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Pass Around the Bottle/John Brown’s Body/Battle Hymn
ARTIST: Skillet Lickers; Recorded on April 17, 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Skillet Lickers recorded extensively throughout the late 20s. They were known for their off-the-wall arrangements of old-time fiddle tunes. This was recorded at their first recording session and included Gid Tanner and Clayton McMichen on fiddles, Fate Norris on banjo, Riley Puckett on guitar and lead vocals.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1855 "She Had Such Wheedling Ways" at The Lester S. Levy Collection; 1857 "Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us;" 1861 “John Brown’s Body;” First recording "Old Aunt Peggy Won't You Set 'em Up Again" by "Fiddlin' John Carson" 1924; “Pass around the Bottle” 1926, Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers
RECORDING INFO: "Old Aunt Peggy Won't You Set'em Up Again" by "Fiddlin' John Carson" Okeh 40108 Issued: May 1924; Al Bernard, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Van Dyke 5115, c. 1930); Georgia Yellow Hammers, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Victor 20550, 1927; Montgomery Ward M-8054, 1939); Sim Harris, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Oriole 916, 1927); North Carolina Hawaiians, "Pass Around the Bottle" (OKeh 45405, 1930; rec. 1928); Ernest Stoneman, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Homestead 16490, c. 1929/Conqueror 7755, 1931) (Broadway 8054, c. 1930), "Hang John Brown" (on Stonemans01); Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Pass Around the Bottle and We'll All Take a Drink" (Columbia 15074-D, 1926) Recorded in 1939 for the Library of Congress by Herbert Halpert from the playing of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler W.E. Claunch.
RELATED TO: "Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us;" "John Brown's Body;" "The Battle Hymn of the Republic;" "Marching On"
OTHER NAMES: "Old Aunt Peggy Won't You Set'em Up Again;" "Pass Around the Bottle And We’ll All Take A Drink”
SOURCES: Mudcat Discussion Forum; BrownIII 34, "Pass Around the Bottle" (1 text) Roud #7858; Recorded in 1939 for the Library of Congress by Herbert Halpert from the playing of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, fiddler W.E. Claunch.
NOTES: Typical lyrics are: "Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink (x2) As we go marching home." "Pull out the stopper and fill it up again." "Hang John Brown on a sour apple tree." "Grasshopper sitting on a sweet potato vine."
The tune to "Pass Around the Bottle" is the same as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." The poetry by Julia Ward Stowe of The Battle Hymn of the Republic was first published in The Atlantic magazine in February, 1862. The tune was based on the song, “John Brown’s Body.”
In 1861 the story of anti-slavery zealot John Brown's death is told: "John Brown's body lies a-mould'ring in his grave (x3); his soul goes marching on." "He captured Harper's Ferry with his nineteen men so true...." On October 16-18, 1859 John Brown and 20 others (fifteen of them, including Brown's three sons, are white) attack the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, hoping to gather the weapons needed for a slave rebellion. Forces led by Robert E. Lee soon attack the rebels; only Brown and four others live to be captured and placed on trial. On Dec 2, 1859 John Brown was hanged at Charlestown, Virginia.
The "John Brown" words were composed within months of his death, and had spread throughout the Union by the early stages of the Civil War.Others argue that the "John Brown" of the song was not the abolitionist but an obscure American soldier (Irwin Silber describes him as "Sergeant John Brown, a Scotsman, a member of the Second Battalion, Boston Light Infantry Volunteer Militia," who later joined the Twelfth Massachusetts). At any rate the song was tied to John Brown’s hanging and became a ralling cry for the soldiers during the Civil War. Here are the lyrics:
JOHN BROWN'S ORIGINAL MARCHING SONG J. H. Johnson, song publisher, Philadelphia, n. d. (1860-61) American Memory; Tune- Brothers, Will You Meet Me.
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave; 3x
His soul's marching on!
Chorus:
Glory, halle-hallelujah! Glory, halle-hallelujah!
Glory, halle-hallelujah! His soul's marching on!
John Brown's knapsack is strapped upon his back! 3x
His soul's marching on!
His pet lambs will meet him on the way; 3x
They go marching on!
They will hang Jeff Davis to a tree! 3x
As they march along!
Now three rousing cheers for the Union; 3x
As we are marching on!
John Brown’s Body is sung to the melody of “Brothers, Will You Meet Me” or sometimes titled "Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us." According to James Fuld: “On Dec. 19, 1857, there was a copyright entry by Charles Dunbar, Camp Meeting Harp and Revival Chorister. Though no copy of a book with this title has been found, a book entitled The Union Harp and Revival Chorister, with the collection selected and arranged by Charles Dunbar, and a statement that it was published in Cincinnati in 1858, has been found; and it contains at page 264 the music and words of "My Brother Will You Meet Me." The opening words are "Say my brother will you meet me." The music of the Glory Hallelujah chorus is present, but not the words. No copyright entry was made for this book in 1858, although Dunbar copyrighted several other books during that year and copyrighted the second edition of The Union Harp and Revival Chorister on April 30, 1859.”
This revival song has been attributed to William Steffe and some controversy has arisen over Stefe’s claim to be the composer of the tune to the “Battle Hymn.” Here are some lyrics to Brothers, Will You Meet Me:
"My Brother Will You Meet Me."
Say my brother will you meet me
Say my brother will you meet me
Say my brother will you meet me
On Caanan’s happy shore.
To complicate matters, the chorus of a song titled "She Had Such Wheedling Ways" at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music is sung to the tune of "Battle Hymn." According to the Levy Collection description, it was published in 1855. This may be the earliest printed version (view on-line at Levy collection) of the melody "Battle Hymn of the Republic." "She Had Such Wheedling Ways" precedes Steffe claim that he wrote the melody by several years.
Where the original melody comes from to Pass the Bottle/Battle Hymn songs (and the dozens of parodies that use the melody) is unclear.
Here are some lyrics and info from The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society"
34 Pass Around the Bottle
The Archive of American Folk Song has a record under this title from Kentucky. As we have it in North Carolina it is a drinking song only in the first two stanzas ; stanza 3 is universally known since Civil War times, and stanzas 4-6 are scarcely less familiar. The refrain line shows that it is really a marching song.
'Pass Around the Bottle.' From the John Burch Blaylock Collection. Each stanza repeats, including the refrain line, as indicated in stanza 1.
1. Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink.
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink.
As we go marching home.
2. Pull out the stopper and fill it up again.
3. Hang John Brown on a sour apple tree.
4. Grasshopper sitting on a sweet potato vine.
5. Old turkey gobbler come slipping up behind.
6. Old turkey gobbler picked the hopper from the vine.
Here are the lyrics to “Pass Around the Bottle” by the Skillet Lickers:
PASS AROUND THE BOTTLE- Skillet Lickers
Recorded on April 17, 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Skillet Lickers recorded
extensively throughout the late 20s. They were known for their off-the-wall
arrangements of old-time fiddle tunes. This was recorded at their first
recording session and included Gid Tanner and Clayton McMichen on fiddles,
Fate Norris on banjo, Riley Puckett on guitar and lead vocals.
(Fiddle)
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink
As we go marching by.
Chorus: Glory, glory to old Georgia
Glory, glory to old Georgia
Glory, glory to old Georgia
As we go marching on.
(Fiddle)
Hang Jeff Davis on a sour apple tree
Hang Jeff Davis on a sour apple tree
Hang Jeff Davis on a sour apple tree
As we go marching on.
Glory, glory to old Georgia
Glory, glory to old Georgia
Glory, glory to old Georgia
As we go marching on.
(Fiddle)
Old Aunt Peggy won't you fill 'em up again
Old Aunt Peggy won't you fill 'em up again
Old Aunt Peggy won't you fill 'em up again
As we go marching on
Glory, glory to old Georgia
Glory, glory to old Georgia
Glory, glory to old Georgia
As we go marching on.
(Fiddle)
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink
Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink
As we go marching on
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