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Frank Pierce’s Soliloquy/Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel
Old-Time Breakdown; American, Polka- USA widely known; Music: Daniel D. Emmett/Words: T. F. Briggs? 1853;
ARTIST: From Lawrence, Music for Patriots, Politicians, and Presidents election of 1856
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: 1853 (sheet music) Probably originating from an earlier song;
RECORDING INFO: Abrams, Rick. 49th Annual Galax Old Fiddlers Convention, Heritage (Galax) 700, LP (1985), cut# 13 (Other Side of Jordan); Belcher, Red; & the Kentucky Ridgerunners. Early Days of Bluegrass, Vol. 1, Rounder 1013, LP (1974), cut# 3 (Old Grey Goose); Blake, Norman. Lighthouse on the Shore, Rounder 0211, LP (1985), cut# 11 (Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel); George, Franklin/Frank. Swope's Knobs, Anachronistic 001, LP (1977), cut#1.07; George, Franklin/Frank. Reflections of the Past, Roane RR 104, Cas (1995), cut#1.05; Greenbriar Boys. Greenbriar Boys, Vanguard VRS-9104, LP (196?), cut#B.06 (Other Side of Jordan); Logan, Tex. Country Music and Bluegrass at Newport, Vanguard VSD-79146, LP (1968), cut#B.09 (Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel); Macon, Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave Macon, Vol. 2, Vetco LP 105, LP (197?), cut# 5; Macon, Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave Macon, RBF RF 51, LP (1963), cut#A.08; Mainer's Mountaineers (J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers). J. E. Mainer & the Mountaineers. Vol 20. 20 Old-Time Favorites, Rural Rhythm RC-250, Cas (1988), cut#B.07; New Lost City Ramblers. Old-Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1964/1976), p188 (Other Side of Jordan); Old Hat Band. Concert, Voyager VRLP 307-S, LP (197?), cut# 7; Paley, Tom. O Love Is Teasin', Elektra BLP-12051, LP (1985), cut#3.13 (Old Grey Goose); Paley, Tom. Courtin's a Pleasure and Other Folk Songs of the Southern App..., Elektra EKL-122, LP (195?), cut#B.03 (Old Grey Goose); Price, Truman; and Jane Keefer. Songs and Tunes of the Oregon Trail, True West TW C-21, Cas (1991), cut# 5 (Other Side of Jordan); Puckett, Riley. Waiting for the Evening Mail, County 411, LP (197?), cut# 7 (Other Side of Jordan)
RELATED TO: "Ain't No Bugs on Me" (words) "Kingdom Coming;" "Year of Jubilo;" ”Carolina County;” "It Thundered In the East," “Jawbone/Jawbones;” “Gary Dawson's Tune;” “Pull Off Your Old Coat” “101 Is a Hard Road to Travel;” “Dr. Ginger Blue;” “I'll Go Home to My Honey;” “Hoops, My Dear”
OTHER NAMES: “Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel;” “Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel, I Believe,” "Other Side of Jordan;" "Richmond Is a Hard Road to Travel;" "Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel (Uncle Dave Macon);" "T'Other Side of Jordan," “Jawbones” "Salmon is a Hard Road to Travel," "El Camino is a Hard Road to Travel" "Old Pike," “Old Jawbone”
SOURCES: Randolph 305, "The Other Side of Jordan" (1 text); Cy Kines (Fauquier County, Va.) [Christeson]. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, Vol. 1), 1973; pg. 90. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 82 (appears as "T'Other Side of Jordan"). Miller & Perron (101 Polkas), 1978; No. 61; Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 188-189, "Other Side of Jordan" (1 text, 1 tune); Silber-FSWB, p. 55, "The Other Side of Jordan" (1 text); Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p 82b (Other Side of Jordan); Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p390 (Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel); Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p400a; Cohen/Seeger/Wood also refer to a version by Tex Logan who learned it as a boy in Texas and taught it to Red Belcher. They refer also to a version by the great Riley Puckett from Georgia. They note that Riley used some verses that are close to those in 'The Old Minstrel Song Book'.
NOTES: “Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel” is a song about the difficulties of getting to heaven. Chorus: "(So) take off your overcoats and roll up your sleeves; Jordan am a hard road to travel (x2) I believe." The original contains assorted political references to the 1850s. Written (arranged) by Daniel Emmett in 1853, “Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel” has been the subject for numerous parodies ( the first being "Richmond Is a Hard Road to Travel") and versions including versions by Uncle Dave Macon (1927) and Riley Puckett ("Other Side of Jordan"). Other versions include "Old Pike," and even a version by Peter Paul, and Mary called “Old Coat.”
As a fiddle and instrumental tune favorite “Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel” has several separate fiddle tunes based on the melody sometimes with different lyrics including “Old Grey Goose,” "T'Other Side of Jordan," “Carolina County;” and "It Thundered In the East." It is also called “Old Jawbone” and is related to the “Jawbone” family of songs.
Here are some historic dates that are mentioned in Emmitt’s? (T. F. Briggs?) lyrics from Ballad Index:
1842 - Webster-Ashburton Treaty settles the boundary between Britain (Canada) and the states of Massachussets and Maine
1846 - Oregon Treaty settles the boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain (Canada). Minor uncertainties were settled by arbitration in 1872.
1852-1870 - Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) Emperor of France
1853-1857 - Presidency of Franklin Pierce
Napoleon III (1808-1873), the son of Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Louis, was chosen President of France in 1848, then in 1852 (the same year Franklin Pierce was elected President) upgraded himself to Emperor. The "fish question" is slightly less clear; the settlement which ended the War of 1812 and the diplomacy which followed did not provide American fishermen with all the rights they wanted in Canadian waters -- but this was a perennial problem which was not solved until 1910. In addition, there were some disputes over the Columbia River (which in the complex logic of diplomacy gave the U.S. its claim to Oregon), and hence presumably its salmon.
From A Fiddler’s Companion: Va. G Major (Christeson, Ford): C Major (Miller & Perron). Standard. AABB. The title is from the words of minstrel Dan Emmett's (Ohio) song. Bayard (1981) prints two tunes ("It Thundered In the East" and an untitled hornpipe; Nos. 88 & 89, pg. 54) that strongly resemble this song. He thinks they all may have been descended from some older traditional tune. See also "Jawbone" in Krassen, 1973.
Fiddler Henry Reed used the name "Jawbones" for two different tunes on different occasions, perhaps because of melodic similarities between them. One is the tune usually known as "Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel." The other is this tune, part of which appears to be a tune sometimes called "Military Schottische," cast as a breakdown. For other sets, see Ford, Traditional Music of America, p. 160 "Military Schottische"; Adam, Old Time Fiddlers' Favorite Barn Dance Tunes #21 "Snyder's Clock"; Lovett, "Good Morning" p. 145 "Heel and Toe Polka"; Winner's Collection of Music for the Violin, p. 18 "Fashionable Schottisch"; Howe, Leviathan Collection, p. 65 "National Schottisch."
In respect of this parody, "Richmond Is a Hard Road to Travel," here is a short explanation by John R. Thompson: Many Civil War songs were parodiessongs that set new, topical words to a familiar tune. In 1863 John R. Thompson, a famous southern editor, drafted the following song, based on the minstrel tune Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel, lampooning the Union army's many failures in Virginia in the first two years of the war. [The song refers] to Pope's defeat at Second Bull Run and Burnside's horrendous losses at Fredericksburg. The proclamation referred to was not Lincoln's famous emancipation edict, but Pope's arrogant announcement that his troops were to always advance and never retreat; the boastful Union commander soon found himself frantically racing back to Washington after Lee crushed him at Manassas.
UNCLE DAVE MACON’S VERSION: “Uncle” Dave Macon was born near Franklin, TN in 1870. He was a pioneer in recorded country music and one of its most popular and prolific artists. A star performer on WSM’s Grand Olde Opry from 1926 until his death in 1952, Macon also recorded some two hundred songs during a fourteen year period, beginning in 1924 when he was already 56 years old. Even more remarkable is the huge body of Macon recordings represent only a part of his vast repertoire, which included topical songs, old-time breakdowns, gospel numbers, popular songs from Tin Pan Alley, and much from the minstrel tradition. Generations of banjo pickers and lovers of old-time music have learned “Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel” from Uncle Dave's recording of it, first released in 1927.
Uncle Dave Macon, who had little good to say about automobiles, ran a horse-and-wagon drayage business. Although this song derives its chorus and structure from "Jordan am a Hard Road to Travel," in Uncle Dave's hands it becomes a completely different song from Dan Emmett's.
Uncle Dave's parody reflects his love of writing songs that comment on current problems of his day and, once again, he takes the opportunity to have a go at the automobile. The Traditional Ballad Index refers to Uncle Dave's recording and gives to 2 citations under the title 'The Other Side of Jordan'. The text in Silbur is taken directly from the Cohen/Seeger/Wood songbook ['Old-Time String Band Songbook' Oak Publications – former title was 'New Lost City Ramblers Songbook'].
From Stewie : My transcription differs in minor respects from the Cohen/Seeger/Wood songbook. Perhaps they were working from a different recording of Uncle Dave's, but their last stanza does not accord with what Uncle Dave is singing in his 1927 recording. Norman Blake [Rounder CD 11505] follows Uncle Dave more closely. C/S/W give 'Allegheny Mountains' in the last stanza and I have gone with that even though I can't hear it – it sounds more like 'Alligator' or 'Alligaty' to me. Like many old-time singers, Uncle Dave can be hard to decipher and mondegreens are almost inevitable. I saw a posting from Tom Paley in the banjo news list that the chorus of this song has been misheard as:
Take off your overcoat, roll up your sleeves
Yearnin' in your heart for trouble
Take off your overcoat, roll up your sleeves
Yearnin' in your heart for trouble I believe
Dominicker comes from Dominique, now called Dominica, one of the Windward Islands. The word is old, known in print since 1809 so perhaps a lot older. Island planters came to the southern states as the island soil quickly wore out and Dominica is mountainous. A "dominicker" fowl is barred, usually with a rose comb and yellow legs. The rooster is said to lead a very active social life. (A very noisy alarm clock as well). The fowl was popular in the 19th century (the name dominicker hen in print by 1849).
In a posting a possible explanation for 'dominecker' (dominicker) – that, in respect of chooks, it refers to being like a Domincan in colour (reference to the priests' black and white habit) and Uncle Dave may have transferred this to similarly colored mules.
Here are the lyrics to “Jordan is a Hard Road To Travel” from Lawrence, Music for Patriots, Politicians, and Presidents election of 1856:
Of all the tricks that have been played of late,
The dirtiest and worst, every man says,
Was the one I played myself, in the hope of fame
It was helping the South to pilfer Kansas.
Pack up my duds and take my leave,
Hard work to travel back to Concord,
For all my broken pledges these sighs I heave,
It's a hard road to travel back to Concord, I believe
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