Hand-Me-Down Songs (Union Co., NC)- Helms; 1982
[This short book has music (upcoming). Helms doesn't give any informants names, dates or the locations (although they are said to be from Union County, NC and I would imagine the date they were collected would be circa 1970s). There is one Child ballad and a few interesting short songs, spirituals and ballads.
There is a recording of a second volume of songs, which are not included here.
R. Matteson 2014]
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Contents
Union County Cultural Sketch
Historical Perspective
Soldier's Joy
Holler Jimmy Riley O
Groundhog
Captain Karo
King William
Hambone
Ole Gray Beard a-Flappin'
Red Clay Remedies
Froggie Went a-Courtin'
Hard Times
The Gossiper--a recitation
Patsy Beasley
Red Clay Recipes, Superstitions and Folk Beliefs
Pioneer Courtship
Lady Bride and Three Babes
Little Sally Walker
Roll Jordan Roll
Shaped Notes
Christian Pilgrim
Recollections
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Cultural Sketch
Red clay roots, milo and soybean-covered fields, pine trees and hog farms, delapidated barns left as memorials to by-gone days of a rural community before industrialization set in, small white church houses dotting the countryside, with family cemeteries marked by hand-made pottery tombstones, whole communities made up of several large extended families and nicknamed after them--these are some of the scenes one might picture when thinking of this south-central Piedmont county named Union.
Areas such as Union County in the Piedmont section of North Carolina have had, in some respects, the advantage of lack of attention in the area of folklore and oral tradition. Although their geographic location has made them subject to industrialization and much cross-country traffic, many of the peoples of the Piedmont have maintained a certain amount of isolation and privacy. It has been quite common until recent years for a person to be born, grow up, marry and settle down for a lifetime, then be buried within a one or two mile radius. Previously, agriculture was the main source of income, whereas today industry is becoming a primary factor, bringing in many new names and faces to Union County, and with them new lifestyles and backgrounds to contribute.
Union County has always enjoyed a reputation for being a very musical county. Families such as that of the Monsieur Price Clan came over from Wales, transplanting their talents -and abilities - historically recorded as "very good singers" - into communities like Unionville. Certain sections and families often seem strikingly more musical than others, but overall there is a broad distribution of tastes and abilities. Country, bluegrass and gospel music enjoy great popularity--even among the young in the outermost rural sections of the country. But even classical music has had its share of emphasis, with many professional musicians coming from this area.
Most of the songs retained from the oral tradition here feature humor as an element of relief and a moment of frivolity amidst a work-oriented farm atmosphere. Often times sacred music is played or sung mixed in with the secular and within the same musical style. Ballads of the more serious nature and of the Euro-American background are to be found here also. Among the black community, most examples of traditional music are children's game songs, blues and church songs performed a cappella with hand-clapping and elements of carry-over from African ancestry.
Many of the folk practices such as soap-making, basket-weaving and the like are gradually dwindling, as the young people of today are subjected to modern influences of technology and other forces. With festivals and celebrations, however, rural Renaissance may be taking shape. Perhaps attention can be called to a vital and colorful part of our heritage--that which cannot be bought or regained once it is lost. The folk tradition need not remain on the brink of extinction. A glimpse into our past, a realization of our present, can be a link to the future for our children and those to come.
This collection is designed to stir up the memories of its readers and singers and is lovingly dedicated to those who came before us and passed these treasures down to my generation - and to the children to come - as our gift to theirs.
Karen G. Helms
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Historical Perspective
Union County began officially as a government unit in November, 1842. However, it offered many illustrious pages to Carolina history prior to that time. Settlement began by Scotch-Irish in the late 1740's in the western portion of the county, which made up a part of that region known as the "Garden of the Waxhaw's." The people displaced, probably by smallpox, was the Waxhaw Indian tribe which made up a part of the Catawba nation. This abandonment of the land by the Indians probably occurred around the quarter mark of the l8th century. Rich, cleared lands were found, particularly along the branch and creek bottoms.
Except for the introduction of cotton into the area in the early part of the 19th century, conditions were relatively unchanged in the portion known as Union County because of the almost impossible transportation and communication conditions. Although cotton was introduced and grown in large acreages, Union County never became a part of the typical southern plantation type economy.
There was a heavy influx of German settlers into the region in the late 19th century which was to play an instrumental part of changing social as well as religious institutions- With the advent of the railroad and the resultant commerce beginning near the last quarter of the 19th century, it was only then that the area known as Union County emerged from a period of 125 years of extremely slow progress.
With these meager beginnings it is surprising to note that it was spawning grounds for greatness, particularly in its influence to the westward movement. Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States, was a native son. William Richardson Davie, David Houston, Walter Bickett, Jesse Helms, and the merchandising Belk's called Union County home.
Better transportation, communication, and commerce gave rise to tremendous industrial growth in the middle of the 20th century and with it, a more cosmopolitan and flexible people. There can be no doubt,, however, that an early mix of energetic and public spirited Scotch-Irish combined with solid, good farming Germans provided an excellent base from which a culture and society could ultimately grow.
John Thomas Wilson
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1. Soldier's Joy [instrumental]
Soldier's Joy is one of the oldest most familiar of the fiddle tunes performed today among country and bluegrass musicians. David price, pictured here, a Union County, North Carolina native of Welsh extraction, used to play this tune in the early 1900's. His version had words which have since been lost, but he called the song "Run, Rabbit, Run, your Tail's Mighty White".
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2. Holler Jimmy Riley O
1. [F] Look o'er the cornpile,
[Bb] See the moon a- [F] rising,
Holler Jimmy [C] Riley O, --
[F] Shuck corn boys, [Bb] see the shucks a- [F] flying,
Holler Jimmy [Bb] Riley [F] O.
Well, I never seen the like since I been born,
Holler Jimmy Riley O.
Sheep's in the meadow cow's in the corn,
Holler Jimmy Riley, O.
This little portion of a cornshuck song was used to encourage speed and add fun to the farm's work party. By making up new verses spontaneously, workers could keep the song going on for hours. Used in the form of a game. the person who could not
think up a rhyming line quickly enough suffered the penalty for this lack of cleverness by having to do a variety of different things. He may be sentenced to shuck his neighbor's corn for a while or kiss the person on his left (which may have proven to be a reward in some cases). Each time the game song was performed the text would change, with only certain verses being popular enough to be recalled and repeated. Evey other line always was sung, "Holler Jimmy Riley O".
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This is probably a late 18th or 19th century frontier and mountain song. Groundhog tells of the days utilized every part of the game for something-in this case, the meat for the eating and the hide for shoestrings.
Groundhog
1. Come on boys, call your dogs -
Come on boys, call your dogs,
Let's go hunting and shoot a groundhog-- groundhog.
2 - Kill that groundhog, put him on the bile (boil), (repeat)
Bet you a dollar you can smell him a mile, groundhog.
3 - Kill that groundhog, save his hide. (repeat)
Makes the best shoestrings ever was tied, groundhog.
4 - Well, you needn't to snicker, you needn't to grin, (repeat)
With groundhog grease dripping off'n your chin, groundhog.
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Captain Karo
Captain Karo, also known as Carrion Crow, was originally most likely a nursery song from England, maybe even a political satire on Romanizing tendencies of the Restoration Court, according to Beldon's Ballads and Songs of Missouri Folklore, 1940. This version includes several lines of nonsense syllables, perhaps derivations of ancient languages, but today simply sung for the fun of their sounds. The term "carrion" refers to what country people called "kearn" or cankered, rotten carcass which was sometimes found in the fields-feasts for buzzards and crows. Little wonder his presence nearby made the tailor a bit nervous.
1. Carrion crow, carrion crow, sitting on an oak,
Watching a tailor cutting out a cloak,
Kimo-link-ton, Kimo,
Kimo-na-ro, Captain Karo.
2. Wife, oh, wife, bring me my bow,
I'm gonna shoot that carrion crow,
Kimo-link-ton, Kimo,
Kimo-na-ro, Captain Karo.
3 Wife, oh wife, I've missed the mark,
I've shot our old sow through the heart,
Kimo-link-ton, Kimo,
Kimo-na-ro, Captain Karo.
4 Wife, oh, wife, just drag her to the house,
And then we'll have both sop and souse,
Kimo-link-ton, Kimo,
Kimo-na-ro, Captain Karo.
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King William
King William was a children's game song or kissing round played years ago as a ring game with one person in the middle of the circle playing the role of King William. It has been traced back to an ancient event in history, around 1287, when Folke Algotsson, a high-born Swedish youth. carried off to Norway a daughter of the judge of East Gothland, Ingrid, who was betrothed to a Danish noble, according to William Wells Newell, Games and Songs of American Children. Most versions of this song in its earliest forms have come down to us from Ireland.
King William was King James son
And from the Royal Races run,
Wore a star upon his breast,
Point to the East and point to the West.
Go choose your east, go choose your west,
Go choose the one that you love best,
If she's not there to take her part,
Choose another with all your heart.
Down on this carpet you must kneel,
Sure as the grass grows in the field,
When you rise upon your feet,
Salute your bride and kiss her sweet.
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Hambone
[A version of Hush Little Baby was recorded by blues artists Bo Diddley in 1955. Today the song is also known as 'Mockingbird." A version titled "Say Darling, Say," was recorded by Stoneman in 1929. Uncle Dave Macon recorded a similar version based on Monroe Rosefield's 1884 song, Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry.
R. Matteson 2014]
Hambone, Hambone, have you heard
Papa's gonna buy me a mockingbird
If that mocking bird don't sing
Papa's gonna buy me a diamond ring. (Hambone!)
Here are the words exactly as written by a 10 year old who learned them through the oral tradition, simply by ear.
Hambone Hannbone have you hered
papa gone buy me a mockin bird
if that mockin bird don't sing
popa gone buy me a diomon ring
if that diamon ring don't shine
papa gone buy me a screekline
if that screekline get broke
papa gone buy me a billy goat
if that billy goat run away,
papa gone buy me a stack of hay,
if that stack of hay burns down
papa gone buy me a weding guan
if that weding guon get tor
papa gine kick me out the door.
This piece is included to represent the presence of the Black folk tradition as it exists on the playgrounds today. There are as many versions of the text as there are singers. It is generally accompanied by a rhythmic clapping of the hand upon the chest and knee [Juba], sometimes replaced by the spoons. This use of body percussion is a good example of African musical carry-over.
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Ole Gray Beard a - Flappin'
Ole Gray Beard a-Flappin' tells of the days when marriages were arranged. In this case, the arrangement turns out to be quite unsuitable to the very young girl about to become a bride. Her mother has apparently chosen a very wealthy man for her daughter--someone with cattle, land and all the things which constituted wealth and security. However, when he comes to her door to court her, the young girl continually says, "I won't have him!". Perhaps one can understand why when he does such silly things in her presence.
1. Mama told me to open the door,
I won't have him!
Opened the door and he fell thro' the floor
With his old gray beard a flap - pin'
2 Mama told me to hang up his hat,
I won't have him,
I hung up his hat and it hung like a rat,
With his old gray beard a-flapping.
3 Mama told me to bake him a cake,
I won't have him,
I baked him a cake and he ate like a snake,
With his old gray beard a-flapping.
4 Mama told me to cook him a pie,
I won't have him,
I cooked him a pie and he ate like a fly,
With his old gray beard a-flapping.
5 Mama told me to make his bed,
I won't have him,
I made his bed, but he slept like he's dead,
With his old gray beard a-flapping.
6 Mama told me to saddle his horse,
I won't have him,
I saddled his horse and he rode off course
With his old gray beard a-flapping.
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Froggie Went A-Courtin'
1. Frog-gie went a -courtin' and he did ride, uh huh,
Froggie went a - courtin' and he did ride,
A sword and a pistol by his side, uh- huh.
2 - Well, he rode up to Miss Mousie's home, uh-huh!
Rode up to Miss Mousie's home,
And there he stopped and he loudly called, uh-huh!
3 - He said "Miss Mousie will you marry me?", uh-huh!
Said "Miss Mousie will you marry me,
Way down yonder neath the old hollow tree," uh-huh!
4 - "Oh no, kind sir, I can't do that, no-no!
No, kind sir, I can't do that,
Unless I speak to my Uncle Rat," uh-huh!
5 - Well, Uncle Rat came riding home, uh-huh!
Uncle Rat came riding home
Said who's been here since I been gone?, uh-huh!
6 - Well, a very fine gentleman has been here, uh-huh!
A very fine gentleman has been here,
He says he'll marry me if you don't care, uh-huh!
7 - Well, where would your wedding supper be?, uh-huh!
Where would your wedding supper be?,
Way down yonder neath the old hollow tree, uh-huh!
8 And what would you eat for your wedding supper?, uh-huh!
What would you eat for your wedding supper?,
Black-eyed peas and bread and butter, uh -huh!
9 Now while they were all a-eating supper, uh-huh!
While they were all eating supper,
The cat came in and made a great splutter, uh-huh!
10 That old rat went running up the wall, uh_huh!
That old rat ran up the wall,
Said "that big cat's gonna eat us all", uh-huh!
11 - And froggie went swimming across the lake, uh-huh!
Froggie went swimming across the lake,
But he got swallowed up by a big black snake, uh-huh!
12 - Then that was the end of one-two-three, uh-huh!
That was the end of one-two-three,
The frog, and the rat and the little mousie, uh_huh!
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The Gossiper was a recitation popular around the turn of the century in local country schools. The version below was a favorite of Mrs. Hattie Lucinda Price and has been recalled by her daughter, pat. Notice the role and conversation of the visiting "gossiper" here:
Who is that coming up the path?
Run, Betsy Jane, and see.
I'll bet it's that hateful old Mrs. Jones coming here for tea.
Mrs. Perkins! -- Dear me, I'd rather hear it thunder.
She's always out tattling, what brings her here, I wonder?
She's got her old silk bonnet on, it's older than the hills.
I'm sure it looks ridiculous, all ruffles, tucks, and frills.
Come in, Mrs. Perkins, is that you?
I'm so glad you've come, as I said to Betsy Jane,
The house seems awful glum.
Mrs. Perkins, take the rocking chair, and Betsy, take her bonnet.
Be sure you put it where the flies and dust won,t get upon it.
Mrs. Perkins, take a pinch of snuff and tell me all the news.
I haven't heard them in so long I've almost got the blues!
Had you heard about the Widow Jones __ you ain't?
They say she's stepping out, they say she has a brand new hat,
Now what do you think of that?
They say she's looking for a man, I wonder who she could catch?
The way she bossed poor Mr. Jones, I hope she meets her match!
They say that parson Brown is courting the widow's daughter.
why that man is old enough to be that girl's father!
You're not leaving, are you, Mrs. Perkins?
Well, do come again, and tell me all the news, as I said __
I hadn't heard them in so long I almost had the blues!
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Patsy Beasley
This local murder ballad and the remnants of its history are a good example of the function of oral tradition music. It has preserved through rong the account of an actual murder which took place in 1844 in a portion of territory then included as Anson County, North Carolina. Some singers try to cover this fact by replacing the precise name with the general state.
The story according to residents today goes as follows:
Patsy Beasley had one small child, about a year and a half old, which she left at the house whiie she went down to the spring to do the family washing. Several days later her body was found brutally murdered. Some say her little child was crawling around her, while others believe the child was found asleep in its bed. The only logical suspect at that time was her former boyfriend. Since there were no fencing laws at that time, neighbors built a rail fence around her body to protect it from wild animals until the inquisition. Community feeling was so strong against the boyfriend that he had to be moved to another county for his trial. Three years passed before he was actually convicted and sentenced to hang. Motives for this murder were and still are very vague, with many people declaring to this day that he was innocent. After one unsuccessful attempt to hang him (the rope broke dropping him safely to the ground), officials proceeded to try again, despite the belief that the rope's breaking was an omen signifying his innocence. Several years later a prisoner in a local penitentiary was overheard to say that he was actually the one who had killed Patsy Beasley.
Patsy Beasley
1. Come young and old, Come great and small,
The invitation is to all.
A harmless one and there she lay,
Exposed by night and by day.
2 And Patsy Beasley was her name
In North Carolina she was slain.
Down by the brook her body lay,
The villain took her life away.
3 Her skull was crushed, her hair was torn,
Her arms were bruised to the bone,
A little child alone was left,
To live with others or starve to death.
4 The people asked, they wondered why,
How she was killed and how she died.
How sad it was, such an awful fate,
Get right with God, don't wait too late.
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Red Clay Recipes, Superstitions and Folk Beliefs
For every August fog, there will be a snow in winter.
Eat the last biscuit on the plate so it will be fair weather tomorrow.
If your right hand itches, you will meet a stranger; if your left hand itches, you will come into some money.
A cricket in the house is good luck; to kill one is bad luck.
If you sweep under a person's feet, he (she) will never marry.
If you dream of snow, someone you know will die soon.
Heavy amounts of red berries on Piracantha bushes mean an unusually hard winter.
Kiss a red-haired person to cure fever blisters.
Dig post holes by the light of the moon and the posts will set in as if in concrete.
To enter one door and exit another is bad luck.
To stop a chain of infant deaths, name the next male child Adam. the next female Eve.
Soap-Making
Build a fire around a black washpot outside, then fill the pot half full of water. Let the water boil, put in old
fatback meat and any grease' add a cup of Red Devil's lye. To a gallon and a half of old meat and grease add two
cups and a little bit more of lye. sit it and don't let it boil over. when it gets thick, start checking it. Take up some
in a pan' if it don't leave your hand greasy, you have enough lye and the lye has cut up the grease. when it gets
done, add a bucket of water. Take the wood from around tire pot. Let it set overnight in the pot. Next day cut it
into four big pieces. It will slide out like a cake. cut this into bars. This soap can be used for anything, baths,
mopping floor - but mostly for washing clothes.
Red clay Recipes -- Down Home Delights from union county
125 Year Old Walnut party pound Cake
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 c. sugar. 5 eggs, I tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour, I tsp baking powder, 1 /2 cups milk. I cup black walnuts
cream butter and shortening. Add sugar and beat until very light. Add whole eggs, one at a time beating well.
Add flavoring and beat' Add flour mixed with baking powder, alternating with milk, starting and ending with
flour. Fold in walnuts' Pour into tube pan that has been greased and floured. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Bread Pudding
I cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
I cup milk
I tsp. vanilla
Clover mixture
(or Butter Custard)
in pie shell with butter. Bake about 45 minutes, 350 degrees.
Persimmon-Locust Beer
Fut ripe locusts in the bottom of a barrel, add a layer of clean wheat straw, add persimmons and sprinkle with
corn meal, Pour on a generous amount of water and let stand for a few days or weeks until ready to drink. you
can also add some sweet potatoes after a few days if you like.
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Pioneer Courtship
1. He--picked up a court ship and he did go
to his neighbor's house,
and as courtship did come on,
the oldest girl said ---have you weed- ed your corn?
2. - He picked up a courtship and he did go
To his nighest neighbor's house,
And as the courtship did come on,
The oldest girl said, "Have you weeded your corn?"
3. - Oh no, madame, he replied,
I have only laid it by,
It ain't no use to try in vain,
For I'm certain that I shain't make a grain.
4 - Well, go horne, go home, you old schmucklehead,
You come here courtin' and you got no bread,
You better go home for to weed your corn,
Or else you'll wish that you never been born.
5 - Well, in July he laid it by,
In August it was knee high,
But by September come a killing frost.
And that seed of corn that boy did lost.
Pioneer Courtship contains the humorous account of a young man whose philosophy of life differs greatly from the girl he wishes to attract. He believes it does absolutely no good to worry over farming, since nature will take her course anyway. An old version of this was called "This Young Man Who Wouldn't Hoe His Corn", and probably contained more verses than are now found.
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Lady Bride and Three Babes
Once there was a lady bride,
and three little babes had she,
She sent them a-way to another land,
to learn some grammary.
They hadn't been gone but a short tittle while,
About three months to a day,
When the water shed abroad all over the land,
And swept those babes away.
Come along, come along, my three little babes,
Come eat and drink of mine,
No, mama, no mama, we cannot come,
Nor eat or drink of yourn.
Come along, come along, my sweet little babes,
Come sleep on my nice bed,
No mama, no mama, we cannot come,
Nor sleep on your nice bed.
No mama, no mama, we cannot stay,
Nor even eat-a-ree,
For Christ our Savior has called us home,
To pray at His feet-a-ree,
Cold clods of clay roll over our heads,
Green grass grows at our feet,
But the tears you shed, sweet mother dear,
Would only wet our winding sheet.
This ballad is a form of child Ballad #79, The wife of Usher's well. It was popular especially during the early 1900's in the southern Appalachian mountains, with many variants existing there and over the state. The story tells of a mother who centuries ago in England sends her three young children away "to learn some grammary," which to many people suggests a formal boarding school education. others feel this refers to a form of witchcraft popular in that region of the world. This supernatural element was not very popular in certain parts of this country, however, so the use of this aspect has diminished over the years. There is a great flood which sweeps over the land and drowns the three children. The mother tries to call them back to partake of her nice bed and food, but they refuse. The version included here ends, with a warning not to weep excessively over the dead, for it will only "wet there winding sheet"- a covering of linen in which they buried the dead, in other words make the departed's paradise miserable.
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Little Sally Walker
Little Sally Walker, sitting in a saucer,
Rise Sally, rise
Wipe your eyes, Put your hands on your hips, let your back - bone -slip,
Shake it to the East, Shake it to the West,
Shake it to the very one that you love- the best.
Little Sally Walker sitting in a saucer
she weeped and - she mourned 'til she saw a little boy.
Little Sally Walker, known in some areas of the country as Little Sally Waters, has been a children's game song passed down through the generations within the black communities, although it seems to have roots in England. Early version of this song
contained the words:
Sally Walker, Sally Walker
Come springtime and love--
She's lamenting, she's lamenting,
All for her young man.
Sometimes the last two lines of the version listed
here are omitted, but they form a link through
history with the above verse.
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Roll Jordan Roll
Roll Jordan, roll,
Roll Jordan, roll,
I want to go to heaven when I die
To hear Jordan roll.
Oh brother you ought to been there,
Yes my Lord,
you ought to been sitting in the Kingdom,
To hear Jordan- roll.
The topic of the Jordan River was frequently used among the early spirituals, often representing crossing over into freedom, another life, or the afterlife of heaven. This spiritual was often heard across the cotton fields in our county, as well as camp meetings. It is also found in some printed hymnals used by white congregations, and was among the first of the Negro spirituals to be developed and used this way. The word brother is replaced each repetition of the song by other family members (oh, sister, etc.).
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This hymn has come down through the oral tradition, as well as being found in some older hymnals with the music and text divided' The story of the christian Pilgrim tells of an encounter with the Great Apollyon (satan) as reminiscent of Pilgrim's Progress. There is also an element of the three temptations christ endured in the wilderness as recorded in the New Testament Gospels. It is an embodiment or the typical world-view and attitude of a strong' simple rural people. Little value or importance was placed on worldly possessions, since life was mainly a transient state through which they passed en route to "Canaan's land." During this life there was little room for compromise in the christian walk and values seemed to be more clear cut than in the present day.
Christian Pilgrim
Come all ye Christian pilgrims,
All in a strange land,
Take warning and fight valiently
Stand fast with sword in hand.
Good morning, Brother Traveler
Pray tell me, what's your name?
And where is it you're traveling to,
Likewise from whence you came?
My name's the Great Apollyon,
This land belongs to me,
And for your arms and pilgrim dress,
I'll give it all to thee.
Oh no, said Christian pilgrim,
To Canaan I am bound,
I'm from the dreary wilderness,
To the enchanted ground.
The tree of life with heavenly fruit,
Behold how thick it stands,
Blow gentle gale, and bear me home,
Bear me to Canaan's land.
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