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Greenback Dollar (Traditional Song)
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown and Song. USA; Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma.
ARTIST: Clarence 'Tom' Ashley (vcl, gtr) and Gwen Foster (hca) 'Greenback Dollar' recorded 6 September 1933 in New York City. Issued as Vo 02554 in December 1933. Reissued on 'The Music of Clarence "Tom" Ashley 1929-1933: Greenback Dollar' County CO-CD-3520.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes. DATE: Early 1900’s
RECORDING INFO (Song): Armstrong Twins. Just Country Boys, Arhoolie 5022, LP (1981), cut# 7. Axton, Hoyt. Greenback Dollar, Vee-Jay VJS-1126, LP (1964), cut#A.01. Blue Sky Boys. Presenting The Blue Sky Boys, JEMF 104, LP (1965), cut# 7 (I Don't Want Your Greenback Dollar Morris Brothers and Homer Sherrill. Wiley, Zeke and Homer, Rounder 0022, LP (1973), cut# 15. New Lost City Ramblers. String Band Instrumentals, Folkways FA 2492, LP (1964), cut#A.02. Parmley, Don; and Billy Strange. Don Parmley and Billy Strange, GNP Crescendo GNP-98, LP (196?), cut# 9. Ramsey, Obray. Obray Ramsey Sings Folksongs from the Three Laurels, Prestige International INT 13020, LP (195?), cut#B.06 (Green Back Dollars/Dollar) . Rosmini, Dick; and Jim Helms. 5-String Banjo Greats, Liberty LST 7357, LP (196?), cut# 9. Rosmini, Dick; and Jim Helms. Feuding Banjos, Olympic 7105, LP (197?), cut#B.01. Stover, Don; & the White Oak Mountain Boys. West Virginia Coal Miner Blues, Old Homestead 90011, LP (197?), cut# 11. West, Jeanie. Roamin' the Blue Ridge, Prestige International INT 13038, LP (196?), cut#A.02
RECORDING INFO (Fiddle Tune): Brunswick 275 (78 RPM), 1928, Dr. Humphrey Bate and His Possum Hunters (Nashville, Tenn.). Columbia 15300 (78 RPM), Weems String Band. Folkways FA 2492, New Lost City Ramblers - "String Band Instrumentals" (1964. Learned from the Weems String Band recording). ). East, Earnest; & the Pine Ridge Boys. Old Time Mountain Music, County 718, LP (1969), cut# 2. Harman, Bob; and the Blue Ridge Descendants. Music of the Blue Ridge, Galaxie, LP (198?), cut#B.07 (Green Back Dollars/Dollar).
OTHER NAMES: "Green Backed Dollar Bill," "Old Greenback Dollar," I Don't Want Your Greenback Dollar; Don't Forget Me, Little Darling; I Don't Want Your Millions Mister; Beefsteaks ; Answer to Greenback Dollar.
SOURCES: Randolph 733, "Don't Forget Me, Little Darling" Pat Turney (Okpuskee County, Oklahoma) [Thede]; John Hartford [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1), 1994; pg. 104. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 91. Turney, Pat. Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p 91 (Green Back Dollars/Dollar). Cooper, Wilma Lee. Songs to Remember, Cooper, Fol (19??), p 3. Forrester, Howdy. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 24/3, p39a. Hartford, John. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 27/1, p39; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
NOTES: "A Major (Thede): C Major (Hartford, New Lost City Ramblers). AEAE or Standard. AAB. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
Versions 3-6 in this collection more closely resemble the faster the fiddle version while the the other versions are ballads. All use the text reference to "Greenback Dollar" and are related to the "Old Virginny/East Virginia" songs. The earliest recording entitled "Green Back Dollar" was made in 1928 by the Weems String Band. Other early recordings under the title are: Davis and Nelson in 1929 - 'I Don't Want Your Greenback Dollar'[Pmt 3188]; Tom Ashley and Gwen Foster- 'Greenback Dollar' in 1933; Callahan Brothers and Roy Acuff in 1936." Version 8 is an early collection is by Alan Lomax in 1937.
The fiddle tune version as done by Weems and others is different than the songs collected by Randolph and Lomax. The famous versions of “Greenback Dollar” by Ken Ramsey and Hoyt Axton are based on the “Greenback Dollar” song. The “Greenback Dollar” song is closely related to “Dark Hollow” and is a branch of “East Virginia/East Virginia Blues” family, which is categorized by Sharp as “In Old Virginny.” Below is a outline of the Old Virginny/East Virginia” songs:
The first published versions of “East Virginia” are the “Farewell Song” from a 1913 songbook printed by Richard Burnett of Monticello, Ky. and “In Old Virginny” from Sharp’s English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. Both “The Farewell Song” and Sharp’s “In Old Virginny” Version C are early versions of “The Man of Constant Sorrow,” which is usually referred to as “East Virginia Blues.” The differences between “East Virginia” and “East Virginia Blues” are transparent at best. I categorize the various branches under “In Old Virginny” from Sharp’s No. 167- English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. These are separate branches:
1) “Man of Constant Sorrow/Girl of Constant Sorrow” or “East Virginia Blues”
2) "East Virginia" including the “Dark Holler” Versions
2a)“Dark Hollow”- Browning
3) "East Virginia" including “Greenback Dollar” versions (Carter Family).
3a) Hoyt Axton’s “Greenback Dollar”
4) “Darling, Think of What You’ve Done” versions including Tammy LaRue’s.
5) “Awake! Awake! ( Sharp No. 57 see: Version 4)” “ The Drowsy Sleeper”.
This is the “Oh Molly Dear (Go Ask Your Mother)-(Mike Seegar)”
“Silver Dagger;” and “Katie Dear” branch.
The English version is entitled, “Arise! Arise!”
“Greenback Dollar” and related “East Virginia” also have similarities with “Dear Companion/ Fond Affection” songs. Later the melody of “Greenback Dollar” was used for the tune as "I Don't Want Your Millions, Mister". Hoyt Axton’s version was a hit for The Kingston Trio.
LYRICS:
Once I loved a darling seaman,
And he thought this world of me;
Till another girl persuaded,
Now he cares no more for me.
I don't want your greenback dollar,
I don't want your watch and chain;
All I want is your heart darling,
Won't you take me back again.
Many a stroll we've made together,
Down beside the deep blue sea;
If it's in your heart you love another,
In my grave I'd rather be.
I don't want your greenback dollar,
I don't want your watch and chain;
All I want's my 32-20,
Just to shoot out your dirty brain.
Papa says we cannot marry,
Mama says, ' He'll never do';
If you ever learn to love me,
I will run away with you.
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