal with memories of a former sweetheart. Compare IX, 3.
1. I've a Longing in my Heart. Memories of an absent lover.
I've a longing in my heart for you, Louise,
And for the dear sunny southern home.
I can scent the honeysuckle and the fragrant jassimine
I've a longing in my heart for you.
2. Will You Love Me When I'm Old? Addressed by one lover to another.
Life's morn will soon be waning,
And its evening bells be tolled; But my heart will know no sadness If you'll love me when I'm old.
The words and music of this song are by J. Ford.
3. In the Gloaming. Words of a parted lover.
In the gloaming, O my darling,
When the lights are dim and low, And the quiet shadows falling Softly come and softly go.
The words of this song are by Meta Orred, the music by Annie F. Harrison, (Lady Arthur Hill). Published 1877.
4. A Song for the Girl I Love. The second stanza reveals that the girl is dead.
A song for the girl I love, God love her A song for the eyes that tender shine. By Frederick Langbridge. See Slason Thompson's The Humbler Poets (1908), p. 157.
5. Florence Vane. The girl addressed in this piece is dead.
I loved thee long and dearly,
Sweet Florence Vane, My life's bright dream and early Have come again.
The words of this song are by Philip P. Cook, the music by W. H. Stoy. It was published in 1865.
jrf< 6. Are We Forgotten When We're Gone? Theme indicated in the following stanza.
Are we forgotten when we're gone? Are all life's hopes and dreams in vain? Say do they ever think of us? And fondly wish for us again? 7. Sweet Mary. Addressed to "Sweet Mary" by her lover, whose suit does not go smoothly, since he is not liked by her parents.
"I'll eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry, And think of sweet Mary and sit down and cry; I will build me a castle on the mountain wild so high So the birds will see me as they pass me by." 8. Sweet Ellen. Addressed to sweet Ellen by her lover.
There's something I have not told, • My love to you is as a ring of gold, It's round, it's pure, it has no end, Then so is my love to my dear friend. 9. There is Somebody Waiting. The speaker proposes to "steal down the stair" to someone waiting outside in the twilight.
There is somebody waiting, There is somebody waiting, There is somebody waiting for me. This song was composed by Charles Glover and was published about 1860.
10. I Am Talking in My Sleep, (I've Something Sweet to Tell You). Theme indicated in the opening stanza.
I have something sweet to tell you, The secret you must keep, Now remember when I tell it, I am talking in my sleep. The words of this song are by Francis S. Osgood, the music by T. S. Lloyd. A text may be found in The Treasury of Song, No. 2, New York, 1884.
11. Lorena. Regrets of a man for his sweetheart, from whom
he has been parted.
•
The years creep slowly by, Lorena,
The snow is on the grass again,
The sun's low down the sky, Lorena,
The frost gleams where the flowers have been.
This song was composed by Rev. H. D. L. Webster about 1856. Music by S. P. Webster. It was published in 1861.
12. Juanita. The familiar song by Mrs. Norton.
Soft o'er the fountain,
Ling'ring falls the southern moon, etc.
Far o'er the mountain Breaks the day too soon. 13. Willie and Kate, The Hawthorne Tree, Katie's Secret. A girl addresses her mother and tells of her sweetheart.
Last night I was weeping, dear mother,
When Willie came down by the gate, And whispered "Come out in the moonlight, For I've something to say to you, Kate."
14. All Smiles Tonight. The speaker says she will deck herself out and smile and seem light-hearted when the man she loves enters with his bride on his arm, though her heart may break the next day.
I'll be all smiles tonight, love,
I'll be all smiles tonight,
Though my heart may break tomorrow,
I'll be all smiles tonight.
15. Dear Heart, We're Growing Old. Theme indicated in the chorus—
Dear heart, because we're growing old, Dear heart, because we're growing old; Nor do we love each other less, Dear heart, because we're growing old. 16. 'Tis True, Dear Heart, We're Fading. Same type as preceding.
Leaves may fall and roses wither, Tresses lose their brown and gold, But, dear heart, you're fair as ever, And to me you're never old. . 17. Sweet Bunch of Daisies. A bunch of withered daisies brings memories of youthful love.
When you and I together roamed through forests green, Gathering daisies growing by the stream. 18. Kitty Clyde. The singer wishes he were a bird to nestle in her hair, a fish to be caught by her, etc.
O have you seen my sweet Kitty Clyde?
She lives near the foot of the hill, In a little shy hut by the babbling brook That runs near her father's mill.
19. Wait for the Wagon. The speaker urges Phillis to come with him to "yon blue mountain home".
Then come with me, sweet Phillis, my dear, my lovely bride, We'll jump into the wagon and all take a ride. By R. B. Buckley, organizer of Buckley's minstrels, 1843. Seethe Franklin Square Collection, vol. 6, 108.
20. Anna Lee. The singer has written to her lover releasing him because he went riding with Anna Lee. In the last stanza he is seen entering the gate, and her feeling changes.
Every lady in the village Knows that he's been courting me, And this morning saw him riding With that saucy Anna Lee. 21. Answer to "Do They Miss Me at Home?" Theme indicated by opening stanza.
"O yes, dearest brother, we miss thee.
With joy we welcome thee home; Thy place here too long has been vacant; O say, wilt thou never return?"
See also groups IV. V. IX, etc.
XV. POPULAR LYRICS OF HOMESICKNESS
The following songs deal with memories of home or of childhood. The speaker recalls his old mother, or his youthful courtship, (especially the bereaved lover), a city dweller regrets his old farm or mountain home, or an emigrant his Old World home. All are of the parlor or concert-hall type.
1. Shadows on the Wall. Memories of the old home circle.
Tis broken, the happy home circle,
And hushed are the voices of mirth, They are gone, all the loved and the dear ones, The fire burns low on the hearth.
2. She Was Bred in Old Kentucky. Memories of the wooing of an old sweetheart.
She was bred in old Kentucky, where the meadow grass is blue, There's the sunshine of the country in her face and manner too. 3. When the Harvest Days are Over. An old man recalls
the courtship of his youth.
When the harvest days are over, Jessie dear,
And the sun-kiss'd flowers bloom 'neath sky so clear,
You will keep the word you said,
That's the time we two shall wed, When the harvest days are over, Jessie dear. 4. Gathering Shells From the Sea-Shore. Memories of the days of childhood.
Gathering up the shells from the sea shore,
Gathering up the shells from the shore, Ah, those were the happiest days of all, Maud, Gathering up the shells from the shore.
5. Dreaming of Home. A song of homesickness.
Dreaming of home, dear old home, Home of my childhood and mother. Oft when I wake it is sweet to find I've been dreaming of home and mother. 6. A Violet from My Mother's Grave. A man's memories of his mother in the old home.
Only a violet I plucked when a boy, And ofttimes when I am sad at heart This flower has given me joy. 7. On the Banks of Lonely River. Memories of an aged mother "ten thousand miles away".
Then blame me not for weeping Then blame me not, I pray, For I long to see my mother, Ten thousand miles away. 8. Rosie Nell, or Swinging in the Lane. Memories of childhood and school, especially of swinging in the lane with Rosie Nell. One day she goes swinging in the lane with a young chap from the city instead of with the speaker.
And yet I'd give the world to be with Rosie Nell again I never, never can forget our swinging in the lane. Words and music composed by Charles Carroll Sawyer.
9. Bettie and the Baby. A soldier in his prison longs for his wife and baby.
Hoping, longing for relief from day to day,
0 it would gush the soldier's pains, If he could but clasp again Faithful Bettie and the baby far away.
10. Down on the Farm. A dweller in the city recalls his old home.
Just a field of new-mown hay,
Just a cottage by the way,
Just a mother dear to shield me from all harm.
11. My Mountain Home. The singer expresses attachment to his mountain home.
1 love the wild hollows of my mountain home, My mountain home, my mountain home, Where free as the breezes my footsteps roam, My bounding footsteps roam.
•
Cf. The Great Republic Songster, I, 122.
12.. My Little German Home Across the Sea. Memories and regrets of an emigrant.
No matter where I roam I don't forget my home,
O the home that ever was so dear to me, O it's many times a day my thoughts that fly away, To my little German home across the sea.
13. My Own Native Land. In various lands and scenes. the singer regrets his home.
Though the fields were as green and the moon shone as bright
Yet it was not my own native land.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
This song is by W. B. Bradbury.
14. Old Dog Tray. The speaker's friends have gone. Nothing is left of his past but his old dog.
Old dog Tray's ever faithful,
Grief cannot drive him away;
He's gentle, he's kind; I'll never, never find
A better friend than old dog Tray.
The words and music of this song are by Stephen C. Foster.
XVI. MEMORIES OF OBJECTS FAMILIAR IN CHILDHOOD
Closely related to the preceding group are the following which tell of memories of specific objects familiar in childhood. They may be classed as derivatives of the "Old Oaken Bucket". Compare also Eliza Cooke's once popular "The Old Arm Chair".
1. The Old Wooden Rocker. Memories of an old rockingchair.
There it stands in the corner with its back to the wall, The old wooden rocker so stately and tall; With naught to disturb it but the duster and broom, For no one uses that back parlor room. 2. The Old Kitchen Floor. Fragment of a song, beginning
Far back in my musings my thoughts have been cast To the cot where the hours of my childhood were past. 3. Grandfather's Clock. Once a favorite concert-hall song with the "Georgia minstrel" Sam Lucas.
Ninety years without slumbering, tick, tick, tick, tick, His life seconds numbering, tick, tick, tick, tick, It stopped short, never to go again, When the old man died. By Henry C. Work.
4. The Little Brown Church in the Vale. Close by the church in the valley is the grave of the speaker's beloved one. He hopes to be buried there at her side.
There's a church in a valley by the wildwood,
No lovelier place in the vale; No spot is so dear to my childhood As the little brown church in the vale.
Reported as of Iowa composition, the work of a Dr. Pitts.
5. The Sheriff's Sale. See IX, 4, 6.
6. See also "The Old Elm Tree" and other pieces in IX, XIV, XV, etc.
XVII. MORALIZING OR REFLECTIVE PIECES
These pieces may conveniently be classified as "moralities". They tell some incident, teaching a lesson, or present some reflection.
1. Father, Dear Father, Come Home With Me Now. A
girl appeals to her father. It is one o'clock and her mother is at home with her sick brother. She appeals again at two o'clock. At three the brother is dead.
"Father, dear father, come home with me now, The clock in the steeple strikes one." This song is by Henry C. Work.
2. Two Babes. Contrast in then- lives and fortunes as children, maidens, and women. But in Heaven none shall know which was rich, and which was poor.
But one of them lived in a terraced house And one in the streets below. 3. The Model Church. An old man describes to his wife his finding of the "model church".
The sexton did not set me down
Away back by the door, He knew that I was old and deaf And saw that I was poor.
This piece was written by John H. Yates. A text is printed in Slason Thompson's The Humbler Poets, p. 300. 1908.
4. The Rosewood Cradle. A mother stitches a little robe of white for her child. The child dies.
In a rosewood casket a baby lay, In the Saviour's arms, far, far away. In that little robe of white. 5. Little Fm'ly. The theme of this song is indicated by the recurring stanza—
I have sinn'd and I have suffered
More than words of mine can tell, And in sorrow I'm returning To the home I love so well.
6. After the Ball. A bachelor, asked by his niece why he lives alone, explains that he once had a sweetheart whom he thought faithless "after the ball" and whose heart was broken by his mistake.
After the ball is over, after the break of morn, After the dancers' leaving, after the stars are gone, Many a heart is aching, if you could read them all, Many the hopes that have vanished, after the ball. This song was composed by Charles K. Harris, in 1892.
7. Pass Under the Rod. A bride loses her husband, a mother her boy, and a father and mother their gifted son.
They had each heard a voice, 'twas the voice of their God, I love thee, I love thee, pass under the rod. By Mrs. Dana. 1862.
8. Be Kind to the Loved Ones at Home. The claims on his consideration of his various relatives are urged upon the one addressed. The last stanza is summarizing.
Be kind to thy father once fearless and bold, Be kind to thy mother, so near; Be kind to thy brother, nor show thy heart cold; Be kind to thy sister so dear. By J. B. Woodbury.
9. What is the Use of Repining? or Where There's a Will There's a Way. Life is difficult, and people complain. Only work and persistence bring success.
Then what is the use of repining?
For where there's a will there's a way; For tomorrow the sun may be shining Although it is cloudy today.
10. Don't You Go, Tommy. His feeble father and mother plead with him to give up whiskey, billiards, and cards, and to be industrious and sober. He is needed on the farm.
Don't you go, Tommy, don't go,
Stay at home, Tommy, don't go; There's no one but idlers that lounge about so, I beg of you, Tommy, don't go!
11. The Two Drummers. Two drummers speak slightingly to a pretty waitress. She protests, saying her "mother was a lady", and that she has come to the city to find her brother. The drummers ask her pardon, and one, saying he knows her brother, asks her to marry him.
My mother was a lady,
As yours, no doubt you'll allow, And you may have a sister Who needs protection now.
XVIII. RELIGIOUS PIECES
Some of these songs, many of which are still popular, were revival songs in origin. A few are standard hymns.
1. On Jordan's Stormy Banks.
On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wistful eye To Canaan's fair and happy land, Where my possessions lie.
Text to be found in Gospel Hymns Consolidated, p. 303 (1883). Words by Rev. Samuel Stennett, music by T. C. O'Kane.
2. Pull for the Shore.
Pull for the shore, sailor, pull for the shore,. Heed not the rolling waves but bend to the oar, Safe in the lifeboat, sailor, clinging to self no more, Leave the poor old stranded wreck and pull for the shore. 3. We'll Stem the Storm.
We'll stem the storm, it won't be long; We'll stem the storm, it won't be long; We'll anchor by and by. 4. The Sweet By and By.
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
See Gospel Hymns Consolidated (1883), Words by S. F. Bennett. Music by J. P. Webster.
5. Pulling Hard Against the Stream.
Do your best for one another, Making life a pleasant dream, Help a worn and weary brother, Pulling hard against the stream. Text in Hubbard Brothers' Treasury of Song. 1882. "Words by Clifton. Music by Hobson."
6. Ever to the Right.
Ever to the right, boys, ever to the right.
Never let your parent say, Why my wishes disobey?
Ever to the right, boys, ever to the right.
7. I Want to be an Angel.
I want to be an angel, and with the angels stand, A crown upon my forehead, a harp within my hand. 8. A Home Beyon' The Tide. An allegory of life, religious in trend.
All the storms will soon be over, Then we'll anchor in the harbor; We are out on the ocean sailing To a home beyon' the tide. 9. Jacob's Ladder.
Hallelujah to Jesus, who died on the tree, To raise up this ladder of mercy for me! Press upward, press upward, the prize is in view, A crown of bright glory is waiting for you. 10. Nail, Boys, Nail.
Nail, boys, nail, never mind the gale. Here a beam and there a timber, There a board so long and limber, Nail, boys, nail, never mind the gale. 11. A Light in the Window. Encouragement is given to the persevering and the steadfast.
There's a crown and a robe and a palm, brother, When from toil and from care you are free; Our Saviour has gone to prepare you a home With a light in the window for thee. XIX. TEMPERANCE SONGS
Most of these pieces narrate some affecting incident, or present some appeal. Only one is humorous. In several a child is the spokesman.
1. Don't Go Out Tonight, Dear Father. The drunkard's wife is dying. His only daughter pleads with him not to leave the home. He angrily strikes het and goes. The next day she is found dying where her father struck her.
Don't go out tonight, dear father,
Think, O think how sad 'twill be, When dear mother passes upward You will not be there to see.
2. The Drunkard's Lone Child. Complaints of a drunkard's daughter whose mother is dead.
I'm a. little girl in this cold world so wide,
God, look down and pity the drunkard's lone child,
Look down and pity, O soon come to me,
And take me to dwell with mother and thee.
3. [The Beggar Girl]. Fragment.
I'm a poor little beggar girl, my mother she is dead, My father's a drunkard and won't buy me bread, I sit by the window and hear the music play, And think of my mother so far away. 4. Old Jones. The song sketches a contrast between Old Jones—
Elbows out and his hat stove in, All brought about by drinking gin. and Squire Brown—
He is rich for he's got the tin, All brought about by selling gin. 5. The Teetotallers Are Coming, The Cold Water Pledge.
The teetotallers are coming, The teetotallers are coming, The teetotallers are coming, With the cold water pledge. For this piece see The Great Republic Songster, vol. Ill p. 121, New York, no date; also The Franklin Square Song Collection, vol. 1. New York, 1881.
XX. RAILROAD SONGS AND NARRATIVES
The pieces of this group have to do with life on the railroad.
1. The Brakeman's Dream. On a cold December night a brakeman returns from his work, and, falling asleep, dreams of his mother and his sweetheart. Waked by a cowboy he hastens back to his train and pulls out of Kearney on the "Aged St. Joe".
The cars had been swaying and rocking,
He slipped between them and fell; The rest is too horribly shocking, The rest too blood-curdling to tell.
2. Casey Jones. He is eight hours late with the Western mail, runs his locomotive at breakneck speed to Frisco, and dies in a collision.
Come all ye rounders if you want to hear
A story about a brave engineer.
Casey Jones was the rounder's name,
On a six, eight-wheeler, boys, he won his fame.
This song, which is by T. Lawrence Seibert, was copyrighted at Los Angeles in 1909. There are older versions.
3. Life's Railway to Heaven. A parallel, sustained through four stanzas, is drawn between the journey through life and a run up a mountain railroad.
As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan's swelling tide You behold the Union Depot into which your train will glide; There you meet the Superintendent, God the Father, God the Son, With the hearty joyous plaudit, "Weary pilgrim, welcome home." By M. E. Abbey and Charlie D. Tillman. Copyright, 1891.
4. In the Baggage Coach Ahead. A child cries in the arms of its father, as they travel in a passenger coach at night. When the passengers remonstrate and ask where the mother is, he replies "She's dead in the coach ahead".
Next morn at the station he bade all goodbye,
"God bless you," he softly said, Each one had a story to tell in their homes Of the baggage coach ahead.
Compare "The Conductor's Story" by M. E. McLoughlin. Werner's Readings and Recitations, No. 7, p. 33. N. Y. 1892.
XXI. HUMOROUS NARRATIVES
The following pieces, humorous in character or treatment, tell or suggest some story.
1. Johnny Sands. Johnny Sands married a scolding wife. He says he is tired of life and will drown himself in the river. She encourages him, and he asks her to tie his hands so that he cannot try to save himself. When they are on the bank she runs with all her force to push him into the river. He steps aside and she falls in. She calls on him to save her, but he reminds her that she has tied his hands.
A man whose name was Johnny Sands
Had married Betty Hoge, And though she brought him gold and land She proved a terrible plague.
Printed in the Franklin Square Song Collection, vol. 2. New York 1884. Music by John Sinclair.
2. My Father's Gray Mare. Young Roger the miller courted Kate, a farmer's daughter; but he refused to take her unless the farmer gave him also his gray mare. The farmer became angry and refused both his daughter and the mare. When six months have passed Roger meets Kate.
0 smiling said Roger, "And don't you know me?" "If I ain't mistaken, I've seen you," said she; "A man of your likeness with long yellow hair Did once come a-courting my father's gray mare."
3. Jim Bovine. Hepsibah is the deacon's daughter. Across from her is her sweetheart Jim Bovine (Boveen). They are watched by the parson who is her suitor also. Jim plays the bass viol in the choir. The ballad involves word-play on the name Bovine.
He never will preach in a pulpit
Where the choir curtains are green, And his only love Hepsibah Became Mrs. Jim Bovine.
4. Poor Johnny is dead and in his grave. An old apple tree grew over his head; the apples were beginning to fall when an old woman came picking them up. Poor Johnny rose and gave her a whack—
If you want any more just sing it yourself,
Sing it yourself, sing it yourself, If you want any more just sing it yourself, O my, O.
For a variant of this piece, and for its probable age, see The Journal of American Folk-Lore, XIII, 230. See also "Poor Robin" and "Old Rover", XXVIII, 20, 21.
5. I Told Him Not to Grieve After Me. Adventures of a man who beats his way.
I got on a train, didn't have no money, Conductor came along, I'm feeling kinder funny. Tapped me on the shoulder, "Where are you going sonny?" And I told him not to grieve after me. 6. Sucking Cider Through a Straw. The speaker sees a pretty girl sucking cider through a straw. He asks her why she does so, and she answers that she didn't know he saw her. Then they both suck cider through the straw and soon are kissing each other. Thus he gets a mother-in-law, and now he has fourteen children.
The prettiest girl that ever I saw Was sacking cider through a straw. 7. I Wish I Was Single Again. The speaker married a wife, the plague of his life. When she died he laughed to think he was single again. He got another "she's the devil's grandmother", and he wishes he was single again.
When I was single, O then, When I was single, 0 then, My pockets did jingle, And I wish I were single again. 8. Listen to My Tale of Woe. A "little peach in an orchard grew" and is discovered by a boy and his sister.
Hard trials for them two, Johnny Jones and his sister Sue And the peach of the emerald hue That grew, that grew, Listen to my tale of woe. Eugene Field's poem.
9. Over The Garden Wall. Story of a courting "over a garden wall", of an angry father, and of final elopement.
Over the garden wall, the sweetest girl of all, There were never yet such eyes of jet; And you may bet I'll never forget The night our lips in kisses met Over the garden wall. Music hall song popular about 1890. Words by Hunter, music by Fox.
10. The Young Man Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn. He
planted his corn in May, it was knee-high in July, and the frost killed his seed in September; but he goes courting at a neighbor's.
When asked if he has hoed his ground he says no, and the girl refuses him.
I'll sing you a song and it won't take long,
Concerning a man who wouldn't hoe corn,
The reason why I cannot tell
For this young man was always well.
11. Chewing Gum. A girl chews gum at the gate Sunday nights, at a ball, and when the parson is about to "tie the knot".
I ran away and left her
And went upon a bum, I swore I'd never marry a girl Who was fond of chewing gum.
12. A Measly Shame. Bill Bailey falls out with his lady friend, and departs, slamming the door. He returns later, but is not readmitted.
Ain't that a shame, a measly shame, To keep your honey out in the rain! 13. The Charming Young Widow I Met on the Train.
The narrator goes to the city from the country, on the death of his uncle, and has adventures on the way.
Beware of young widows who ride on the railway, Who dress in deep mourning, whose tears fall like rain, Look out for your pockets, in case they resemble The charming young widow I met on the train. XXII. HUMOROUS SONGS
These songs are related to the preceding group but are lyrical rather than narrative.
1. I'll Not Marry at All. A girl will not marry a rich man because he'll "get drunk and fall in a ditch", nor a poor man because he'll go begging, nor a man who chews, nor a man who smokes.
I'm determined to live an old maid, I'll take my stool and sit in the shade, And I'll not marry at all, at all, And I'll not marry at all. 2. Jerry Go Oil the Car. Memories of a railroad section boss named Sullivan.
"I made it a point to keep up the joint By the aid of the tamp and the bar; And while the boys am trimming up the ties Have Jerry go oil the car." 3. Why Can't I Have a Beau? The speaker complains that though she is nearly seventeen, her father will not yet let her "have a beau."
"Why can't I have a beau, I'm sure I'd like to know? I think it wrong to wait so long, Why can't I have a beau? 4. My Old Beau. The speaker professes indifference at having lost him.
If he has gone, let him go, let him sink or let him swim; If he doesn't care for me I'm sure I don't for him. 5. Missouri. The singer boasts that he could write a "sizzling crackerjack" of a song; but that first "you will have to show that thousand plunks to me".
O Missouri, O Missouri, the news has reached my ears,
That you want a vocal number hot and strong,
That will waft your fame and glory to the circumambient spheres,
And you'll pay a thousand dollars for the song.
6. The Bed Bug. The last line, or refrain line, persisted for a while in popular slang.
The beetle has his crown of gold, The fire bug has his flame, The bed bug has no flame or crown, But he gets there just the same. 7. Don't Stay After Ten. A girl requests her lover not to stay after ten when he next comes to see her, since his staying brings threats from her father.
O don't stay after ten, O don't stay after ten, But come again my darling, And don't stay after ten. 8. The Birdies' Ball. The various birds come to take part in a ball, participating according to their several characteristics.
Spring once said to the nightingale
I mean to give you birds a ball;
Pray, madame, ask the birdies all,
The birds and the birdies, great and small.
Compare "The Butterfly's Ball" by T. Roscoe.
9. Tippecanoe and Tyler. Old political campaign song.
Oh, what has caused this great commotion, motion,
Our country through?
It is the ball that's rolling on,
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too.
10. Little Brown Jug. A farmer's praise of the jug he takes under his arm when he goes to work.
"My wife and I lived all alone,
In a little log hut we called our own, She loved gin and I loved rum, And I'll tell you what we had lots of fun."
By Eastburn. Copyright by J. E. Winner, 1869.
11. Keep More Than One String to Your Bow. The
speaker warns her hearers that young men are inconstant and that it is wiser to have "more than one string to your bow".
Come all ye pretty young damsels
Who are to love inclined, Young man are false and fickle And wavering as the wind.
12. I Will Tell You of a Fellow, (Bill). He comes one night to woo the speaker. She disparages him in various ways, but decides at the end that she will have him.
I will tell you of a fellow,
Of a fellow I have seen,
Who was neither white nor yellow,
Nor was altogether green.
Chorus: With my life alure a lickem, With my life alure alem. 13. Evalina. Way down in Green Hollow lives Eyalina. The speaker's engagement to her may last forever, since in the three years which have gone by he has not earned a dollar.
Dear Evalina, sweet little dove,
She's the pride of the valley, and the girl that I love.
A popular college song.
14. O Mr. Captain, Stop the Ship. Theme indicated by the chorus.
0 Mr. Captain, stop the ship, I want to get out and walk;
1 feel so flippety flippety flop, I'll never reach New York. O Mr. Captain, stop the ship, I'm sick of the raging main, Hire, hire, O hire a cab, and take me home again. 15. "Railroad Song". Fragment.
I • went down on Number Six
For to get my jawbone fixed,
Hung my jawbone on the fence,
Ain't seen nothin' of my jawbone sence.
16. Sleighing with the Girls. Theme indicated by the first stanza.
Get on your Sunday fixings and neatly brush your hair, With a fancy horse and cutter drive around for a lady fair. 17. O My Heart Goes Pit-a-Pat. The symptoms of being in love are described.
Both our hearts go pit-a-pat; both our brains go whirlygig, Both our brows throb rubadub, and match each other nicely. 18. My Brother, O My Brother. Several stanzas of ironical eulogy.
Who was it taught me how to skate, And left me on the ice to wait, While he went home for Cousin Kate? My brother, O my brother! Compare "My Sister," in Young Folk's Readings, ed. by L. B. Monroe, 1876.
19. Putti <* on the Style. Humorous references to a young man who is pass.ng, to a preacher, to "sweet sixteen", to a country youth and maiden, etc.
Putting on the agony, putting on the style, Just what so many people are doing all the while. 20. Grandma's Advice is to beware of all false young men. The first who came a-courting was young Johnny Green; the second young Ellis Grove.
Thinks I to myself there's some mistake,
What a fuss these old folks do make,
If the boys and the girls had all been so afraid,
Grandmamma herself would have died an old maid.
21. Dutchman, Dutchman, Won't You Marry Me?
asks a girl. He answers that he has no shoes to put on, then that he has no coat, then that he has no hat. When she has brought these he asks—
Kow could I marry such a pretty little girl When I have one wife to home? Compare "Soldier, Soldier, Won't You Marry Me?" in Newell's Games and Songs of American Children, p. 93. New York, 1903.
XXIII. NEGRO OR PSEUDO-NEGRO SONGS
The songs of this group deal with negro life or purport to come from negro speakers.
1. The Sorrows of Yarnba. Yamba was born in St. Lucy's isle and still loves Africa. She was carried away with her child from home and husband, with hundreds more, on a slave ship; she is made to dance and to suffer at the beck of her captors.
In groaning passed the night,
And did roll my aching head, At the break of morning light, For my child was cold and dead.
2. I'se Going from the Cotton Field. A darkey has sold his cabin and patch of ground, and expects to leave the place where he was born and bred and to go to find work in Kansas.
I don't know how I'll find it dere,
But I is going to try; So when the sun goes down tonight I'se going to say goodbye.
3. The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane. Memories of happy times with the darkies and the banjo; but these days are past.
Oh, the only friend that's left me
Is that little boy of mine, In the little old log cabin in the lane. For the relation of this song to "The Little Old Sod Shanty" (VII. 4), see Modern Language Notes, January 1914.
4. Wake, Nicodemus. Theme indicated in the first stanza.
Nicodemus the slave was of African birth
And was bought for a bagful of gold, He was reckoned as part of the salt of the earth But he died years ago very old.
The words and music of this song are by Henry C. Work.
5. Mary and Martha. Religious Song.
Mary and a-Martha's just gone along, Mary and a-Martha's just gone along, Mary and a-Martha's just gone along To ring those charming bells. 6. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Religious Song.
Swing low, sweet chariot, Swing low, sweet chariot. Coming for to carry me home. Printed as a "Slave Hymn" in the Franklin Square Collection of Poetry and Song, vol. 3. (1885).
7. The Gum-Tree Canoe, The Tombigbee River. On the Tombigbee river the speaker first met Julia and rowed her in his Gum-Tree Canoe.
Singing row away, row, o'er the waters so blue Like a feather we'll float in my gum-tree canoe. By S. S. Steel.
8. Ole Sukey Blueskin. Fragment.
Ole Sukey Blueskin tinks heap o' me.
She 'vite me down to her house to take a cup o' tea. What you tink Suke and I had for suppah? Possum-foot and hominy widout any butt ah.
From "Zip Coon" by G. W. Dixon. See Minstrel Songs, Oliver Ditson, p. 120.
9. My Pete. The speaker praises Pete and his attentions to her.
My Pete he is but ten-feet tall, He is a gem of a niggah Chorus: Did you know dat? Did you know dat? Did you know dat, now I ax you? O darky dear, did you know dat? Did you know dat, now I ax you? 10. Fragment.
You may bury my body in the e-e-east,
You may bury my body in the west,
You may bury my body in the new buryin' groun'
Fo' my soul's foun' a hidin' place.
Compare H. E. Krehbiel, Afro-American Folk Songs, 1914, p. 31.
11. Nellie Ely. Reported by one contributor as "sung in lumber camps"; by another as a "negro melody".
Nellie Bly shuts her eye when she goes to sleep; When she wakens up again her eyes begin to peep. Hi, Nelly, Ho, Nelly, listen unto me,
I'll sing for you, I'll play for you a dolce melody.
The words and music of this (minstrel) song are by Stephen C. Foster.
12. Kingdom Corning. "Old Massa" has run away. He "seen a smoke" up the river "where the Linkum gunboats" lay.
De massa run, ha! haT De darkey stay, ho! ho! It must be now de kingdom comin' An' de year of Jubilo. The words and music of this song are by H. C. Work.
13. Kitty Wells. The singer grieves for his dead sweetheart.
You ask what makes this darky weep Why he like others am not gay— 14. Lucy Long. Fragment.
I axed her for to marry, to this she gave consent, So down to Deacon Snowball's this darkey and Lucy went; So take your time, Miss Lucy, take your time Miss Lucy Long, Take your time Miss Lucy, take your time Miss Lucy Long. For a text of this song, see Minstrel Songs, Oliver Ditson, p. 140. Words in The Great Republic Songster, p. 112. The original "Lucy Long" was E. P. Christy.
15. Ella Ree. Regrets of a freed slave.
Then carry me back to Tennessee
Back where I long to be, Among the fields of yellow corn To my darling Ella Ree.
See Ellie Rhee, by Sep. Winner (Alice Hawthorne). 1865.
16. Under the Cocoanut Tree. Three stanzas. The speaker falls out with her lover because she saw him walking with another girl.
Me and my beau had a falljn' out, Me and my beau had a fallin' out, Me and my beau had a fallin' out, Under the cocoanut tree. 17. O Babe, My Home is on the Bayou. Three stanzas of three lines, one line being repeated for each stanza. The second has "0 babe, I'm six bits in your dollar", and the third has
O babe, I'm climbin' o'er de mountain, 0 babe, I'm climbin' o'er de mountain, O babe, I'm climbin' o'er de mountain. 18. Lprena. In old plantation days the speaker had courted and married Lorena. One day she was sold as a slave to Virginia, where later she dies.
0 Lorena, dear Lorena,
Won't you come, come, come, again to me!
19. A Little More Cider. The singer loves Miss Snpwflake, whom he first met on Broadway, and calls the "apple of his soul".
O, a little more cider too, a little more cider too,
A little more cider for Miss Dinah, a little more cider too.
20. Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races.
Humorous references to the races, and the speaker's winnings.
Gwine to run all night! Gwine to run all day!
I'll bet my money on d« bob-tail nag—somebody bet on de bay.
Words and music by Stephen C. Foster.
XXIV. SONGS DEALING WITH INDIAN MATERIAL
The songs of this group involve stories of, or references to, the American Indians.
1. An Indian Legend. An Indian's daughter has been chosen by lot to go over the falls. Her father goes with her and they meet death.
For the laws of tradition had taught them That one of their number each year By lot should be chosen and brought there To go o'er the falls without fear. 2. Uncle Tohido, The Aged Indian. A white man built a cabin in the depth of the forest. An aged Indian carries off his child to "live forever in his wigwam". She teaches him to read the Bible and pray, and he teaches her to tie and weave baskets.
The white man early one morning
To a distant town had gone, Leaving his wife and Ida There in the woods alone.
3. Pretty Maumee, The Pretty Mohea. A white man is wooed by an Indian maiden, but says that he has plighted his faith in his native country. They part and he returns home, yet acknowledges that—
But all that surround me
And all that I see, There's none to compare with The Pretty Maumee.
4. Falling Leaves, IX, 3, 1.
5. Texas Rangers. VII, 13.
XXV. SONGS OF FAMILIAR LITERARY ORIGIN
The pieces of this group were popular drawing-room songs in the nineteenth century. The music is by well-known composers. They were found alongside the cruder pieces, all thought of their origin being lost.
1. The Maid of the Dismal Swamp. Thomas Moore's poem of that name.
They made her a grave too cold and damp
For a heart so loving and true, And she's gone to the lake of the Dismal Swamp, Where all night long by a firefly lamp She paddles her white canoe.
2. "Ossian's Serenade", (The Burman Lover). Words, except for the first line, from Moore's Lalla Rookh. Music by Ossian E. Dodge. Text in Franklin Square Library of Poetry and Song (1887), vol. 4, p. 113.
Then come with me and be my bride, I'll chase the antelope over the plain And the tiger's cub I'll bind with a chain, The wild gazelle with its silver feet, I'll give thee for a playmate sweet. 3. I Stood on the Bridge at Midnight. Fragment giving three stanzas and part of a fourth of Longfellow's poem.
How often, oh how often I have wished that mubbling tide Would bear me away on its bossom O'er the ocean wild and wide. 4. The One-Hoss Shay. Fragment of 0. W. Holmes' poem of that name.
Have you heard of the wonderful one-horse-shay That was built in such a logical way It ran a hundred yards to a day? 5. Backward, Turn Backward. The "Rock Me to Sleep, Mother", of Elizabeth Akers Allen (Florence Percy). Music for this song was copyrighted by Ernest Leslie in 1860.
Backward, turn backward, 0 time, in thy flight, Make me a child again just for tonight. 6. All Quiet on the Potomac. This piece, sung sometimes at gatherings of old soldiers, is "The Picket Guard" by Ethel Lynn Beers. It was written about 1862.
All quiet along the Potomac, they say,
Except now and then a stray picket Is shot as he walks on his beat to and fro By a rifleman hid in the thicket.
By some the authorship is ascribed to Thaddeus Oliver.
7. Enoch Arden, Goodbye, Annie Darling. Song based on Tennyson's poem.
Goodbye, Anna darling, break off from your sorrow, Tis sad that our parting must be; I'll sail the seas over, I'll cross the wide ocean, I'll sail the seas over for thee. See also "Little Em'ly", XVII, 5; XXI, 8, etc.
XXVI. MOVEMENT SONGS
The songs of this group are either occupational songs, as the cobbler pieces, in which the singer goes through the motions of cobbling, or are dancing songs.
1. Dick Turpin. A cobbler song. See also II, 5.
They call me Dick Turpin the cobbler, I served out my time up in Kent, They call me an old perpetrator, But now I am going to repent. Chorus: With a whang-yang-yang-fol-di-de-do,
With a whang-yang-yang-fol-di-day, etc.
2. I Am a Cobbler Bold.
I am a cobbler bold, I dote on mending, My wife is poor and old, On me depending. Chorus: Li-fol-de-diddle-oh Li-fol-di-day. 3. I Have a Fellow. Sung when barn-dancing, cowboy fashion. The speaker tells her mother that she has "a fellow but don't you tell paw"; then that they are engaged; that he has brought her a ring; that the people are invited; finally that "now we are married, and you can tell paw".
I have a fellow, I have, mamma, I have a fellow, I have, mamma, I have a fellow, but don't you tell paw". 4. Drunken Sailor. Sung while going through a sort of reel.
What shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? Put him in a steamboat, etc. 5. Captain Jenks. Dancing song.
I'm Captain Jenks of the horse marine, I feed my horse on corn and beans, Although it's quite beyond my means, For I'm captain of the army.
XXVII. MISCELLANEOUS SONGS AND FRAGMENTS
These pieces are grouped together for convenience. Many were too incomplete for their character to be readily distinguishable.
1. [Song of the War of 1812].
Then you sent out your Boxer to beat us all about, We had an enterprising brig that beat the Boxer out, Then towed her up to Portland and moved her off the town To show the Sons of Liberty the Boxer of renown. 2. [Sailor Boy]. A girl asks her mother to build her a boat, "And every ship that I pass by, I will inquire for my sailor boy".
O mother, mother build me a boat
O build it long and narrer, And o'er the ocean I will float To my true love tomorrer.
3. Fragment.
Dark and gloomy was the morning, Burke was ordered out to die We'll stand by you gallant captain, Till we conquer or we die. This seems to come from "James Bird," the ballad of a hero of 1812, shot for desertion, and might be grouped under X.
4. Fragment.
He split the door in pieces four
The locks he made to shudder, He took his love by the lily white hand And through the rooms he led her.
5. The Spanish Cabiner. Variant of the well-known college song "The Spanish Cavalier", copyrighted by Leo Feist.
The Spanish Cabiner stood under a tree And on his gautar played a tone, dear, And music so sweet I often repeat, Remember what I say and be true, dear. 6. Fragment.
Chase the rabbit, chase the coon, Chase the pretty girl round the moon, Chase her there and back again, Rest your feet in an oyster can. 7. Fragment. In the chorus the speaker declares his intention to go to Louisiana to see his Susie Anna.
Grasshopper sittin' on a railroad track Singin' polly wolly doodle all the day, Pickin' his teeth with a carpet tack Singin' polly wolly doodle all the day. A popular college or glee club song.
8. Pharaoh's Daughter.
Pharaoh's daughter on the bank, Little Moses in the pool, She fished him out with a telegraph pole, And sent him along to school, Singing tra, la la la la lidy-whoo. From the college song, "The Bull-Dog".
9. The Little Robin. A young man passes with his gun and shoots the robin.
There came to my window one morning in spring A sweet little robin, he came there to sing; And the song that he sang me was worthier by far Than ever was played on a flute or guitar. 10. Beautiful Bird of Spring, Come, Birdie, Come.
Beautiful bird of spring has come Seeking a place to build her home, Warbling her song so light and free, Beautiful bird come live with me. 11. Lavender.
Light my bosom, light my heart, I can smile at Cupid's dart; I keep myself, my sister, brother,
And only care to sell my lavender;
Ladies try it, gentlemen buy it,
Come, come, buy my lavender.
A text of "The Lavender Girl", is printed in The Southern and Western Songster, p. 233. Philadelphia, 1839.
12. Fragment.
I had four brothers who lived over the sea And each sent a present unto me, Parta quartum pera de Centum pera werre dictum domine. The first sent a chicken without any bones, One sent me cherries without any stones. Compare a fifteenth century song in Wright's Songs and Carols (Percy Society), and a nursery rhyme ("The Four Sisters") in Halliwell's Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales, p. 150. There seems also to be some slight relationship to "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (Child, 46).
13. Fragment.
Mr. Brown was a fine young man,
On whom the ladies dote He sat right down in the frying pan And burned his best Sunday coat.
14. To Rowser's.
We'll all go down to Rowser's, to Rowser's, to Rowser's, We'll all go down to Rowser's, for there they keep the beer. 15. [The Returned]. A child tells her father that three beautiful angels came to her room.
As I lay on my pillow with half-closed eyes I heard a sweet sound from the sparkling skies, And while I lay wondering what it could mean Mother, Mary, and Willie came gliding in. 16. Pop Goes the Weasel. Verse said or sung apropos of the spending of money in small quantities here and there.
First she buys a spool of thread, Then she buys a needle, That's the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel. 17. Bob Ingersoll. Fragment.
Bob Ingersoll has left this earth
And gone far far away; He'll be the cause of lots of mirth When he's far far away.
18. Beautiful Star. Song now best known through Lewis Carroll's parody in Alice in Wonderland. Words and melody by James M. Sayles.
Beautiful star, beautiful star, Star of the evening, beautiful star. 19. Sweet Fields of Violo. Song in which the cries of animals are imitated.
A gee ho here and a gee ho there, Here gee-a, there gee-a and O pretty maidens, won't you come and go with me » To the sweet fields of Violo. Compare the college song "My Grandfather Has Some Very Fine Ducks".
20. Twenty Froggies Went to School. Three stanzas. Mr. Bull Frog is the teacher. The last stanza is
Twenty froggies grew up fast, big frogs they became at last, Not one dunce among the lot, not one lesson they forgot. 21. I Went to the Animal Fair. Fragment.
I went to the animal fair, The birds and the beasts were there. The big raccoon by the light of the moon Was combing his golden hair. 22. The Wandering Refugee. Fragment.
O mother I must leave you now, For I'm a wandering refugee. 23. Fragment.
I'll go the reaper
If you'll go the binder,
I've got a pretty girl
And don't Know where to find her.
Compare "Who'll Be Binder?" in Newell's Songs and Garnet of American Children.
24. I Went Down Town. Fragment.
Shanghai chickens, they grow tall.
In a few days, in a few days. The days grow shorter in the fall, And a doo da doo da dey.
Probably from XXIII, 20.
25. The Boy and the Bird. A little boy went out to shoot with his bow and arrow. He sees a little bird on a cherry tree.
The little boy drew up his bow to his eye
And aimed it right for a while.
The little bird laughed and away he did fly,
A miss is as good as a mile.
Coo, coo; coo, coo; coo, coo; coo, coo; coo, coo; coo, coo.
Compare "The Little Cock Sparrow", The Southern and Western Songster, Phil. 1839, p. 256.
26. Fragment.
Shew li, shew li, shew li, coo, Shew li, chicker rackie, shew li coo, When I saw Miss Sallie Allie Yew Come bibilicia bushi lury. Now my lover's go_ne to France
To seek a fortune in advance;
And when he comes we'll have a little dance,
Come bibilicia bushi lury.
27. Fragment.
Some people say that niggahs don't steal,
But I caught three in my cornfield; One had a basket and one had a bell, And the other little niggah was runnin' like hell. Chorus: Pomonah and you shall be free, In the mornin' you shall be free, In the evenin' you shall be free, When the good Lord calls you home.
From a college or glee club song, "Poor Mourner."
XXVIII. SINGING GAMES
The songs of this group are playtime songs, used in games of various types.
1. The Needle's Eye.
The needle's eye it doth supply The thread that runs so true. 2. Go In and Out of the Window.
Go in and out of the window, Go in and out of the window, Go in and out of the window, For we have gained the day. 3. Four Ducks a-Roving.
Here come four ducks a-roving, In rancy, tancy, tay. 4. Skip to Maloo, Skip to My Lou.
Rats in the meal barrel, shoo, shoo, shoo, Skip to Maloo, my darling. 5. Miller Boy.
Happy is the miller boy that lives by the mill, The wheel goes around with a right good will, One hand in the hopper, the other in the sack, The lady steps forward and the gent falls back. 6. Old Dan Tucker.
Old Dan Tucker's now in town, Swing the ladies all around, First on your right and then on your left, Then to the girl that you love best. For a text of the "celebrated banjo song", "Old Dan Tucker" (composed by "Old Dan" Emmett), see Minstrel Songs, Oliver Ditson, p. 150.
7. We've Come to see Miss Jennie Jones.
We've come to see Miss Jennie Jones, And how is she today? 8. We'll Take Miss Irma Brown.
We'll take Miss Irma Brown, Brown, Brown We'll take Miss Irma Brown In ransee tansee tay.
9. Susie Brown.
Choose your love as you go round.....
I love my Susie Brown, Change and swing as you go round,.... I love my Susie Brown.
10. Pig in the Parlor.
Oh we've (jot a new pig in the parlor And he is Irish too. 11. Water, Water, White Flower.
Water, water, white flower, Growing up so high, We are all young ladies, Expecting short to die. 12. Mulberry Bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush, So early in the morning. 13. Green Gravel, Green Gravel.
Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green, And all the fair maidens ashamed to be seen. 14. Farmer in the Dell.
Farmer's in the dell, farmer's in the dell. High oh, a-cherry oh, farmer's in the dell. 15. Itiskit, Itaskit. (Drop the Handkerchief).
Itiskit, Itaskit A green and yellow basket, Wrote a letter to my love And on the way I dropped it. 16. King William Was King James's Son.
King William was King James's son, And all the royal race was run. 17. London Bridge is Falling Down.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady. 18. Oats and Beans and Barley.
Oats and Beans and barley bows, You or I or nobody knows. 19. [Lazy Mary]. See XIII, 6.
20. Poor Robin. Song. Also singing game. Text about the same as for "Poor Johnny", (XXI, 4).
21. Old Rover. Singing game, like preceding. Text much the same, except that "Old Rover" occurs in place of "Poor Johnny", or "Poor Robin".
XXIX. MARCHING SONGS
These songs are, or were, used as marching songs at "Play Parties".
1. Come Philander, Be a-Marching.
Come, Philander be a-marching Every one his true-love aarching Choose your true-love now or never And be sure you choose no other, Tol-lal-le-lal-lal-le-la La-le-di-do-day. 2. Old Quebec.
We're marching down to old Quebec. While the drums are loudly beating; The American boys have gained the day, And the British are retreating. XXX SEQUENCE SONGS AND RHYMES
This group includes sequence songs or rhymes, somewhat
resembling the German Zdhttieder.
1. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.
One, two, buckle my shoe, Three, four, shut the door, Five, six, pick up sticks, etc. 2. John Brown and His Little Injuns. This song is continued up to ten, and is then repeated, counting backward from ten to one.
One little, two little, three little Injuns, Four little, five little, six little Injuns, Seven little, eight little, nine little Injuns, Ten little Injun boys. 3. Forty-nine Blue Bottles a-Hanging on the Wall.
Forty-nine blue bottles a-hanging on the wall, Forty-nine blue bottles a-hanging on the wall, Take one bottle from forty-nine blue bottles, Forty-eight blue bottles a-hanging on the wall. 4. There's One More River to Cross. The animals went in one by one, two by two, three by three, and four by four.
There's one more river to cross Perhaps you think there's another verse, But there ain't. Compare the college song "Noah's Ark".
XXXI. NURSERY RHYMES AND FRAGMENTS
This group includes nursery songs and rhymes and miscellaneous fragments, or isolated stanzas.
1. The Frog's Courtship. There are many variants of this. One begins
There was a frog lived on a well
Kemo, Komo, Kimo; There was a mouse lived in the mill Kemo, komo, kimo.
For this Old English song, see Vincent Cole's English Melodies from the XIII to the XVIII Century, p. 32. London, 1910.
2. What Can the Matter Be?
O dear, what can the matter be Jennie's [Johnnie's] so long at the fair. 3. Hot Cross Buns.
Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, One-a-penny, two a-penny, hot cross buns. 4. Rock-a-Bye Baby.
Rock-a-bye Baby in the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock.
5. [To Market Town].
Here goes dogs to market town, This foot up and that foot down, When they come to a hedge or a ditch He puts them together and jumps over all. 6. Three Little Kittens.
Three little kittens they lost their mittens, And then they began to cry. 7. Pass One Window Tidy O.
Pass one window tidy O, Pass two windows tidy O,.. Jingle, jingle and away we go We 11 all go jingling and a tidy 0. 8. Someone's Tall and Handsome.
Someone's tall and handsome, Someone's kind and true, Someone's hair is very fair, Someone's eyes are blue. Probably belongs under XIV.
9. What Care I for Gold and Silver?
Madam, I have land and silver, Madam, I have house and land,... What care I for gold and silver?— All I want is a handsome man. From a dialogue song, on the order of "The Quaker's Courtship," (XXIII, 9).
10. Baby Is a Sailor Boy.
Baby is a sailor boy,
Swing, cradle, swing, Sailing is a sailor's joy, Swing, cradle, swing.
From a song by George Cooper. See Franklin Square Song Collection, IV. 135.
12. In Good Old Colony Times. Three rogues fall into mishaps: the miller stole corn, the weaver yarn, and the tailor broadcloth.
Now the miller is drowned in his dam,
And the weaver got hung in his yard,
And the devil clapt his claws on the little tailor,
With the broadcloth under his arm.
13. Fragments.
Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it; Nothing in it, nothing in it, But the binding round it. Sing a song of sixpence, Pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie. Ding dong bell Pussy's in the well XXXII. SKIPPING ROPE SONGS OR RHYMES
The second piece of this group is used also as a flower oracle or divinatory formula. These rhymes are not always sung but may be spoken or chanted.
1. [By the Holy Unchangeable Law].
By the holy unchangeable law, I marry the Indian to the squaw, By the point of my jack-knife I pronounce you man and wife. 2. [Rich Man, Poor Man].
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, Doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief
APPENDIX
CAT CREEK GLEE CLUB SONGS
Cat Creek Glee Club Songs. One of the epochs in the history of Nebraska was the era of the farmers' alliance movement of 1890, merging later in the Populist Party. This was the beginning of what has been denominated "the political and social revolution" in the west. It marked the passing of old political lines of conflict, based upon the Civil War, and the commencement of the new social and industrial movement which is still in process. It was a period of white hot political feeling, intensified by a fierce drouth and a great financial panic in the United States. Throughout Nebraska the political campaign of 1890 was characterized by vast open air meetings such as were never known before and have scarcely been equaled since. In some places 10,000 to 15,000 people gathered, mostly from the farms, and wagon parades several miles long were not uncommon. Orators of the common people, many of them untrained in rhetoric, but with an eloquence and confidence which knew no limitations, addressed these thousands to the accompaniment of frenzied cheering. Naturally there was music at these meetings and songs extemporized or adapted from well known ballads were sung. The most noted group of singers on these occasions in Nebraska was the "Cat Creek Glee Club" of Custer County. This Glee Club consisted of S. R. Brown, Harvey Brown, S. E. Brown and Thomas Emrick.
The club possessed fresh strong voices, ready wit, and soon became general favorites at all the early farmers' alliance and Populist gatherings. They sang during the campaigns of 1890 to 1896 and appeared, at the National Populist Convention held at Omaha in 1892. It seems to the editor of this series worth while to print in these pages one of the most characteristic of their songs and the one which never failed to evoke wild enthusiasm. Stanzas were improvised besides the ones here printed and both the tune and the words were borrowed and used by other singers throughout Nebraska.—Editor.
WE'LL MEET YOU BY AND BY
I have heard W. V. Allen1 preach And I've heard O. M. Kem1 tell, There may be a place like Paradise, But there s no such a place as
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by. Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by. Oh, the campaign is a-coming,
The fact you all know well,
The Republicans will do the best they can,
But you'll bet we'll rive 'em
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
English capitalists are a-taking this country, The fact you all know well, And the fifth of next November You can bet we'll give 'em,
Qallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
Come all you Republicans From valley, hill and dell, You'll have to change your evil ways Or else you're gone to
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
Come all you Democrats, You who have votes to sell, You'll have to join the Republicans Or else you're gone to
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
Come all you Prohibitionists, You who love whiskey well, You'll have to join the Democrats Or else you're gone to
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
Oh, the contest now is a-coming, The fact you all know well, Monopolies will do the best they can, But you bet we'll give 'em
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
All you northern and southern soldiers,
All you who do mean well,
You'll have to leave the two old parties
Or else you're gone to
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
1 W. V. Allen, Populist United States senator from Nebraska for six years, 1893-1899.
1 O. M. Kem, a red headed farmer of Custer County, living in a sod house, elected Populist congressman from the third district in 1890 and re-elected in 1892 and 1894.
O. M. Kern, he is no Taylor,1
He has no votes to sell,
But the very next man who sells us out,
Had better be in •
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
Oh say now, Billy Bryan, The fact you all know well, You'll have to leave the Democrats Or else you're gone to
Hallelujah; and we'll meet you by and by.
(Encore Stanza) I've sung you now my story, And I hope I've sung it well,— But before I sing any more to you I'll see you all in
Hallelujah,—and I'll meet you by and by.
1 W. M. Taylor, elected on Farmers' Alliance ticket to Nebraska state senate in 1890 from the district in which Loup County is located. He fled the state in the winter of 1891 when the legislature was in session and the maximum railroad rate bill was pending. His vote was needed to pass the bill and it was generally believed that he was paid several thousand dollars to "sell out" and leave the state.—Editor.
ADDENDUM
In addition to the contributors named in the introduction, grateful acknowledgment should be made to the following persons, each of whom has contributed one or more pieces to the Nebraska Folk-Song collection, or has been instrumental in securing pieces from others:
Frances Francis Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Mrs. Lola M. Taylor Syracuse, Nebraska.
Harriet Cook Gem, Nebraska.
S. J. Mason, Lincoln.
E. R. Harlan Des Moines, Iowa
Lucia Saxer Mt. Clare, Nebraska
Pearl Wagey Cambridge.
Mrs. Ava Shellenbarger Pawnee City.
L. A. Quivey Salt Lake City, Utah.
A. E. Sheldon Lincoln.
Jane Lindsey Hebron.
Elizabeth Atkins University Place.
Elsie Gather Red Cloud.
Mrs. N. B. Pickup Lincoln.
Stella Butler South Omaha.
Sarah Thurman Oconto.
Mrs. H. W. Seeger Tabor, Iowa.
Winifred Seeger Tabor, Iowa.
Fern Sikea Crete.
Grace Munson Lincoln.
Adelaide Rood Lincoln.
Mildred Thompson Lincoln.
Edith Neale Fort Calhoun.
Mrs. S. B. Pound Lincoln.
Ruth Shively Lincoln.
Florence Grimm Lincoln.
Alice Hanthorne Lincoln.
Edith Little Pawnee City.
Harry and Fern Gear Junction, Wyoming.
Note: Page numbers enclosed in brackets [ ] refer to the future bound
volume of which this pamphlet is to be a part.
A Violet from My Mother's Grave. 49
Babes in the Woods 14
Babes, Two 51
Baby Is a Sailor Boy 77
Backward, Turn Backward 67
Baggage Coach Ahead, The 56
Banks of Cloudy, The 16
Barbara Allen 9
Barney McCoy 16, 44
Bayham, Lord 9
Beautiful Bird of Spring 70
Beaunavista Battlefield, On 40
Beautiful Star 71
Bed Bug, The 60
Bedroom Window, The 18
Beggar Girl, The 55
Be Kind to the Loved Ones at
Home 62
Belle Brandon 37
Belle Mahone.... .. 16
Captain Kidd 33
Caroline of Edinboro Town,
Lovely 18
Casey Jones 55
Cavalier, The Spanish 69
Charles Guiteau £0 34
Charlie's Town '34
Charlotte, Young jg
Charming Young Widow I Met in
the Train, The 59
Chewing Gum .. 69
Cheyenne Boys . .26
Christine Leroy .33
Church, The Model '' " ^51
Cloudy, The Banks of !!" !l6
Cocoanut Tree, The 65
Coldwater Pledge, The '.'.'.'.'. 66
Come, Birdie, Come 70
Come, Brothers, Gather Round My
Bed 21
Betsy Brown 19 Come, Philander, Be a-Marching. .75
Bettie and the Baby 49 Constant Farmer's Son, The. 20
Bill 61 CoolenBawn, The ['. ..15
Billy Boy 16,42j Counting Your Chickens Before
Billy Grimes, Courtship of 43JJI
They Are Hatched .18
Courtship of Billy Grimes, The 43
Cowboy, I Want to Be a 22
Cowboy's Meditation. The 26
Cowboy, The Dying 26
Crysta Leroy 38
Cupid's Garden 17
Daisy Dean 37
Daisies, Sweet Bunch of 47
Dakota Land 28
Dear Heart, We're Growing Old.. .47
Death of a Romish Lady, The.... 14
Death of Garfield, The 41
Dick Turpin 68
Don't Go Out Tonight, Dear
Father 55
Don't Stay After Ten 60
Don't You Go, Tommy 53
Do They Miss Me at Home?
Answer to 48
Down by the Brook 37
Down on the Farm 49
Dreaming of Home 49
Dreary Black Hills, The 22
Drop the Handkerchief 74
Drowsy Sleeper, The 18
Drummers, The Two 68
Drunkard's Lone Child, The.. .36,55
Drunken Sailor 68
Dublin Bay 42
Dutchman, Dutchman, Won't You
Marry Me? 62
Dying Californian, The 20
Dying Cowboy, The 26
Dying Girl's Message, The 22
Dying Nun, The 21
Dying Soldier, The 40
EllaRee 66
Ellen, Sweet 46
Em'ly, Little 52
Enoch Arden 68
Evalina 61
Every Grove is Merry in Time—10
Ever to the Right 64
Falling Leaves 36, 66
Farewell, Mother, I Am Going 40
Farmer's Boy, The 13
Farmer in the Dell 74
Fatal Wedding, The 19
Fate of Barbara Allen, The 9
Father, Dear Father, Come Home
With Me Now 61
Father Grumble 13
Floella, Poor 17
FloreUa, Poor 17
Florence Vane 46
Forty-Nine Bottles 76
Four Ducks a-Roving 73
Frog's Courtship, The 76
Garden Wall, Over the 68
Garfield, The Death of 41
Gathering Shells from the Sea-
Shore 48
Geordie 11
Girl, The Lavender 70
Gipsy Laddie, The 10
Gipsy's Warning, The 43
Go in and Out the Window 73
Golden Stair, The 35
Goodbye, Annie Darling 68
Go Tell Little Mary Not to Weep.21
Grandfather's Clock 60
Grandma's Advice 62
Gray Mare, My Father's 67
Green Gravel, Green Gravel 74
Green, Jessie 35
Grimes, Old 88
Guiteau, Charles 20,34
Gum Tree Canoe, The 64
Guy Fawkes 13
Gwine to Run All Night 66
Happy Day Has Come, Kate, The. 40
Hawthorne Tree, The 47
Home Beyon' the Tide, The 64
Horse Wrangler, The 29
Hot Cross Buns 76
House Carpenter, The 10
I Am a Cobbler Bold 68
I Am Talking in My Sleep 46
I CouJd Not Call Her Mother 38
I Have a Fellow 68
I'll Be All Smiles Tonight 39
I'll Hang My Harp on a Willow
Tree 14
I'll Not Marry at All 59
Indian Legend, An 66
Indian, The Aged 66
In Former Times 12
In Good Old Colony Times 77
In the Baggage Coach Ahead 56
In the Gloaming 45
In the Summer of Sixty 23
Irma Brown, We'll Take Miss.... 73
I'ae Going from the Cotton Field. .63
I Stood on the Bridge at Midnight. 67
Itisket, Itasket 74
I Told Him Not to Grieve After
Me 68
I've a Longing in My Heart 45
I've Something Sweet to Tell You.. 46
I Want to Be an Angel 54
I Want to Be a Cowboy 22
I Went Down Town 72
I Went to the Animal Fair 71
I Will Tell You of a Fellow 61
I Wish I Was Single Again 58
Jack Williams 34
Jacob's Ladder 54
James Bird 69
Jamestown Flood, The 41
Jealous Lover, The 17
Jennie Jones, We've Come to See.. 73
Jerry, Go Oil the Car 59
Jessie Green 35
Jesse James 34,41
Jim Bovine 57
Joe Bowers 32
Joe, Poor Little 86
John Brown and His Little Injuns. 75
Johnny, Poor 67
Johnny Randall 9,44
Johnny Sands 67
Johnstown Flood, The 41
Jones, Old 65
Jordan's Stormy Banks, On 63
Juanita. 47
Just After the Battle, Mother 40
Just as the Sun Went Down 39
Just Before the Battle, Mother... .40
Katie's Secret 47
Keep More than One String to Your
Bow 61
Kidd, Captain 83
Kingdom Coming 64
King William Was King James's
Son 74
Kinkaider's Song, The 81
Kitty Clyde 47
Kitty Wells 66
Lady Elgin, The 41
Lament, The Sailor Bride's 42
Last Fierce Charge, The 39
Lavender Girl, The 70
Lazy Mary 74
Lee, Anna 48
Let's Go to the Woods 16
Let the Dead and the Beautiful
Rest 37
Life's Railway to Heaven 56
Light in the Window, A 64
Listen to My Tale of Woe 68
Listen to the Mocking Bird 37
Little Barefoot 36
Little Brown Church in the Vale,
The 61
Little Brown Jug, The 61
Little Em'ly 52
Little German Home Across the
Sea, The 62
Little More Cider, A 66
Little Nell 35,42
Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane,
The 63
Little Old Sod Shanty on My
Claim, The 24
Little Robin, The 70
Little Willie Went to Heaven 35
London Bridge is Falling Down... 74
London, the Rich Merchant of. .13,18
Lonely River, On the Banks of 49
Lone Prairie, The 26
Lorena 46,65
Lorella, Lorla, Lora, etc., Poor 17
Lord Bayham 9
Lord Lo vel 9
Lord Thomas ll
Lover, The Jealous 17
Lover's Return, The 16
Lovely Caroline of Edinboro Town. 18
Lucy Long 65
Lurella, Poor 17
Maid of the Dismal Swamp, The. .67
Market Town, To 75
Marriage Rite Was Over, The. .. .38
Mary and Martha 63
Mary 0' the Wild Moor 19
Maumee, The Pretty 66
McFee, Young $4
M easly Shame, A 59
Meditation, The Cowboy's 27
Message, The Dying Girl's 22
Milkmaid, The 43
Miller Boy, The 73
Milwaukee Fire, The 41
Missouri 60
Mocking Bird, Listen to the 87
Model Church, The 51
Mohea, The Pretty 66
Mountain Home, My 49
Mulberry Bush, The 74
My Brother, O My Brother 62
My Father's Gray Mare 57
My Little German Home Across
the Sea 50
My Mountain Home 49
My Old Beau 60
My Own Native Land 50
My Pete 64
Nail, Boys, Nail 54
Needle's Eye, The 73
Nell, Little 35,43
Nelly Bly 64
Never Can Thy Home Be Mine.. .44
Nora O'Neal 19
No, Sir .....4S
Nun, The Dying 21
Oats and Beans and Barley 74
O Babe, My Home Is on the
Bayou 65
Ocean Burial 42
O Johnny Dear Why Did You Go?. 19
Old Beau, My 60
Old Crow, The 13
Old Dan Tucker 73
Old Dog Tray 60
Old Elm Tree, The 37,51
Old Grimes 88
Old Jonea 55
Old Kitchen Floor, The 60
Old P. D., On the Banks of the.. .17
Old Quebec 76
Old Rosin the Bow 14
Old Rover 75
Old Shawnee, The 17
Old Wooden Rocker, The 50
Ole Sukey Blueskin 64
O Mr. Captain, Stop the Ship 61
O My Heart Goes Pit-a-Pat 62
One-Hoss Shay, The 67
One Two, Buckle My Shoe 76
On Jordan's Stormy Banks 63
Only a Lock of Her Hair 37
On the Banks of Lonely River.... 49
Orphan's Lament, The 36
Ossian's Serenade 67
Out West 27
Over the Garden Wall 68
Over the Hills to the Poor House. .88
Own Native Land, My 60
Package of Old Letters, A 21
Paper of Pins, A 44
Pardon Came Too Late, The 39
Pass One Window Tidy O 76
Pass Under the Rod 62
Pete, My 64
Pharaoh's Daughter 70
Picket Guard, The 67
Pig in the Parlor 74
Poor Johnny 57
Poor Floella, Florella, etc 17
Poor Little Joe ..86
Poor Lorella, Lorla, Lora, Lurella,
etc 17
Poor Robin 74
Pop Goes the Weasel 71
Prairie, The Lone 26
Prentice Boy, The 17
Pretty Maumee, The 66
Pull for the Shore 53
Pulling Hard Against the Stream. .54
Putting on the Style 62
Quaker's Courtship, The 15,44
Railroad Song 61
Railway to Heaven, Life's 56
Randall, Johnny 9,44
Returned, The 71
Rich Merchant of London, The. 13,18
Rich Man, Poor Man 78
Rich Young Farmer, The 16
Robin, Bobbin, Richard, and John. 16
Robin, The Little 70
Rockaby Baby 76
Rock Me to Sleep, Mother 67
Romish Lady, The Death of 14
Rosewood Cradle, The 52
RosieNell 49
Rowser'a, To 71
Sailor Boy 69
Sailor Boys, The Three 10,42
Sailor's Bride's Lament, The 42
Sailor's Trade, The 42
Seven Long Years in a Prison Cell. . 34
Shadows on the Wall 48
Sham us O'Brien 15
Shawnee, The Old 17
Sheriff's Sale, The 39, 50
She Was Bred in Old Kentucky.. .48
Ship that Never Returned, The.. .41
Silver Dagger, The 17
Since My Mother's Dead and
Gone 36
Sing Me a Song of the South 21,40
Skip to Maloo 73
Skip to My Lou 73
Sleeping for the Flag 40
Sleighing with the Girls 62
Soldier, The 14
Soldier's Daughter, The 86
Soldier's Funeral, The 40
Someone's Tall and Handsome 77
Song for the Girl I Love, A 45
Sorrows of Yamba, The 63
Spanish Cavalier, The 69
Springfield Mountain 19
Starving to Death on a Govern-
ment Claim 30
Stepmother, The 38
Sucking Cider Through a Straw.. .68
Summer of Sixty, In the 23
Susie Brown 74
Sweet Bunch of Daisies 47
Sweet Bye and Bye, In the 53
Sweet Ellen 46
Sweet Fields of Violo, The 71
Sweet Mary 46
Swinging in the Lane 49
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 63
Teetotallers are Coming, The 55
Texas Rangers 28,41,66
The Aged Indian 66
The Aged Man 12
The Baggage Coach Ahead 56
The Bed Bug 60
The Bedroom Window 18
The Beggar Girl 36, 55
The Birdies' Ball 60
The Blue and The Gray 39
The Boston Burglar 34
The Boy and the Bird 72
The Brakeman's Dream 56
The Butcher Boy 18
The Camptown Races 66
The Charming Young Widow I
Met in The Train 59
The Coldwater Pledge 55
The Constant Farmer's Son 20
The Coolen Bawn 15
The Cowboy's Meditation 27
The Courtship of Billy Grimes 43
The Death of a Romish Lady 14
The Death of Garfield 41
The Dreary Black Hills 22
The Drowsy Sleeper 18
The Drunkard's Lone Child.. .36,65
The Dying Californian 20
The Dying Cowboy 26
The Dying Girl's Message 22
The Dying Nun 21
The Dying Soldier 40
The Farmer's Boy 12
The Fatal Wedding 19
The Frog's Courtship 76
The Gipsy Laddie 10
The Gipsy's Warning 43
The Golden Stair 35
The Gum Tree Canoe 64
The Happy Day Has Come, Kate.40
The Hawthorne Tree 47
The Horse Wrangler 29
The House Carpenter 10
The Jamestown Flood 41
The Jealous Lover 17
The Johnstown Flood 41
The Kinkaider's Song 31
The Last Fierce Charge 39
The Lady Elgin 41
The Lavender Girl 70
The Little Brown Church in the
Vale 51
The Little Old Log Cabin in the
Lane 63
The Little Old Sod Shanty on My
Claim 24
The Little Robin 70
The Lone Prairie 26
The Lover's Return 16
The Maid of the Dismal Swamp. .67
The Marriage Rite Was Over 38
The Milkmaid 43
The Miller Boy 73
The Milwaukee Fire 41
The Model Church 51
The Needle's Eye 73
The Old Crow 13
The Old Elm Tree 37,51
The Old Kitchen Floor.. . .50
The Old Wooden Rocker 60
The One-Hoss Shay 67
The Orphan's Lament 36
The Pardon Came Too Late 89
The Picket Guard 67
The Prentice Boy 17
The Pretty Maumee 66
The Pretty Mohea 66
The Quaker's Courtship 15,44
The Returned 71
The Rich Merchant of London 13
The Rich Young Farmer 16
The Rosewood Cradle 52
The Sailor Bride's Lament 42
The Sheriff's Sale 39, 50
The Ship that Never Returned... .41
The Silver Dagger 17
The Soldier 14
The Soldier's Daughter 36
The Soldier's Funeral 40
The Sorrows of Yamba 63
The Spanish Cavalier 69
The Stepmother 38
The Sweet Bye and Bye 63
The Texas Rangers 28,41
The Teetotallers are Coming 55
The Three Babes 10
The Tombigbee River 64
The Two Drummers 53
The Village Bride 18
The Wandering Refugee 72
The Weeping Willow 17
The Young Man Who Wouldn't
Hoe Corn 68
There Is Somebody Waiting 46
There's Many a Shlip 16
There's One More River to Cross. .76
There Was an Old Woman 11
There Was an Old Woman .Lived
on the Sea Strand 19
Thomas, Lord 11
Three Babes 10
Three Little Kittens 76
Three Sailor Boys, The 10, 42
Tilly 36