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My Last ‘Ol Dollar (is Gone)- My Last Gold Dollar is Gone
Old-Time, Song and Breakdown- Western North Carolina
ARTIST: From George Gibson's June Appal recording;
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Early 1900’s (1927 Ballad index; 1924 by Whitter’s recording)
RECORDING INFO: English, Logan. American Folk Ballads, Monitor MF 388, LP (196?), cut#B.05; McClintock, Haywire Mac. Hallelujah, I'm A Bum, Rounder 1009, LP (197?), cut# 14; Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "The Last Gold Dollar" (on BLLunsford01) "Honey, Where Have You Been So Long? (Whitter);” “My Last Dollar;” "Coon Jine My Lover (Bill Shepherd);" "Sammie, Where (Have) You Been So Long (Boggs);” "Goodbye My Honey I'm Gone (Grant Brothers);" "Don't Let The Blues Get You Down (Buck Mountain Band)"
MOLE IN THE GROUND RECORDING INFO: County Records, Tommy Jarrell - "Tommy Jarrell's Banjo Album." June Appal Records, Plank Road String Band. Rounder 0132, Bob Carlin - "Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo" (1980). Lunsford learned the song in 1901 from Fred Moody, a North Carolina neighbor (notes to Smithsonian Folkways 40082) Versions by Lunsford (vocal and banjo) were recorded for Folkways 2040c and the Library of Congress. Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (OKeh 40155, c. 1924); (Brunswick 219B, 1928; on AAFM3, BLLunsford01); (on BLLunsford02, FMUSA); Green Bailey, "I Wish I Were A Mole In The Ground" (Conqueror 7255, 1929); Pete Seeger, "Mole in the Ground" (on PeteSeeger09, PeteSeegerCD02) Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 84 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground); Brown, Fleming. Fleming Brown, Folk Legacy FSI-004, LP (1962), cut# 14 (Teddy Let Your Hair Hang Down); Carlin, Bob. Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo, Rounder 0132, LP (1980), cut# 2 (Tempie/Tempy); Carlton, Gaither. More Clawhammer Banjo, County 717, LP (1969), cut# 13 (Omie Let Your Bangs Hang Down); Chancey Family. Folk Visions & Voices. Traditional Music & Song in North Georgia, University of Georgia, Bk (1983), p167 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground); Cooney, Michael. Singer of Old Songs, Front Hall FHR-007C, Cas (1976), cut# 6; Diller, Dwight. Piney Woods, Diller YP-007, Cas (199?), cut#B.03; Elliot, Ramblin' Jack. Jack Elliot, Archive of Folk Music FS-210, LP (19?), cut#A.02 (Roll On Buddy(, Roll On)); English, Logan. American Folk Ballads, Monitor MF 388, LP (196?), cut#B.07; Ginandes, Shep. Dogwood Soup, Pathways of Sound POS 1023, LP (196?), cut#B.02; Hanks, Larry. Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail, Long Sleeve LS 104, LP (1982), cut#B.06a; Harold and Abe. Sweet Sunny South, Heritage (Galax) 043, LP, cut# 6 (Tempie/Tempy); Hellman, Neal. Life Is Like a Mountain Dulcimer, TRO, sof (1974), p29 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground); Holcomb, Roscoe. High Lonesome Sound, Folkways FA 2368, LP (1965), cut#B.07 (Baby Let your Hair Roll Down); Holcomb, Roscoe. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40077, CD (1996), cut#1.30 (Baby Let your Hair Roll Down); Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Fantasy 24711, LP (1972), cut#2.01; Iron Mountain String Band (Galax). Music from the Mountain, Heritage (Galax) 101C, Cas (1992), cut# 10; Jarrell, Tommy. Rainbow Sign, County 791, LP (198?), cut# 6 (Tempie/Tempy); Jarrell, Tommy. Come and Go With Me, County 748, LP (1974), cut# 3 (Tempie Roll Down Your Bangs); Leftwich, Brad. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald OTH, Ser (1987-), 3/8, p31 (Tempie/Tempy); Lunsford, Bascam Lamar. Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW 40090, CD( (1997), cut# 63 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground); Lunsford, Bascam Lamar. Anglo-American Songs and Ballads, Library of Congress AFS L21, LP (196?), cut# 4 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground); Lunsford, Bascam Lamar. Smokey Mountain Ballads, Folkways FP 40, LP (1953), cut# 8; Lunsford, Bascam Lamar. Folk Music USA. Vol. 1, Folkways FE 4530, LP (1959), cut#B.06; Lunsford, Bascam Lamar. American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.152 (I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground); McCutcheon, John. How Can I Keep from Singing?, June Appal JA 0003, LP (1975), cut# 8; Molsky, Bruce; and Bob Carlin. Take Me as I Am, Marimac 9023, Cas (1989), cut# 5a (Tempie/Tempy); North Quarry Street Irregulars. North Quarry Street Irregulars, North Quarry Street, LP (196?), cut#A.05; Pine River Boys with Maybelle. Outback, Heritage (Galax) 003 (III), LP (1974), cut#A.05; Plank Road String Band. Plank Road. Vocal and Instrumental Blend, June Appal JA 0015, LP (1978), cut# 4 (Tempie/Tempy); Possum Hunters. In the Pines, Takoma A-1025, LP (196?), cut# 12 (Darling Where You been So Long); Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. Music of Tennessee. Recorded Live at the 1981 Brandywine Musi..., Heritage (Galax) 042, LP (1982), cut#A.01 (Tempie/Tempy); Round Peak Band. Round Peak Band, Marimac 9044, Cas (1992), B.08 (Tempie/Tempy); Sky, Patrick. Two Steps Foreward - One Step Back, Leviathan SLIF 2000, LP (197?), cut#A.06; Doc Watson; Songs for Little Pickers, Sugar Hill;
Traditional American Folk: as Mole in the Ground (The Chesley Brothers (FW 34162c); David Holt (High Windy 1255c); Artus Moser (RVR 12-617a); Doc and Merle Watson (FF 252a);Doc Watson (SGH 3786c)); and later versions by Lunsford were recorded for Folkways 2040c and the Library of Congress.
Folksong revival: as Mole in the Ground (Michael Cooney (Front Hall a); Logan English (MNT 388a); Dave Fredrickson (FW 5259c); Holy Modal Rounders (PRS 7410a); Cisco Houston (VF 9002a); Lisa Kindred (VG 143/44c); John McCutcheon (JA 003a); Mike and Peggy Seeger (RND 8003c); Pete Seeger (SF 45022d); Patrick Sky (Leviathan 2000a); Sweet Corn (Aural 9006d)).
Post revival: as Mole in the Ground (Anne Hills (FF 70608c, Hogeye 001a)).
Country/String Band: as Mole in the Ground (The Iron Mountain String Band (HRT 101a); Fiddlin' Doc Roberts and Asa Martin (GEN 6732b)). Holy Modal Rounders - Mole in the Ground (Fantasy LP) Stampfel & Weber
Bluegrass: as Mole in the Ground (Hylo Brown (RR 183a); The Pine River Boys (HRT3a)).
OTHER NAMES: "Honey, Where Have You Been So Long? (Whitter);” “My Last Dollar;” "Coon Jine My Lover (Bill Shepherd);" "Sammie, Where (Have) You Been So Long (Boggs);” "Goodbye My Honey I'm Gone (Grant Brothers);" "Don't Let The Blues Get You Down (Buck Mountain Band);" “My Doney, Where Have You Been So Long;”
RELATED TO: “Mole in the Ground” "I Don't Like No Railroad Man" (floating lyrics); "New River Train" (tune, floating lyrics); “Black Dog Blues” (lyrics) “Hard Rocking Chair” (Melody) “Alberta, Let Your Hair Hang (Stream) Down;” “Girls, Quit Your Rowdy Ways;” “Feeling Bad and Low;" "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (lyrics)"
SOURCES: Meade: Country Music Sources; The title, “Mole in the Ground” appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 900-901, "I Wish I Wuz a Mole in the Ground;" Courlander-NFM, p. 144, "(I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground);" Lomax-ABFS, pp. 152-153, "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground;" Silber-FSWB, p. 394, "Mole In The Ground;"
NOTES: G Major. Standard. A variant of "Honey, Where You Been So Long?" this is related to “Darling,You Can't Love But One” and “Mole in the Ground.” "Last Old Dollar is Gone" is a title by Fiddlin' John Carson of his 1930 version "Don't let your Deal go Down."
Typical lyrics include: "My last (gold/ole) dollar is gone (x2), My whiskey bill is due an' my board bill too...." "Oh darling, I'm crazy about you... and another girl too..." "Oh darling, won't you go my bail?..." "Oh darling, six months ain't too long...."
Several collected versions with music include: Randolph 671, "My Last Gold Dollar" (2 texts, 1 tune); Lomax-FSNA 149, "My Last Ole Dollar" (1 text, 1 tune); Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 130-131, "My Last Old Dollar" (1 text, 1 tune)
"Honey, Where You been so Long?" was recorded by Henry Whitter in 1924. it was titled "My Last Old Dollar" by Harry McClintock in his 1928 recording. Also related to “Black Dog Blues,” and Don't Let Your Deal Go Down."
George Gibson (from note to his June Appal recording): "I was playing this song before I heard Gran Hudson (1911-2004) sing it. I only knew one or two verses. Gran sang a version that ended with all of the verses that are commonly sung to Mole in the Ground. When I asked Gran if his version might be two songs, he became a little testy and said "That's the way my daddy sung that song, and that's the way it's supposed to be sung." I didn't sing all those verses here, and I apologized to Gran for not doing so. Gran was a fine banjo player and balladeer, as was his father, Steve Hudson. I believe I was picking a version of Last Gold Dollar without singing when I first met Gran. He said "Son, if you can't sing it don't pick it." I never heard Gran pick a tune without singing.
The verse that references going west has a historical context. People in the Knott County area were migrating west from the days of earliest settlement. There was an increase in this migration after 1900 when the logging industry began to decline. Many people in Knott County have relatives in western states. Cowboy songs were found in the Knott County area very early, most likely brought back by people visiting or returning from the west."
Here are the lyrics to "My Last Ol' Dollar" from George Gibson:
Oh, my last gold dollar's gone,
Oh, my last gold dollar's gone,
Well my board bill's due, my whisky bill too,
And my last gold dollar's gone.
She's a darling little girl I know,
She's a darling little girl I know,
She's a coming down the stair,
Combing back her curly hair,
She's a darling little girl I know.
Oh darling when I had you,
I laced up the shoes you wear,
But now I'm bound in the walls of jail,
Your little feet must go bare.
She's dodging from the frost and snow,
She's dodging from the frost and snow,
Her little feet are bare 'cause she has no shoes to wear,
She's dodging from the frost and snow.
Oh darling six months ain't long,
No darling six months ain't long,
Six months ain't long for me to be gone,
No darling six months ain't long.
Well I'm going to the west this fall,
Oh I'm going to the west this fall,
I may do well and I may catch hell,
But I'm going to the west this fall.
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