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Four Cent Cotton
OldTime, Song and Breakdown. USA; Georgia, Alabama.
ARTIST: Lowe Stokes
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1930 The tune was one of those cited in the Fayette Northwest Alabamian of August 29th, 1929; Recorded by Skillet Lickers and Lowe Stokes Georgia Potlickers in the early 1930’s.
RECORDING INFO: Feldmann, Peter. Good Fellow, Hen Cackle HC 502, CD (1998), trk# 8 Freight Hoppers. Where'd You Come From, Where'd You Go?, Rounder 0403, CD (1996), trk# 9 Rhythm Godzilla. Galax International, Heritage (Galax) 067, LP (1988), trk# A.07 [1987/06/26] Skillet Lickers. Skillet Lickers, Vol. 1, County 506, LP (196?), trk# B.02 [1931/10/24] Skillet Lickers. Kaufman, Alan / Beginning Old-time Fiddle, Oak, sof (1977), p67 [1930] Skillet Lickers. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p112 [1930] Stokes, Lowe; Georgia Potlickers. Hell Broke Loose in Georgia, County 514, LP (196?), trk# A.01 [1930/11/11] County 506, The Skillet Lickers "Old Time Tunes." County 514, Lowe Stokes' Georgia Potlickers "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia" (orig. rec. 1930). Document 8045, “Lowe Stokes, Vol. 1: 1927-1930” (1999 reissue).
RELATED TO: Eleven Cent Cotton (by Folk Index)
OTHER NAMES:
SOURCES: The Skillet Lickers (north Ga.) [Brody, Kaufman]; Lowe Stokes (Ga.) [Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 112. Kaufman (Beginning Old Time Fiddle), 1977; pg. 67. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 92.
NOTES: Four Cent Cotton is a reference to cheap whiskey or moonshine. The relationship to the song “Eleven Cent Cotton” is unclear. The Folk Index says it’s related. “Eleven Cent Cotton” by Bob Miller (1929) is not about drinking whiskey- it’s a song about the high price of cotton (eleven cents) and the farmer’s plight. I don’t see a connection although they appeared around the same time in the late 1920’s. It’s possible Miller's most famous song “Eleven Cent Cotton, Forty Cent Meat” was based on the ‘Four Cent Cotton’ lyric he heard somewhere. Miller later recorded a version on his “Eleven Cent” song entitled, “Four Cent Cotton.”
“C Major. Standard. ABB (Brody): AABB (Phillips). Norm Cohen believes the tune reminiscent of "Sally Goodin'" and suggests the title may have to do with some kind of unspecified alcoholic beverage. The tune was one of those cited in the Fayette Northwest Alabamian of August 29th, 1929, as likely to be played at an upcoming fiddlers' convention. The tune was recorded by the north Georgia Band the Skillet Lickers, which included fiddler Lowe Stokes, and was also re-recorded in 1930 by Stokes with his band The Swamp Rooters (which also included Bert Layne on fiddle and Arthur Tanner on banjo among others).” Andrew Kuntz
Here are the lyrics to Four Cent Cotton by Lowe Stokes:
FOUR CENT COTTON- Lowe Stokes
(Fiddle)
Old John Davy is dead and rottin’
He got drunk on four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
Sleep all night with a hole in your stockin’
Get no more of the four cent cotton’
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
All year runnin’ in cotton
I went broke on four cent cotton.
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
Billie goat a-runnin’ in the holler
We gonna sell some four cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
Four cent cotton sure as you’re born
I’m gonna drink some Georgia corn,
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
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