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Goin' to See My True Love/Jinny Get Around/Jenny Get Around
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown.
ARTIST: From "Singing Family of the Cumberlands" by Jean Ritchie
Listen: John Morgan Salyer 1941- Jenny Get Around
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Early 1900’s (1937 Lomax)
RECORDING INFO: Jinny Get Around
Cazden, Norman (ed.) / Book of Nonsense Songs, Crown, Sof (1961), p 81
Jinny Git Around
Rt - Sugar Hill
Mullins, James. Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Our Singing Country, Dover, Sof (2000/1941), p 63 [1937]
Ritchie, Jean. Singing Family of the Cumberlands, Riverside RLP 12-653, LP (1957), trk# B.03b (Goin' to See My True Love)
Ritchie, Jean. Ritchie, Jean / Singing Family of the Cumberlands, Oak, sof (1955), p193 (Goin' to See My True Love)
Seeger, Pete. Seeger, Pete / How to Play the Five String Banjo, Seeger, sof (1962), p32
Notes by Andrew Kuntz: JENNY GET AROUND. Old-Time, Song and Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. A Major. AEae tuning. AABB. Jeff Titon (2001) says the tune is related to one of the “Liza Jane” melody types, and points out similarities between the ‘A’ part of “Jenny Get Around” and the ‘B’ part of Clyde Davenport’s “Liza Jane.” Mark Wilson points out relationships between “Jenny…” and the “Sugar Hill” tune family. Titon calls it a regional eastern Kentucky tunes and finds it listed twice on the Berea, Kentucky, tune lists of 1915. It is often sung, with banjo accompaniment and was collected as a song by John and Alan Lomax, appearing in their book Our Singing Country (1941, pgs. 63-65). Source for notated version: John M. Salyer (Salyersville, Magoffin County, Ky., 1941) [Titon]. Titon (Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Music), 2001; No. 74, pg. 103. Berea College Appalachian Center AC003, “John M. Salyer: Home Recordings 1941-1942, vol. 2” (1993). Jim Martin Productions JMP201, Gerry Milnes (et al) – “Gandydancer.” June Apal 0051, Lee Sexton – “Whoa Mule” (1988). June Apal 0055, Morgan Sexton – “Rock Dust” (1989). Mudthumper Music MM-0030, Clare Milliner and Walt Koken – “Just Tunes.”
RELATED TO: “Goin' to See My True Love;” "Sugar Hill" “Jinny Go Round and Around (lyrics)” "Napoleon Crossing The Rockies"
OTHER NAMES: “Goin' to See My True Love,” "Jenny Get Around;"
SOURCES:
NOTES: The Ritchie family of Kentucky knew a version of "Jinny Get Around" they titled, “Goin' to See My True Love.” The song is as a banjo and fiddle tune from the Kentucky mountain region. According to Jean Ritchie the tune was in the repertoire of Kentucky fiddler Cleve Hamilton and resembles "Napoleon Crossing The Rockies." Her father and other knew the lyrics which are floaters from other songs with the "Get around Jinny" chorus. This is probably close to the version Cleve knew from another KY fiddler: Listen: John Morgan Salyer 1941- Jenny Get Around
It was collected by Alan Lomax from banjoist James Mullins in Florress, Ky. in 1937 and appears with music. Mullins lyrics are:
Chorus 1: Oh, git around, Jinny, git around,
Oh, git around, I say,
Oh, git around, Jinny, git around,
All on a summer day.
Chorus 2:
Want to git your eye knocked out,
And want to git your fill,
Want to git your eye knocked out,
Git on the mountain mill.
1. My true love up on the mountain,
Bowing up and down,
If I had my broadax here,
I'd hew the mountain down. (Chorus 1 and 2.)
Lomax version has floating lyrics found in "Sugar Hill" and the songs are somewhat related melodically. "Jenny Get Around" was recorded by fiddler John M. Salyer, Salyersville, Magoffin County, Kentucky, December 1941. The tune was also in the repertoire of Hiram Stamper, father of Art Stamper.
In his book, The Mountain, the Miner, and the Lord and Other Tales from a Country Law Office, Harry M. Caudill give the chorus and tell as about KY fifer Sie Cornett who was 85 in 1935 when Caudill knew him. According to Sie, the tuen was a favorite among the Rebel troops during the Civil War. Sie sang these standard words for the chorus:
Oh, get around, Jinny, get around,
Oh, git around, I say.
Oh, git around, Jinny, git around,
On a long summer's day.
There is also some connection to at least with the lyrics to the chorus of “Jinny Go Round and Around” also known as "Where'd you Get Your Whisky" or "Rockingham Cindy":
Verse: Where did you get your whiskey?
Where did you get your dram?
I got it from a little girl
Way down in Rockingham.
Chorus: Jinny go round an' around
Jinny go round an' around
Jinny go round an' around
Way down in Rockingham.
GOIN' TO SEE MY TRUE LOVE- Ritchie Family, published 1953
The days are long and lone-some,
The nights are a-gettin'cold,
I'm goin' to see my true love
'Fore I get too old.
CHORUS: 0 get around, Jenny get around
0 get around I say.
0 get around, Jenny get around
Long summers day
Went up on the mountain,
To give my horn a blow.
Thought I heard my true love say,
"Yonder comes my beau."
Asked that gal to marry me,
Tell you what she said.
Picker her up a knotty pine stick,
And liked to broke my head.
Went up on the mountain,
To give my horn a blow.
If I can't get the gal I want,
Let that ole gal go.
Met a raccoon in the road,
Mad as he could be.
Quilled his tail and whupped my dog,
And bristled up at me.
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