Lost John

Lost John

Traditional Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown and Song- Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky.

ARTIST: John Lennon

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Early 1900’s;

RECORDING INFO: Columbia 15103 (78 RPM), Oliver Sims (1926). Columbia 15122-D (78 RPM), Burnett and Rutherford (1926). County 719, Kenny Baker- "Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler" (1968. Learned from his father). Mag 1018, Ted Powers- "Old Time Fiddler." Mississippi Department of Archives and History AH-002, Enos Canoy Band - "Great Big Yam Potatoes: Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Mississippi" (1985). Okeh 40391 (78 RPM), Henry Whitter (1928). Rounder 0034, Jim Gaskin. Rounder 1004, "The Songs of Dick Burnett and Leonard Rutherford." Vocalation 5441 (78 RPM), Stripling Brothers (Alabama) {1929}. Vocalation (78 RPM), Southern Moonlight Entertainers (Tenn.) {1930}.Baker, Kenny. Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler, County 719, LP (1968), cut# 5. Burnett and Rutherford. Ramblin' Reckless Hobo, Rounder 1004, LP, cut# 5. Canoy, Enos. Great Big Yam Potatoes. Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Missi., Southern Culture AH002, LP (1985), cut# 25. Cohen, Andy; and Joe LaRose. Tuxedo Blues, Green Linnet SIF 1033, LP (1981), cut# 9. Cousin Emmy (Cynthia May Carver). New Lost City Ramblers with Cousin Emmy, Folkways FTS 31015, LP (1968), cut# 8. Gregory, W. L.; and Clyde Davenport. Monticello, Davis Unlimited DU 33014, LP (1975), cut# 14. Hash, Albert; and the Whitetop Mountain Band. Whitetop, Heritage (Galax) 041, LP (198?), cut#A.01. Holt, David. It Just Suits Me, June Appal JA 0038, LP (1981), cut# 3. Iron Mountain String Band (Galax). Music from the Mountain, Heritage (Galax) 101C, Cas (1992), cut# 3. Kottke, Leo. Greenhouse, Capitol ST-11000, LP (197?), cut# 11. Martin, Asa; and the Cumberland Rangers. Dr. Ginger Blue, Rounder 0034, LP (1974), cut# 9. Parham, Red; & the Haywood County Ramblers. 37th Old-Annual Old-Time Fiddlers Convention, Folkways FA 2434, LP (1962), cut# 5. Pegram, George; and Parham, Red (Walter). Music From South Turkey Creek, Rounder 0065, LP (1976), cut#b-1. Pegram, George; and Parham, Red (Walter). Pickin' and Blowin', Riverside RLP 12-60, LP (195?), cut# 3. Poston, Mutt; and the Farm Hands. Hoe Down! Vol. 7. Fiddlin' Mutt Poston and the Farm Hands, Rural Rhythm RRFT 157, LP (197?), cut#B.13. Stamper, I.D.. Red Wing, June Appal JA 0010, LP (1977), cut# 5 . Stripling, Lee. Hogs Picking Up Acorns, Voyager VRCD 349, CD (2000), cut#19. Sutphin, Vernon. Stoneman Family Old Time Songs, Folkways FA 2315, Cas (1957), cut# 21. Terry, Sonny. Folk Box, Elektra EKL-9001, LP (1964), cut# 54. Watson, Doc. Doc Watson on Stage, Vanguard VSD 9/10, LP (1970), cut# 6 Bascom Lamar Lunsford (listed as "Lundsford"), "Lost John Dean" (Vocalion 5246, c. 1928; on TimesAint01)

RELATED TO: Walk Along John; Feather Bed; Blowing the Train; Ruben/Ruben's Train; OTHER NAMES: "Lost Boy Blues," Lost John Dean from Bowling Green ; Long John; Long Gone; Long Gone from Kentucky

SOURCES: Kenny Baker [Brody], Rutherford and Burnett (Ky) [Kuntz], Ralph Troxell & Kenny Baker [Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 178-179. Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 269-270. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 81. Lomax-FSNA 287, "Long John". Lomax-ABFS, pp. 75-79, "Long Gone" Courlander-NFM, pp. 102-103, "(Lost John)"; p. 261, "Long John"; Handy/Silverman-Blues, pp. 200-202, "Long Gone"; Silber-FSWB, p. 68, "Long John"

NOTES: G Major. Standard. AB (Phillips): AAB (Brody, Kuntz). Mark Wilson reports that folklorist/musicologist Alan Lomax links these songs (plural, for there are several tunes which use this floating title) to ante-bellum folklore about the character of John the Trickster Slave.

Charles Wolfe remarks that the family of songs has several branches, including the old-timey 'hillbilly' song, a blues harmonica solo version by De Ford Bailey (Victor, 1920's), a vaudeville song ("Lost John Dean from Bowling Green"), and a work song "Wake Up, Dead Man"). Tom Rankin (1985) differentiates the different melodies using the title: Enos Canoy, Burnett and Rutherford, Henry Whitter, De Ford Bailey and Oliver Sims' (the latter three are harmonica versions. Enos Canoy originally learned the tune on the harmonica and transferred it to the fiddle). The tune was recorded by the Northwest Alabamian (Fayette) of August 29, 1929, as likely to be played at an upcoming fiddlers' convention (Cauthen, 1990).

The Lomaxes believe this to be based on the story (coming from W. C. Handy's book "Blues"; see page 215 in Handy/Silverman) of one Long John Green, who was known for his ability to move. When the prison where Green was staying acquired a pack of bloodhounds, they allegedly decided to conduct a test by giving him a head start and then sending the hounds after him. But Green was too fast (he also managed to trick the hounds by catching one in a trap), and escaped them.

Here are the lyrics to “Lost John” from John Lennon: 

 
Well, he's long, long, lost John
Long, long, lost John.
Lost John standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back.
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost John thought he'd have to ride the top

Well, he's long, long, lost John
yeah, long, long, lost John.
Well, lost John standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back.
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost john thought he'd have to ride the top.

Well, he's long, long, long lost John
Well, he's long, long, lost John.

Well, lost john standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back.
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost John thought he'd have to ride the top.

Well, long, long, long John
well, oh yeah.

I got it about at half past three
you don't look out, she's gonna spew on me
I'm gonna run, railroad bill
I'm gonna ru....