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Jawbone
Traditional Old-Time Breakdown and Minstrel song; Widely known
ARTIST: From Ceolas (Andrew Kuntz);
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Originated in the minstrel era, 1830-1890.
RECORDING INFO: Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers June 1928- Victor 21577 The recording has been reissued on Various Artists 'Echoes of the Ozarks Vol I' County CO-CD-3506; The spirited version by the Carter Brothers and Son, 'Old Joe Bone' (OKeh 45289, February 1929), has also been reissued by County - Various Artists 'Mississippi String Bands Vol I' CO-CD-3513. Willie Chapman, "Jaw Bone" [instrumental] (on MMOK, MMOKCD); New Lost City Ramblers, "Old Joe Bone" (on NLCR13, NLCRCD2); Chapman, Willie. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Folkways FA 2317, LP (1960), cut# 15 (Jaw Bone); Chapman, Willie. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40077, CD (1996), cut#1.21 (Jaw Bone); Contay, Major; and the Canebrake Rattlers. When the Yankees Came Down, Marimac 9006, Cas (1986), cut#A.04; Goforth, Cecil. Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks. Volume 1, Rounder 0435, CD (1999), cut#12; Goforth, Gene. Emminence Breakdown, Rounder 0388, CD (1997), cut#11; Hartford, John. John Hartford Catalogue, Flying Fish FF-259, LP (1981), cut#B.02; Hollow Rock String Band. Traditional Dance Tunes, Kanawha 311, LP (197?), cut# 8; Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers. Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 1, County 518, LP (1977), cut# 12; Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers. Early Rural String Bands, RCA (Victor) LPV-552, LP (1968), cut# 8;
OTHER NAMES: “Old Jawbone;” “Jaw Bone;” “Walk Jawbone,” “Hung My Jawbone on the Fence”
RELATED TO: "Danced All Night With a Bottle in My Hand," "Give the Fiddler a Dram," "Give Me a Bottle of I Don't Care What," "Jordon is a Hard Road to Travel," "Johnson City Rag."
SOURCES: The earliest reference given in the Meade, Spottswood, Meade biblio-discography is to 'S.S. Steele pre-1865'. Words and Music by Silas Sexton Steele "Walk, Jaw Bone" (1844) (written expressly for Cool White)[Source: pages 210-211 from "Minstrel Songs, Old and New" (1883). They also reference 'Minstrel Songs Old and New' (1882), Talley 'Negro Folk Rhymes'(1922), Tennessess Folklore Society Publications (1935), Randolph 'Ozark Folksongs II' (1950) and Browne 'Alabama Folk Lyric' (1979). Randolph 259, "The Jawbone Song;" Krassen, Miles. Appalachian Fiddle, Oak, sof (1973), p57; Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p103a
IRISH BRANCH: “Walk Jawbone” F Major. Standard. AABB. "Alex Dice," "Bonnet/Jacket Trimmed in Blue," "Din Tarrant's" "I Have a Bonnet Trimmed with Blue," "I have a donkey, he wouldn't go," "Krakovienne" (Boehme), "Tá Boinéad agam," "Tarrant's." Apparently adapted by American black-face minstrels from an Irish melody.
“An 1856 edition of one of the minstrel volumes was printed in Ireland. I have lost the reference to the title of the book, but it did contain the Jawbone song. It also appeared in "The Negro Minstrel," Glasgow, 1850 (Talley, Negro Folk Rhymes). Minstrel songs from the States were very popular in the British Isles, and the minstrel troupes went over and played there. The books and tours may be the "Irish" source.” From Mudcat.
MISS MCLEOD’S REEL BRANCH: Different melody- variants include: "Uncle Joe," "Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe," "Miss McCloud's/McLeod's Reel." Lyrics from: Sketches and Eccentricities of Colonel David Crockett of West Tennessee, by J.S. French, 1833 (Charles Wolfe, The Devil's Box, Sept. 1982, pg. 37).
AMERICAN BRANCH: G Major. Standard. AABB. Early version by Silas Sexton Steele "Walk, Jaw Bone" (1844) (written expressly for Cool White)[Source: pages 210-211 from "Minstrel Songs, Old and New" (1883). Other names: “Old Jawbone,” "Danced All Night With a Bottle in My Hand," "Give the Fiddler a Dram," "Give Me a Bottle of I Don't Care What," "Jordon is a Hard Road to Travel," "Johnson City Rag." The fiddle tune "Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel" by Dan Emmett (also Uncle Dave Macon) is also known as "Old Jawbone." Library of Congress recordings of the Jawbone tune/song prior to WWII were collected from Florida to Ohio.
NOTES: G Major. Standard. AABB. Early version (see Version 1) by Silas Sexton Steele(1844) "Walk, Jaw Bone" (written expressly for Cool White)[Source: pages 210-211 from "Minstrel Songs, Old and New" (1883).
The origins and branches of Jawbone/Jawbone Walk are numerous. The lyrics seem to be somewhat interchangeable. I have separated “Jawbone” (above) into three branches- each having a different melody. The lyrics and versions are all versions of the minstrel song, “Walk Jawbone.”
BIBLICAL NOTES: There are early biblical references to the Jawbone: The jawbone was used by Samson, who slew a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass. From the American Standard Bible: Judges 15- Verse 15: And he found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. 16- And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men. 17- And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath-lehi.
JAWBONE INSTRUMENT: In the US, the Jaw Bone is a dance, an instrument, a stock character in minstrel shows as well as a fiddle tune and song. Here is some info about the uses of the jawbone as an instrument:
Stephen Foster’s Angelina Baker (No 4 of "Foster's Plantation Melodies, as sung by Christy's Minstrels," published by F.D. Benteen of Baltimore, March 18, 1850) is a typical minstrel song, in pseudo-Negro dialect. In the last line of its chorus it refers to the "jaw-bone" which was an instrument the end-men of a minstrel show shook like a tambourine. It was made from the actual jaw-bone of a horse or ass.. When the bone was thoroughly dried the teeth became so loose that they rattled and produced a sound as loud as that of a pair of castanets.
“The jawbone was also a recognized instrument in 19th century African-American traditional music.” From Ceolas
“The use of a jawbone, the teeth scraped with a hollow stick, was noted in Florida in 1837 (Epstein, Sinful Tunes and Spirituals, p. 156). The jawbone was mentioned in 1777 (Epstein, p. 49). Probably was a practice brought over from Africa.” From Ceolas
“Now the ol’ jawbone, that is a humble instrument. It does help by the way, if the jawbone is removed from the head, stripped and cleaned and dried. Some people keep the lower jaw intact so it has a U shape suitable for carrying. But only one side works too, should you want to share.” From http://listproc.ucdavis.edu/archives/banjo-l/log0005/0109.html.
"A jawbone played with a stick so the teeth would rattle was a minstrel percussion instrument - probably borrowed from blacks." From Leadbelly page 19, Charles Wolfe, Kip Lornel.
“The Jaw Bone was a plantation music/minstrel show icon where it was often used as a rhythm instrument in place of, or along side of, bones. Hence there are a lot of mid 19th century songs, some parodies of each other, with Jawbone titles or references. Steven Foster sang of how Angelina Baker left him to weep a tear and beat on the old Jawbone "De Old Jawbone" chorus goes:
"Walk Jawbone with the Turkey too, Never mind that Boogerboo."
And first verse is "Jawbone hung on the kitchen wall...” From Mudcat.
MINSTREL ORIGINS: The tune has minstrel origins, with 'jawbone' probably referring to a stock character in such shows, says Charles Wolfe (1991). Wolfe found the tune in old minstrel collections, some of which indicate the song was associated with the "Colored Saboyard" Cool White- Words and Music by Silas Sexton Steele "Walk, Jaw Bone" (1844)(written expressly for Cool White)[Source: pages 210-211 from "Minstrel Songs, Old and New" (1883). See lyrics- Version 1.
Hans Nathan (in his book Dan Emmett) records it was sung at a Tennessee frolic in the early 1830's, and it has some similarities to minstrel Dan Emmett's tune (recorded by Uncle Dave Macon and the Fruit Jar Drinkers) "Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel, I Believe." The fiddle tune "Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel" is also known as "Old Jawbone." Nathan also suggests “Walking Jaw Bone was a dance which may be the prototype of tap dance as it imitates the sound it makes.”
Library of Congress recordings of the tune/song prior to WWII were collected from Florida to Ohio. See also the variant "Johnson City Rag." Various ditties have been sung to the melody.
Here are the lyrics from Ceolas:
I left my jawbone sittin' on a fence
I ain't' seen nothin' of my jawbone since
Walked on home and didn't get along
In come Sally with her big boots on.
Jawbone walk and Jawbone talk and
Jawbone eat with a knife and fork.
Jawbone walked and the wire flew
'Hind my head, and-a higher, too.
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