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Riley and Spencer/ Ryland Spencer/Raleigh and Spencer
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; western North Carolina, southwestern Virginia.
ARTIST: from Fields Ward.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: early 1900s (1920s by Jarrell)
RECORDING INFO: Alden, Ray. Old Time Friends, Marimac 9009, Cas (1987), trk# 12 (Ryland Spencer)
Gellert, Dan; and Shoofly. Forked Deer, Marimac 9000, Cas (1986), trk# B.06
Gellert, Dan; and Brad Leftwich. Moment in Time, Marimac 9038, Cas (1993), trk# B.07 (Ryland Spencer)
Hurricane Ridgerunners. Hurricane Ridgerunners, Topaz TLS-1231, LP (1981), trk# A.04 (Reilley and Spencer)
Jarrell, Tommy. Sail Away Ladies, County 756, LP (1976), trk# B.08 (Raleigh and Spencer)
Jarrell, Tommy. Music of North Carolina, Heritage (Galax) 024 (XXIV), LP (1979), trk# A.04
Lewis, Laurie. Fiddler Magazine, Fiddler Mag., Ser, 1/1, p32(1994) [1990] (Raleigh and Spencer)
Ward, Fields. Traditional Music on Rounder, Rounder 0145/SS145, LP (1981), trk# 16
Ward, Fields and Wade. Country Music - Fields and Wade Ward, Biograph RC 6002, LP (1968), trk# 1
Whiskey Puppy. Love Storm, Whiskey WP 002, CD (2003), trk# 8 (Raleigh and Spencer)
White, Earl; and Adrienne Davis. Portland Old Time Music Gathering, Bubbaguitar --, CD (2005), trk# 13 (Raleigh and Spencer)
OTHER NAMES: "Riley and Spencer," "Ryland Spencer."
SOURCES: Thede; Ceolas; Folk Index; Laurie Lewis [Fiddler Magazine]. Fiddler Magazine, Spring 1994; pg. 32. Biograph 6002, Fields Ward (Galax, Va.). County 756, Tommy Jarrell (Mt. Airy, N.C.) - "Sail Away Ladies" (1976). Flying Fish 515, Laurie Lewis - "Singin' My Troubles Away" (1990). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986. Learned from Tommy Jarrell and Mike Seeger).
NOTES: D Major. Standard or DDAD. One part. This tune was learned in the early 1920's by source Tommy Jarrell from his brother-in-law, guitarist Jim Gardner, who learned it from a black guitarist named Jim Raleigh). The tune had some currency among white musicians, especially guitarists, in the Galax (Va.)/Mt. Airy (N.C.) region. The melody is named for two towns in West Virginia.
The "Raleigh and Spencer" was long a pretty famous rail line in central NC. Spencer had huge railyards and a big roundhouse. I suspect the original "Raleigh and Spencer" that's done gone dry was a barrel house or some such establishment along that line, most likely in Spencer, NC.
The song first came to us via Tommy Jarrell of Toast, North Carolina just outside of Mount Airy. There were several black families in Mount Airy one of which was named Rawley and another named Spencer. There were three musicians by the name of Rawley, two of whom are buried in the graveyard close to Tommy Jarrell's old home place in Toast. Info from "Strings of Life" by Kevin Donleavy. There is even a photograph of Jim Rawley and in the book the song is referred to as "Rawley and Spencer."
Ryland Spencer is found in on a cut on "Jake Krack - One More Time" Wisekrack Records 1221 Jake Krack-fiddle; Dwight Diller-banjo; Danny Arthur-guitar; Dara Krack-guitar on "Stack 'Em Up in Piles."
"Raleigh And Spencer" from Kuntz/Jarrell:
So old Raleigh and Spencer's done and gone dry
Cause there ain't no more whiskey in this town
No, there ain't no whiskey in this town.
***
I can eat more chicken than a pretty girl can fry
And I'll tell her all them doggone lies
Yes, I'll tell her all them doggone lies.
***
You can tromp down them flowers all round my grave
But they'll rise and bloom again
Yes, they'll rise and bloom again. (Tommy Jarrell)
Raleigh and Spencer (Euphoria Stringband: Way Out West in Kansas) This version is a combination of versions recorded by Tommy Jarrell, Brad Leftwich, and a version I heard live at the Augusta Heritage Foundation, Davis & Elkins College, Elkins WV. performed by Steffen Senders, Carol Elizabeth Jones, Raef Steffeninni, and a bass player.
CHORUS: Oh Raleigh and Spencer done gone dry
There ain't no more whiskey in town
There ain't no more whiskey in town
1. I can eat more fat meat
Than you can cook in a week
And I'll tell more doggone lies
Yes, I'll tell them doggone lies
CHO.
2. I can eat more chicken than a pretty girl can fry
And I'll tell them doggone lies
I'll tell them doggone lies
CHO.
3. Well what you gonna do when your money is all gone
I'll hang my head down and cry
Yes, I'll hang my head down and cry
4. I'll pawn my shoes for a bottle of booze
I'll drink it, I'll lay down and die
I'll drink it, I'll lay down and die.
CHO.
5. You can stomp down the flowers that bloom on my grave
They'll rise and bloom once again
They'll rise and bloom once again
CHO.
Raleigh and Spencer: Tim O' Brein
From Songs From the Mountain
(Traditional)
CHORUS:
Raleigh and Spencer was burning down
There ain't no liquor in this town
There ain't no liquor in this town
I'll pawn you my shoes for a little bottle of booze
I'll drink it down and lay right down and die
I'm gonna drink it and I'll lay right down and die
I'll eat more chicken that a pretty gal can fry
I'll tell you more doggone lies
I'll tell you more doggone lies
CHORUS
I'll eat more fat meat that you can cook in a week
I'll never get to heaven when I die
Ain't never gonna get to heaven when I die
I'll pawn you my watch, I'll pawn you my chain
I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring
I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring
You can tramp down the flowers all around my grave side
They'll rise and bloom again
They're gonna rise and bloom again
CHORUS
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