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Banks of Ohio/The Buffalo/Shoot The Buffalo/Hunt the Buffalo
Old-Time, Breakdown and Song. USA; Mississippi; Kansas; Arkansas, Missouri.
ARTIST: Lyrics from two broadsides in the Bodelian Library
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1800s; In R. E. Banta book, The Ohio, the song is dated 1812-1818; "The Banks of Ohio" appeared in print in The Forget-me-not Songster, ca. 1840; a complete version appears in George Stuyvesant Jackson's Early Songs.
Collected in 1909 by Perrow; First recorded by The Swamp Roosters in 1930 but was never released.
RECORDING INFO: Shoot the/that Buffalo [Me II-A28]
Lomax, J. A. & A. Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p296
Ford, Ira W. / Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1965/1940), p244
Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Folk Song USA, Signet, Sof (1966/1947), # 32
Fife, Austin E. & Alta S. / Cowboy and Western Songs, Bramhall House, Bk (1982/1969), p272/# 98A
Fife, Austin E. & Alta S. / Cowboy and Western Songs, Bramhall House, Bk (1982/1969), p274/# 98B-C
Brand, Oscar. Absolute Nonsense, Riverside RLP 12-825, LP (195?), trk# A.09
Breeden, A. W. (Professor). Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p308/#523C [1935/04/12]
Cotten, Elizabeth. Shake Sugaree, Volume 2, Folkways FTS 31001, LP (196?), trk# 14
Drake, Rod. Owens, William A. (ed.) / Texas Folk Songs. 2nd edition, SMU Press, Bk (1976/1950), p150 [1952]
Fox, Martin. New River Jam: One, Mountain 308, LP (1976), trk# 14
Hartley, Savannah. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p309/#523F [1941/10/22]
Hughes, Ella. Skip to My Lou, Pine Breeze 004, LP (1977), trk# B.03 [1975]
Jones, Mrs. W. E.. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p307/#523A [1928/11/05]
Smithers, Rena. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p308/#523D [1934/04/17]
Song Spinners. Johnson, Margaret & Travis (eds) / Early American Songs from ... the Spi, AMP, Fol (1943), # 4
Spradley, Isabel. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p308/#523E [1929/12/14]
Unidentified Singer. Owens, William A. (ed.) / Texas Folk Songs. 2nd edition, SMU Press, Bk (1976/1950), p149 [1930s]
Waddell, Elizabeth. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p308/#523B [1930/06/12]
PRINT REFERENCES (9 citations):
Randolph 523, "Shoot the Buffalo" (2 texts plus 4 excerpts, 1 tune)
Hudson 149, pp. 297-298, "Shoot the Buffalo" (1 text)
Fuson, p. 165, "Chase the Buffalo" (1 text)
SharpAp 262, "Chase the Buffalo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 32, "Shoot the Buffalo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 296-297, "Shoot the Buffalo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 98, "Shoot the Buffalo" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Arnett, p. 96, "Shoot the Buffalo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 563, "We'll Hunt the Buffalo!" (1 text, 1 tune, with the chorus of "Shoot the Buffalo" and lyrics from "The Lovely Ohio")
RELATED TO: "Banks of the Pleasant Ohio"
OTHER NAMES: “Hunting the Buffalo;” “Gonna Go Huntin’ for the Buffalo”
SOURCES: Ceolas; Mudcat Café; Mike Seegar plays a version learned from Jimmy Driftwood (John Morris of Timbo, Arkansas), who had the tune from his uncle. They played it in B,EGB tuning. Source for notated version: Barb Zavon (Cincinnati, Ohio) via Helga Sermat (Vancouver, B.C.) [Songer]. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 105. Dorian Discovery DIS-80103, Helicon - "Horizons" (1992. Learned from fiddler Freyda Epstein, Charlottesville, Va.). HPV1, Ramona Jones – “Back Porch Fiddling.” Shanachie 6001, Norman Blake - “Just Gimme Somethin’ I’m Used To” (1991). Time and Strike #7785, Clyde Curley and Oxymorons – “Old Time Mandolin Music.”
NOTES- SHOOT THE BUFFALO: "Shoot the Buffalo" evolved from "The Banks of Ohio" which appeared in print in The Forget-me-not Songster, ca. 1840; a complete version appears in George Stuyvesant Jackson's Early Songs. This is not the murder ballad, "On the Banks of the Ohio" which begins, "I asked my love to take a walk,' or the Nightingale Serenaders, "De Banks ob de Ohio"
which begins, "We lib on de banks ob de Ohio Tral lal lal la." This song was titled, HUNT THE BUFFALO, OR THE BANKS OF THE PLEASANT OHIO in a broadside from the Civil War period.
Buffalo trails around the Ohio River were responsible for many settlements in Kentucky (Owensboro, Lexington, Louisville and Frankfurt) and Ohio (Cincinnati). According to R. E. Banta in the book, The Ohio, the song is dated back to the 1812-1818 period.
Notes from Kuntz: A Major. Standard tuning. AABB. The melody is apparently based on an old play-party song from the Ozarks, with various titles such as “Shoot the Buffalo” and “Gonna Go Huntin’ for the Buffalo.” Mike Seegar plays a version learned from Jimmy Driftwood (John Morris of Timbo, Arkansas), who had the tune from his uncle. They played it in B,EGB tuning. Source for notated version: Barb Zavon (Cincinnati, Ohio) via Helga Sermat (Vancouver, B.C.) [Songer]. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 105. Dorian Discovery DIS-80103, Helicon - "Horizons" (1992. Learned from fiddler Freyda Epstein, Charlottesville, Va.). HPV1, Ramona Jones – “Back Porch Fiddling.” Shanachie 6001, Norman Blake - “Just Gimme Somethin’ I’m Used To” (1991). Time and Strike #7785, Clyde Curley and Oxymorons – “Old Time Mandolin Music.”
Banks of Ohio/SHOOT THE BUFFALO
THE BANKS OF OHIO- from Bodelian Library 1800s
Come all you young fellows that have a mind to range
Into some foreign country your stations to change
Into some foreign country we'll altogether go
And we'll settle on the banks of the pleasant Ohio
This land it is good which no one can deny
Besides it is well guarded by the North of America
So come all you young lads that has a mind to go
We will guard you from all dangers on the banks of Ohio
Those wild savage Indians we need not to fear
For we are all united boys our hearts are free from care
We'll advance into their farms and we'll give the fatal blow
We will drive them far away from this pleasant Ohio
This river that murmurs and runs to the main
It carries glad tidings down to Old Spain
Where all sorts of grain there's in great plenty of tea do grow
We'll gain the Spanish gold from the south of Mexico
There's all sorts of fishes in the river for your use
Besides the lofty sugar cane which yields us sweet juice
There's all sorts of game, my boys, besides the buck and doe
Through the wild woods wander and hunt the Buffalo
If our girls they need clothing to keep themselves warm
We'll put them to the spinning wheel it will do them no harm
And if they'll card and spin for us for them we'll reap and mow
And we'll fold them in our arms on the pleasant Ohio
Here's adieu to Old England where I have always been
Now I am forced to part in anger but in love I do maintain
Come all you brisk and lively lads that have a mind to go
To enjoy your wives and sweethearts on the pleasant Ohio
You brave English [mechanics] that labour here in vain
That keeps your wives and children lingering here in pain
For if you will be advised by me along with me to go
We will settle on the banks of the pleasant Ohio
THE BUFFALO
Come all you young fellows that have a mind to range
Into some foreign country your station for to change
Into some foreign country away from her to go
We lay down on the banks of the pleasant Ohio
We wander thro' the wild woods and chase the Buffalo
There is fishes in the river that's fitting for our use
And fine lofty sugar canes that yield us fine juice
And all sorts of game my boys besides the buck and doe
We lay down on the banks of the pleasant Ohio
We wander thro' the wild woods and chase the Buffalo
Come all you young maidens spin us some yarn
To make us some clothing to keep ourselves warm
For you can card and spin my girls and we can reap and mow
We lay down on the banks of the pleasant Ohio
We wander thro' the wild woods and chase the Buffalo
Supposing these wild Indians should chance to come near
We will unite together our hearts free from care
We will march down into the town my boys and give the fatal blow
We will lay down on the banks of the pleasant Ohio
We wander thro' the wild woods and chase the Buffalo
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