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Georgia Railroad
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown & Song;
ARTIST: From an unknown source
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: 1920’s;
RECORDING INFO: Blake, Norman and Nancy. Just Gimme Something I'm Use To, Shanachie 6001, Cas (1992), cut# 2. Block, Allan; and Ralph Lee Smith. Allan Block & Ralph Lee Smith, Meadowlands MS 1, LP (1971), cut#B.06. Carson, Fiddlin' John. Fiddlin' John Carson. Vol 4, Document DOCD 8017, CD (1997), cut# 3 (Peter Went Fishing). Forrester, Howdy. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 26/1, p40 (Peter Went a Fishing). Ledford String Band. Ledford String Band, Rounder 0008, LP (1972), cut# 3. Luckiamute River String Band. Waterbound, Lucks '94, Cas (1994), cut#A.02. Possum Hunters. Death on Lee Highway, Takoma A-1010, LP (196?), cut# 6 (Peter and I Went Fishing). Spence, Bill. Saturday Night in the Provinces, Front Hall FHR-005, LP (1975), cut# 5. Tenenbaum, Molly. And the Hillsides Are All Covered with Cakes, Cat Hair, Cas (1994), cut# 15
OTHER NAMES: Peter Went a Fishing; Gary Dawson's Tune
SOURCES: Tom McCreesh [Brody and Kuntz]; Alan Block [Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 118. Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 319-320. Miller & Perron (101 Polkas), 1978; No. 63. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc; pg. 96. Front Hall 05, Fennigs All Stars- "Saturday Night in the Provinces."
NOTES: The fast fiddle breakdown is usually played in A Major, standard tuning. The form is AABB and usually sung to the A part only. The song was recorded first in 1924 by Gid Tanner of Skillet Licker fame. The recording was done before the Skillet Lickers were formed when Gid traveled with Riley Puckett to New York City for a recording session with Columbia organized by Frank Walker. Tanner played fiddle and sang, Pucket certainly played guitar and an unknown banjo player (possibly Fate Norris) was featuerd on the cut. It was later recorded by the Skillet Lickers and also Skillet Licker, Clayton McMichen.
This song is frequently titled "Peter and I went Fishing" or by Fiddlin' John Carson as "Peter Went A-Fishing." Carson's 1926 version only used one verse:
Late last night, Peter went a-fishing
Cally -um, cally- um day.
Caught a big mud-cat, put him in the kitchen,
Cally -um, cally- um day.
LYRICS (similar to Version 2):
Peter and I, we went fishin'
Georgia Railroad I am bound;
Caught a big mud-cat, put him in the kitchen,
Georgia Railroad, Georgia gal.
I led sheep up to the pasture,
Georgia Railroad I am bound;
But my gal said: "Sheep can't you go a little faster",
Georgia Railroad, Georgia gal.
Sheep said: "Cow, I have a sore toe",
Georgia Railroad I am bound;
Cow said: "Sheep, I did not know",
Georgia Railroad, Georgia gal.
Well I'm goin' down the road and the road's all muddy,
Georgia Railroad I am bound;
But I'm so drunk I can't stand steady,
Georgia Railroad, Georgia gal.
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