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Groundhog
Traditional Old-Time, Song Tune and Breakdown. USA, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia.
ARTIST: Collected from Tom Kelley and Dan Gibson; tune from Sharp- American Ballads and Folk Songs, Lomax.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Ca. 1850's (Meade);
OTHER NAMES: Groundhog; Groundhog Blues; The Ground-Hog Song;
RECORDING INFO: Jack Reedy & his Walker Mountain String Band, "Ground Hog" (Brunswick 221, 1928; on CrowTold02, LostProv1) Almanac Singers, "Ground Hog" (General 5018B, 1941; on Almanac01, Almanac03, AlmanacCD1)New Lost City Ramblers, "Groundhog" (on NLCR16). Pete Seeger, "Ground Hog" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07b) (on PeteSeeger08, PeteSeegerCD02); Allen, Red;, Frank Wakefield & the Kentuckians. Bluegrass, Folkways FA 2408, LP (1964), cut# 8. Baker, Bob. American Banjo, Folkways FA 2314, LP (1966), cut# 27.Cockerham, Jarrell and Jenkins. Down to the Cider Mill, County 713, LP (1968), cut# 9. Collins, Mitzie. Sampler of Folk Music, Sampler aafm 7601, LP (1976), cut#A.02 . Dillards. Backporch Bluegrass, Elektra EKS-7232, LP (197?), cut# 7.Feldmann, Peter. Barnyard Dance, Hen Cackle HC 501, LP (1980), cut#B.02 Gainer, Patrick. Folk Songs of the Alleghenies, Folk Heritage, LP (1963), cut#B.08 . Gellert, Dan; and Shoofly. Forked Deer, Marimac 9000, Cas (1986), cut#A.07 (Ground Hog). Ginandes, Shep. Dogwood Soup, Pathways of Sound POS 1023, LP (196?), cut#B.07. Hammond, Lorraine Lee. Dulcimer Player News, Dulcimer Player News DPN, Ser (1973-), 14/1, p25 . Hesperus. Crossing Over, Greenhays GR 718, LP (1988), cut# 10a . Hinton, Sam. Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts, Scholastic SC 7530, LP (1964), cut#B.01. Hinton, Sam. Singing Across the Land, Decca DL 8108, LP (196?), A.03b. Jarrell, Tommy. Brandywine '83. The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Brand..., Heritage (Galax) 054, LP (1984), cut# 4 . Jones, Vester. Traditional Music From Grayson and Carroll Counties, Folkways FS 3811, LP (1962), cut# 16 . Mabus, Joel. Clawhammer, Fossil, Cas (198?), cut# 2. Matteson, Maurice. Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p 46. Reedy, Jack; & His Walker Mountain String Band. Mountain Songs, County 504, LP, cut# 3. Reese, Marion. That's My Rabbit, My Dog Caught It; Southern Trad. Instrument..., New1 World1 NW 226, LP (1978), cut# 1. Sainte-Marie, Buffy. Best of Buffy Sainte-Marie, Vanguard VSD 3/4, LP (197?), cut# 8 (Ground Hog) . Sainte-Marie, Buffy. Many a Mile, Vanguard VSD 79171, LP (196?), cut#A.03. Stamper, I.D.. Red Wing, June Appal JA 0010, LP (1977), cut# 2. Sundall, Jon. Eagle and the Sparrow, June Appal JA 008, LP (1976), cut# 1. Watson, Doc. Essential Doc Watson, Vanguard VCD 45/46, CD (1986), cut#17; Flying Fish 102, New Lost City Ramblers - "Twenty Years/Concert Performances" (1978). Folkways FA 2360, Frank Proffitt. Heritage 054, Tommy Jarrell - "Brandywine 83: Music of French America" (1984). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986). Recorded Anthology of American Music (1978) - "Traditional Southern Instrumental Styles." Rounder Cd0278, Mike Seegar - "Solo-Old Time Country Music" (1991). The Whistlepigs- "Out of Their Hole."
SOURCES: Randolph 413, "The Ground-Hog Song" Wyman-Brockway I, p. 30, "The Ground Hog"; Warner 123, "Groundhog"; Lomax-FSUSA 8, "Ground Hog"; Lomax-FSNA 131, "Groundhog". American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.271 (Ground Hog); Learned by Frank Proffitt (North Carolina) from his father [Warner]. Warner (Traditional American Folk Songs), 1984; pgs. 296-297; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
NOTES: "A Major; Standard; One part. A well-known Appalachian folk song, nursery and fun song, and banjo tune. Brown says, "Its appearence in the Ozarks is doubtless due to immigration from Kentucky. It has not been found in the northern states, nor is it a Negro song." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc). First recorded in 1924 by Land Norris (Vocal with banjo) Groundhog is an Appalachian song. From Tommy Jarrell (solo fiddle) to Flatt and Scruggs “Groundhog” is a bluegrass/old-time standard.
LYRICS:
Old Joe Digger, Sam, and Dave,
Old Joe Digger, Sam, and Dave,
Old Joe Digger, Sam, and Dave,
They went a-hog-huntin' hard as they could stave,
Ground hog!
Whistle up yer dog and loaden up yer gun,
Away to the hills to have some fun.
Too many rocks and too many logs,
Too many rocks to ketch groun'hogs.
They picked up their guns and went to the brash
By damn! Joe, here's the hog sign fraish.
One took a tree and it's one took a log,
Damn my soul if it ain't a groun'hog!
Git away, Sam, and le' me load my gun,
The groun'hog hunt has jist begun.
He's in here, boys, the hole's wore slick;
Run here, Sam, with yer forked stick!
Git down, Sam, and in there peep,
Fer I think I see him sound asleep.
Stand back, boys, and le's be wise,
Fer I think I see his beaded eyes.
Hold them dogs, boys, don't let' em howl,
I thought I heerd the groun'hog growl.
Hello, Johnnie, cut a long pole,
To roust this groun'hog out of his hole.
Up jumped Sam with a ten-foot pole,
He roused it in that groun'hog's hole.
Work, boys, work jist as hard as ye can tear,
The meat'll do to eat and the hide'll do to wear.
Work, boys, work for all you earn,
Skin'im atter dark and tan'im in a churn.
Stand back, boys, le' me git my breath,
Ketchin'this groun'hog's might' nigh death.
I heerd' im give a whistle and a wail,
I've wound my stick right in his tail.
Stand back, boys and gi' me a little air
I've got a little o' the groun'hog's hair
Here he comes right in a whirl,
He's the biggest groun'hog in this worl'
Sam cocked his gun and Dave pulled the trigger,
But the one killed the hog was old Joe Digger.
They took'im by the tail and wagged' im to a log,
And swore by gosh! he's a hell of a hog!
Up stepped Sal with a snigger and a grin:
Whatcha goin' to do with the groun'hog skin?"
Scrapes' im down to his head and feet,
By damn, Sam, I here's a fine pile o' meat!
Carried him to the house and skinned 'im out to bile,
I bet forty dollar you could smell' im fifty mile.
They put' im in the pot and all begin to smile,
They eat that hog before he struck a bile.
Run here, man, hit's bilin'-hot,
Sam and Dave's both eatin' outn the pot.
Old Uncle Jack says, "I'll be damn!
If I can't git a foreleg I'll take a ham."
The children screamed and the children cried,
They love groun'hog cooked and fried.
Hello, mama; make Sam quit,
He's eatin'all the hog, I can't git a bit.
Hello, boys, ain't it a sin,
Watch that gravy run down Sam's chin!
Hello, mama, look at Sam,
He's eat all the hog 'n a-soppin'out the pan!
Watch' im, boys, he's about to fall,
He's eat till his pants won't button at all.
Hello, boys, what ye think o' that?
Sam's eat hog till he's right slick fat.
He eat that grease till it run to his nabel
He'll eat no more hog until he's able.
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