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Old Molly Hare/Hair; Old Granny Blare/Blair; Old Sow
Old-Time, and Bluegrass Breakdown. USA; Widely known.
ARTIST: Brown Collection: Miss Jewel Robbins Pekin, Montgomery Co. NC in 1921
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1921 "De Old Hare” circa 1850; 1881 (Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings) Two sets appear in "Henry Beck's Flute Book [1786]," entitled "Anson's Voyage" and "Farewell to Country Friends."as The Fairy Dance.
RECORDING INFO- MOLLY HARE: Fiddlin' Powers & Family, "Old Molly Hare" (Okeh 45268, 1928; on Cornshuckers2); Riley Puckett, "Old Molly Hair" (Columbia 15295-D, 1928); Clayton McMichen & Riley Puckett, "Old Molly Hare" (c. 1930; on CrowTold01); New Lost City Ramblers, "Old Molly Hair" (on NLCR05); Blevins, Haywood. Old Originals, Vol. 2, Rounder 0058, LP (1978), cut# 12; Block, Allan; and Bill Vanaver. Old-Time Banjo Project, Elektra EKL-7276, LP, cut# 1; Carawan, Guy. Green Rocky Road, June Appal JA 0021, LP, cut# 11; Cooney, Michael. Songs & Sounds of the Sea, National Geographic Soc. 705, LP (1973), cut# 16; Dykes, Carrie. Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p215 (Mollie Hare); George, Franklin/Frank. Traditional Music for Banjo, Fiddle & Bagpipes, County C-2703, Cas (1992), cut#A.01; George, Franklin/Frank. Traditional Music for Banjo, Fiddle and Bagpipes, Kanawha 307, LP (1967), cut#B.01; 16. Hellman, Neal. Life Is Like a Mountain Dulcimer, TRO, sof (1974), p 1; Hickory Wind. At the Wednesday Night Waltz, Adelphi AD 2002, LP (1974), cut# 5a; Jarrell, Tommy. Rainbow Sign, County 791, LP (198?), cut# 2; . Levy, Bertram; and Peter Ostroushko. First Generation, Flying Fish FF-392, LP (1987), cut# 10a; McMichen, Clayton; and Riley Pucket. Old Time Fiddle Classics, Vol. 2, County 527, LP (1973), cut# 4; Mellin, Norman. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 24/4, p45; New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 5, Folkways FA 2395, LP (1963), cut# 2; New Lost City Ramblers. Old-Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1964/1976), p108; Noonan, Paddy; Band. Scottish Party, Tifton TS 82, LP (197?), cut#A.01c; Ransom, Stan. My Long Island Home, Connecticut Peddler, CD (1997), cut#15b; Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Art of the Mountain Banjo, Kicking Mule KM 203, LP (1975), cut#2.03b; Rutherford, Ernest; and the Gold Hill Band. Old Cap'n Rabbit, Heritage (Galax) 080, Cas (1989), cut# 24; Seeger, Peggy And Mike. American Folk Songs for Children, Rounder 8001/8002/8003, LP (1977), cut# 35; Smith, Paul. Devil Eat the Groundhog, Rounder 0409, CD (1999), cut#16; Southern Michigan String Band. Transplanted Old Timy Music, Pine Tree PTSLP 509, LP (197?), cut# 10; Brunswick 291 (78 RPM), The Crockett Family (1928. A Kentucky group). Columbia 15295 (78 RPM), Riley Puckett & Clayton McMichen (1927). County 507, Clayton McMichen. County 527, Clayton McMichen- "Old Time Fiddle Classics, Vol. II." Folkways FA 2395, New Lost City Ramblers- "Vol. 5." Okeh 45268 (78 RPM), Fiddlin' Cowan Powers (1928. Powers, 1877-1952? was from Russell County, Va., and learned the tune from family tradition). Rounder 0058, Haywood Blevins- "Old Originals, Vol. II." Recorded for the Library of Congress, 1939, by W.A. Bledsoe (Meridian, Mississippi). Also in repertoire of the Kimble Family from Patrick County, S.W. Va.
RECORDING INFO- KNIT STOCKINGS: Guillette, Wilfred. Brave Boys, New England Traditions in Folk Music, New World NW 239, LP (1977), trk# 17 [1965/01]
RECORDING INFO- OLD GRANNY BLAIR/HARE: Bingham, Estill. Titon, Jeff Todd / Old Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes, Kentucky, Bk/ (2001), p143/#115 [1986-87]; Henry Lovell (Pushmataha County, Oklahoma) [Thede]; Lovell, Henry. Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p 84 (Grandma Blare/Blair) Bird, W. E.. Folk Songs of America. The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection...., Library of Congress AFS L68, LP (1978), cut# 6 (Old Granny Hare);
RECORDING INFO- OLD SOW: Case, Clyde. Folksongs and Ballads, Vol 4, Augusta Heritage AHR 010, Cas (1992), trk# A.04 [1991/05] Ginger, Fred. Good Order! Ladies and Gentlemen Please, Veteran VT 140CD, CD (2000), trk# 3 [1947] Hinton, Sam. Family Tree of Folk Songs, Decca DL 8418, LP (1956), trk# A.01c Richardson, Albert (Laddie). First I'm Going to Sing You A Ditty. Rural Fun and Frolics, Topic TSCD 657, CD (1998), trk# 25 [1928/05/14]
RECORDING INFO- FAERY/FAIRIES REEL- FISHER LADDIE: Anderson, Tom; and Aly Bain. Shetland Folk Fiddling, Vol. 2, Topic 12TS 379, LP (1978), trk# A.01a (Ferrie Reel); Bowen, Robin Huw. Sweet Harp of my Land (Telyn Berseiniol fy ngwlad), Flying Fish FF 70610, CD (1991), trk# 1b; Burke, Kevin; and Jackie Daly. Eavesdropper, Green Linnet SIF 3002, LP (1981), trk# B.04b; Cullivoe Band. Shetland Fiddlers, Leader LED 2052, LP (1973), trk# A.07a (Faery Reel); Guard, Charles. Avenging and Bright, Shanachie 79014, LP (1980/1977), trk# A.06b; Kenny & Tzipora. Wineskins, Tinkers, and Tears, Kicking Mule KM 239, LP (1985), trk# 5b; Peterson, Bobby. Scottish Tradition, 4. Shetland Fiddle Music, Tangent TNGM 117, LP (1978), trk# B.01a [1970/09/26] Powrie, William (Will) and Ian. First I'm Going to Sing You A Ditty. Rural Fun and Frolics, Topic TSCD 657, CD (1998), trk# 27c [1933/05] (Fairies'/Fairy Dance); Reck, Tommy. Stone in the Field, Green Linnet SIF 1008, LP (1977), trk# A.01a; Tansey, Seamus. Best of Seamus Tansey, Outlet SOLP 1007, LP (197?), trk# 5a; Cormier, Joseph. Joseph Cormier and Friends. Old Time Wedding Reels and Other..., Rounder 7013, Cas (1992), cut#B.01c (Largo's Fairy Dance); Delaney, Tommy; and May Keogh. Rince - An Dara Ceim, Gael-Linn CEF020, LP (196?), cut#A.01a (Fairy (Fairies') Reel); Hamilton, Mark. Songs and Tunes from Wolf Run, Sampler 9223, Cas (1992), cut# 17 (Fairies'/Fairy Dance)
RELATED TO: Knit Stockings; Old Sow; Suzanna's a Funicle Man; Old Granny Rattletrap; Fairy (Fairies') Reel; Herring Song; Fisher Laddie, (Largo's) Fairy Dance, Rustic Dance;
OTHER NAMES: Molly Hair/Hare; Old Molly Hair/Hare; Old Granny Blair/Blare; Old Granny Hare; Old Mother Hare
SOURCES: Ceolas; Folk Index; Traditional Ballad Index; Randolph 277, "Old Molly Hare" (1 text, 1 tune); Lomax-ABFS, pp. 283-284, "Old Mother Hare" (1 text, 1 tune); Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 108-109, "Old Molly Hair" (1 text, 1 tune) The tune was recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph from Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's; also recorded for the Library of Congress in 1939 by Herbert Halpert from the playing of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler W.E. Claunch and Meridian, Mississippi, fiddler W.A. Bledsoe (who was originally from Tennessee). The tune/song appears in several older collections: Brown (3:211-13), collected mostly from black informants; Richardson (American Mountain Songs) and Randolph (2:359) contain versions from white sources, the latter from the Ozark Mountains. Sources for notated versions: New Lost City Ramblers [Brody]: Clayton McMichen (Atlanta, Ga) [Phillips]. Also in the repertoire of Uncle Eck Dunford (Galax, Va.) {See Library of Congress recording}. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 207. Kaufman (Beginning Old Time Fiddle), 1977; pg. 47. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 31. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 31. Reiner & Anick (Old Time Fiddling Across America), 1989; pgs. 110-111. American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.282 (Old Mother Hare); American Folk Songs for Children, Doubleday/Zephyr Books, Bk (1948), p. 99; Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p 30b; Appalachian Fiddle, Oak, sof (1973), p31; Kaufman, Alan. Beginning Old-time Fiddle, Oak, sof (1977), p47
NOTES: “Old Molly Hare” is a fiddle tune with words: "Old Molly Hare, What('r) you doin' there?" followed by a reply, "Sitting in the briarpatch, combing out my hair." The song, "Old Molly Hare" evolved from the Scottish melody "Largo's Fairy Dance." The “Old Molly Hare” lyrics are from the US in origin and a set of words were published in Uncle Remus in 1981. The earliest printed source is listed by Meade as "De Old Hare” circa 1850 in Christy’s Panorama Songster. Old Granny Rattletrap is a fiddle tune that uses the melody.
"Old Molly Hare" is the Southern branch of a tune well-known in both the British Isles and America. As is typical of Southern tune preferences, the strains in "Old Molly Hare" are arranged beginning with the high strain, while all other branches of this widespread tune normally begin with the low strain.
Notes on Henry Reed (Library of Congress): Two sets appear in "Henry Beck's Flute Book [1786]," entitled "Anson's Voyage" and "Farewell to Country Friends." Old Molly Hare is an American variant of a tune published c.1805 by (and attributed to) Nathaniel Gow, as The Fairy Dance. The more common title in Irish collections and in American tunebook tradition is "The Fairy Dance." Typical sets are Joyce, Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909), #129; Robbins Collection of 200 Jigs, Reels, and Country Dances, #94 "Fairy Reel (Irish)"; Gill, Manx National Music (1898), p. 119; One Thousand Fiddle Tunes, p. 8; Ford, Traditional Music of America, p. 71. Sets with other titles include "Quick Scotch" in Fillmore, American Veteran Fifer, #6; "Jigg Cotillion" in Winner's Collection of Music for the Violin (1851), p. 5; "The Spider Dance Reel" in Bowman, The J. W. Pepper Collection #181. A related tune is the New England favorite "On the Road to Boston," for which see "A. Shattuck's Book [ca. 1801]," p. 34 (seconds to the melody); Fillmore, #56; Bayard, Hill Country Tunes, #19; Ford, p. 174 "Exhibition March No. 2." Versions of "Old Molly Hare" which seem to be either Southern or Southern-derived include Ford, p. 30; Brown, The Frank Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore vol. 5, 123 (#170); Wilkinson, "Virginia Dance Tunes," p. 5 "Old Molly Hyar."
Joel Chandler Harris quoted the first stanza of this song in "Mr. Rabbit Gorssly Deceives Mr. Fox," published in 1881 in Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings:
Ole Molly Har'.
W'at you doin' dar,
Settin' in de cornder
Smokin' yo seegyar?
Notes from Gordon Collection on-line: This version of "Old Granny Hare" was performed by Professor W. E. Bird of Cullowhee State Normal School at Cullowhee, Jackson County, North Carolina, in the mountains to the southwest of Asheville. Gordon's interest in the song had a number of dimensions. Like the fiddle tunes he recorded, it was an example of a "fiddle song" which went with dance music. Versions appear in Ford (pp. 30, 193-94), Lomaxes (pp.283-84), and the NLCR (pp. 124-25). Gordon recorded a performance of the song by Lunsford (A104, NC154). An early commercial recording of the song was made by the Powers family of Virginia. Brown (III, pp. 211-213) prints a number of versions under the title "Old Molly Hare," and the editors indicate that the earliest collected versions came from Afro-American singers. Many of Brown's North Carolina texts combine the song with another Afro-American folksong, "Mr. Rabbit," which suggests that originally the song may have been concerned with the familiar "Brer Rabbit" trickster figure from Negro folktales.
Another facet of this particular version, which no doubt added to it's interest for Gordon, was that it combined the verses and tune of "Old Granny Hare/Molly Hare" with the chorus and one verse of another, probably older song, "The Old Sow." Although he did not comment on this connection in his writings, Gordon did print a cowboy version, "The Old Cow," in his article on "Cowboy Songs" (Gordon, pp. 105-6). Brown (III, p. 218) collected this song separately in North Carolina. Randolph, who collected versions in the Ozarks (III, pp. 149-50), notes early versions of the song under the title "The Red Herring," published by Newell as a game song (B, p.238) and by Sharp in a version from Somerset. Sharp (B, pp. 283-86), believed it had magical or ritualistic origins. But, typically, American versions substitute a comical refrain: "The old sow died with the measles in the spring." In any event, this text appears to be unique in its combination of this song with the "Old Molly/Granny Hare" song, representing a fascinating mixture of British, African, and American traditions. From Folk-Songs of America: The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection, 1922-1932.
Fairy Dance/Old Molly Hare is often a children's song and you make up the 2nd line of the verse, as in:
Old Molly Hare, whatcha doing there?
Sittin' in a rockin' chair ea-tin' a ripe pear.
Or:
Old Molly Hare, whatcha doing there?
Watching Anselm dance with a great flair.
From Ceolas: "Old Molly Hare" is directly evolved from the Scottish melody "Largo's Fairy Dance," claimed by Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831). It is known as "The Fisher Laddie" in northern England where it appears in a collection of Northern English sword dance tunes by Cecil Sharp. The "Old Molly Hare" song and title appears to be strictly American in origin-Charles Wolfe (1991) thinks it a minstrel piece that went into oral tradition among both blacks and whites.
Ford (1940) relates an improbable story he had from a man who had been a noted caller of old-time dances when he was younger, around the 1870's or 1880's. According to him the settlers of the Missouri/Kansas prairie region plagued by rodent holes, especially rabbits, which were a hazard to cattle or horses. There was a boon to the burrows, however, as they could by used for fence posts, saving the homesteader the arduous labor of digging another hole to set his post. Usually, says Ford, the settlers as a matter of pride took great pains to set their posts in a straight line. There was however, one character in the community, "whose ingenious efforts to avoid over-exertion were a constant source of amusement to his friends and neighbors."
When he built his fence he was not particular about a straight line.
He selected rows of rabbit holes, set his posts, strung the wire and
had his fencing done in no time at all. But the result was even more
erratic than he had anticipated. He was surveying the completed work
one day when several neighbors, coming in from the range, rode up.
They took one look at the fence and then had their usual laugh, to
poor old John's embarrassment. 'John', said one, in a voice of
suppressed amusement, 'how much liquor does it take to the mile,
to build a fence like that?' 'Well,' said John, scratching his head,
'I hadn't calculated fer it to be a worm fence. Reckon though, if I
had a still hitched to it and the neighbors pourin' cold water along,
like they do on all my honest endeavors, you fellers 'ud be down at
t'other end of the fence holdin' yer cups to ketch the whiskey!' As
soon as the laughter had subsided over John's turning the tables, the
neighbor added: 'Anyhow, you certainly did get your fencing done
in a hurry, John. Did you have any help?' 'Yes and no,' was the reply.
'I sort of took advantage of Mother Nature on part of the work. Old
Molly Hare dug the post holes -- but me and the mules had to set the
posts and string the wire!' It was shortly after this episode that the
above-mentioned verse appeared, and began to be used by callers
when the tune 'Old Molly Hare' was played.
FINAL NOTES: Old Molly Hare was the first song Earnest Stoneman learned from his grandmother (Mrs. Bowers) in 1903 to play on the autoharp. He was just ten years old. According to the Folk Index (on-line), this popular Appalachian children’s song is related to “Old Sow Song” better known as "The Sow Took The Measles." Some of the lyrics to “The Old Sow Took the Measles” are found in W.E. Bird’s rendition of Old Granny Hare” in 1925 (Version 2 in this collection).
Here are the lyrics to Old Molly Hare from Ceolas:
OLD MOLLY HARE
Brown Collection: Miss Jewel Robbins
Pekin, Montgomery Co. NC in 1921
Old Molly Hare, What you doin’ there?
Runnin’ through the cotton patch, hard as I can tear.
Old Molly Hare, What you doin’ there?
Runnin’ through the cotton patch, hard as I can tear.
Shack a lack a shack a lack a shack a lack a shay,
Shack a lack a shack a lack a shack a lack a shay.
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