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Green Corn
Old-Time, Song Tune- Southeast;
ARTIST: From Leadbelly
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Earliest Report Ca. 1859 (Meade);
RECORDING INFO: Dian and the Greenbriar Boys. Folk Box, Elektra EKL-9001, LP (1964), cut# 52; Faier, Billy. Art of the Five String Banjo, Riverside RLP 12-813, LP (1957), cut#A.03; Good Time Singers. Good Time Singers, Capitol T 2041, LP (196?), B.02a; Murphy, Jeanie; and Scott Marckx. Time's Been Sweet, Murphy, CD, cut# 4a; Sampson, Harvey; & the Big Possum String Band. Flat Foot in the Ashes, Augusta Heritage AHR 004, LP (1986), cut#1.01; Simmons Family. Stone County Dulcimer, Dancing Doll DLP 112, LP (197?), cut#1.03; Wear, DeWayne; and the Great Wear Family. Hoe Down! Vol. 4, Rural Rhythm RR 121, LP (197?), cut# 22; Weide, Lisa. Potpourri, Dancing Doll DLP 612, LP (1985), cut#A.09; New Lost City Ramblers, "Hot Corn" (on NLCR03); Ensign, Bob; and the Stump Jumpers. Mountain Guitar Pickin', Rural Rhythm RRBE 255, LP (197?), cut#B.04. Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Fantasy 24711, LP (1972), cut#2.02. New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 3, Folkways FA 2398, LP (1961), cut# 12. New Lost City Ramblers. Old-Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1964/1976), p164. New Lost City Ramblers. 20th Aniversery Concert, Flying Fish FF 090, LP (1986), cut#A.02. Reno, Don; Bill Harrell and the Tenn. Cutups. Don Reno and Bill Harrell with the Tennesse Cutups, Rural Rhythm RR 171, LP (196?), cut# 5. Warner, Jeff; and Jeff Davis. Days of Forty Nine, Minstrel JD-206, LP (1977), cut#A.01. Wry Straw. From Earth to Heaven, June Appal JA 0028, LP (1978), cut# 4c; Champion 45065 (78 RPM), Asa Martin & Ray Hobbs (1928). June Appal JA 028, Wry Straw - "From Earth to Heaven" (1978). Perfect 6-03-52, Doc Roberts (Ky.).
OTHER NAMES:“Hot Corn, Cold Corn;” “Green Corn, Come Along Charlie;” “I'll Meet You in the Evening;” “Fat Meat and Dumplings;” “Barnyard Banjo Pickin'.”
RELATES TO: Black-Eyed Susie; Hot Corn, Cold Corn;
SOURCES: Randolph 267, "I'll Meet You in the Evening;" New Lost City Ramblers Songbook (pgs. 180-181); Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 164-165, "Hot Corn".
NOTES: Earliest report Ca. 1859 by Meade. Leadbelly's "Green Corn" was recorded in 1935 but earlier recordings of “Hot Corn, Cold Corn” include Vess Ossman (1901) Co 464 and Fred Van Eps (1911) Vi Uniss. The song is closely related to "Black Eyed-Susie."
"A nonsense song popular with both blacks and whites, according to Charles Wolfe. It is attributed by a least one source to singer and guitarist Asa Martin of Estill County, Ky., a sometimes accompanist of fiddler Doc Roberts, although Talley's version seems to be from tradition. The famous bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs performed it under this title. (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
African-American collector Thomas Talley, in his book Negro Folk Rhymes (reprinted in 1991, edited by Charles Wolfe), published a version under the title "Bring on Your Hot Corn," apparently the first time it appeared in print, although Randolf (2:342-343) has a version called "I'll Meet You in the Evening." Wolfe points out it was recorded by Leadbelly as "Green Corn, Come Along Charlie." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
LYRICS:
Chorus: Green corn, come along Charlie,
Green corn, come along Charlie,
Green corn, come along Charlie,
Green corn, come along Charlie.
All I want in this creation
(Is a) Little bit o’ wife and a big plantation.
One named "Sop" and the other named "Gravy"
One gonna sop it and the other gonna save it.
All I need to make me happy,
Two little kids to call me Pappy.
Wake snake, day’s a-breaking,
Peas in the pot and hoe cake’s a-baking.
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