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Little Joe, The Wrangler by N. Howard Thorp; Laws B5/ Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane, The
Old-Time, Song Tune. Words & Music by William Shakespeare Hays, 1837-1907 Dedicated To George J. Cowan, Louisville, KY.
ARTIST: Tune is "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane," from The Cowboy Sings edited by Kenneth Clark (1932); Recorded by Harry Jackson (Folkways), Cisco Huston .
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: 1871
RECORDING INFO: Carson, Fiddlin' John. Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster's Gonna Crow, Rounder 1003, LP (1987), cut# 1. Clark, Carroll C.. Minstrels and Tunesmiths, JEMF 109, LP (1981), cut#B.07. George, Franklin/Frank. Swope's Knobs, Anachronistic 001, LP (1977), cut#3.07a. Kincaid, Bradley. Mountain Ballads and Old Time Solos. Album Number Six, Bluebonnet BL 123, LP (1963), cut#A.01. Mainer, Wade. Old Time Banjo Tunes, Old Homestead OHS-90168, LP (1984), cut#A.01 (Little Log Cabin in/by the Lane). Pegram, George. Union Grove, The Hub of the Universe, Union Grove SS-4, LP (1970), cut# 3. Pegram, George. George Pegram, Rounder 0001, LP (1970), cut# 3. Pegram, George. O Love Is Teasin', Elektra BLP-12051, LP (1985), cut#1.14 . Possum Hunters. Death on Lee Highway, Takoma A-1010, LP (196?), cut# 2 (Little Log Cabin in/by the Lane). Seeger, Peggy. Our Singing Heritage. Vol I, Elektra EKL-151, LP (195?), cut# 3. Tennessee River Boys. Good Old Mountain Music, Cumberland MGC 29505, LP (196?), cut# 1 (Log Cabin in the Lane)
OTHER NAMES: “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane;” “Hungry Hash House (Blues);” “Fiddle and Bow;” “Little Joe, the Wrangler,” “Lily of the Valley;” “Little Old Sod Shanty (on the Claim);” “Little Red Caboose Behind the Train,” “Another Fall of Rain” “Little Joe the Wrangler,” “Beans, Gravy and Bacon.”
SOURCES: Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p281. Levy site; A Fiddler’s Companion; Digital Tradition;
NOTES: The song was written and published in 1871 by a Kentucky riverman turned vaudeville songwriter, Will Hayes.
William Shakespeare Hays was born in Louisville, KY on July 19, 1837 and died there at the age of 70 on July 23, 1907. His parents were Hugh and Martha (Richardson) Hays. He married Belle McCullough in July of 1865. His known children are Mattie Belle Hays (dedicated to, in the song O, Let Me Kiss the Baby, 1867), Susie Hobbs Hays (dedicated to, in the song Kiss Me, Good Night, Mama, 1870) and Samuel Brown Hays (dedicated to, in the song How Much Does the Baby Weigh, 1880).
His most popular songs were Evangeline (1862), The Drummer Boy of Shiloh (1863), We Parted by the River (1866), The Little Old Cabin in the Lane (1871), Molly Darling (1871) [with 3 million copies published], Susan Jane (1871), Oh! Sam (1872), Angels Meet Me at the Cross Roads (1875). Early in de Mornin' (1877), Roll Out! Heave Dat Cotton (1877). He composed approximately 350 songs. Two significant collections, detailed as items 286 (manuscripts) and 813 (prints and photographs), are at The Filson Club Historical Society of Kentucky.
The “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” melody has been adapted and used in a number of different settings and has spawned a number of parodies: “Hungry Hash House (Blues);” “Fiddle and Bow;” “Little Joe, the Wrangler,” “Lily of the Valley;” “Little Old Sod Shanty (on the Claim);” “Little Red Caboose Behind the Train,” “Another Fall of Rain” “Little Joe the Wrangler,” “Beans, Gravy and Bacon.”
Bob Bolton from DT: I just realised that the tune I know to this is virtually the same as Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane (known here as several songs, including a shearing song Another Fall of Rain or Waiting for the Rain - the lament of a bunch of worn out shearers, hoping for rain to bring a break in activity so their sore wrists and back can recuperate.
The southern gospel hymn, “Lily of the Valley,” with words by Charles W. Fry (1881) was adapted from Hays' “Little Old Log Cabin.” The earliest recording was by (Frank) Welling & (John) McGhee in Ashland Kentucky 1928 (Vo 5251). Charles W. Fry lyrics first appeared in the Salvation Army's The War Cry, December 29, 1881. Fry wrote the lyrics in Lincoln, England, while working with the Salvation Army there.
The “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” was recorded in October, 1925 for Edison by Fiddlin' Cowan Powers and Family, who had waxed an earlier version for Victor, in August, 1924 (though for that particular side the Victor company brought in Carson Robison to perform the vocal). The piece was first released in 1923, however, when Fiddlin' John Carson's (north Georgia) version became the second best-selling country music record for that year. Yet another performance, Ernest Stoneman's, made the charts that decade, in 1926 when his version became the fifth best-selling country music record.
Here are the lyrics to Little Joe, The Wrangler:
It was Little Joe, the wrangler, he'll wrangle nevermore.
His days with the remuda they are done.
'Twas a year ago last April, he joined the outfit here
Just a little Texas stray and all alone.
Well 'twas long late in the evening when he rode up to the herd
On a little brown pony he called Chaw,
With his broken shoes and overalls, a harder lookin' kid
Well, I never in my life had seen before.
His saddle was a southern kack built many years ago,
And an O.K. spur from one foot idly hung;
While the hot roll in the cotton sack was loosely tied behind,
And a canteen from the saddle horn was slung.
He said he'd had to leave home, his ma had married twice,
And his old man beat him every day or two,
So he saddled up old Chaw one night and "lit a shuck" this way
Thought he'd try and paddle now his own canoe.
Said he'd try and do the best he could if we'd only give him work
But didn't know straight up about a cow.
But the Boss he cuts him out a mount and kinder put him on
'Cause he sorta liked that little stray somehow.
Taught him how to herd the horses and to know them all by name
And to get them in by daylight if he could;
And to follow the chuck wagon and to always hitch the team
And to help the "cocinero" rustle wood.
We was camped down in Red River and the weather she was fine,
We was settin' on the south side in a bend,
When a norther commenced blowin' and we all doubles up our guard
'Cause it took all hands to hold them cattle then.
Well, little Joe the wrangler was called out with the rest,
And hardly had that kid got to that herd,
When them devils they stampeded. Like a hail storm 'long they flew
And all of us was ridin' for the lead.
'Tween the streaks of lightnin' we could see that horse there out ahead
It was little Joe the wrangler in the lead.
He was ridin' old Blue Rocket with his slicker 'bove his head
A-tryin' to check them lead cows in their speed.
Well, we got them kinda millin' and sorta quieted down,
And the extra guard back to the camp did go.
But one of them was missin', and we all saw at a glance
'Twas our little lost horse herder, wrangler Joe.
Next mornin', just at sunup, we found where Rocket fell
Down in a washout forty feet below.
Beneath his horse, mashed to a pulp, his spurs had rung the knell
For our little lost horse rider, wrangler Joe.
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