Strawberry Lane- (WA/Canada) 1932 Vincent
[From Elmore Vincent, Lumberjack Songs p. 19, 1932 also Bronson No. 35. This is the only known extant version with a yodel. The source of Vincent's informant is not given but surely Vincent, nicknamed the Northwest Shanty Boy, added the yodel. There are two other versions titled Strawberry Lane. No location is given in Canada (ref. Edmunds 1985) and it's clear he was from Tacoma, Washington and worked in a sawmill there, before becoming a radio singer and entertainer. He also worked in San Francisco and Portland.
Elmore Vincent's book is listed as "lumber jack songs with yodel arrangements! Chicago: M. M. Cole Publishing, 1932. 64 p. 35 songs. No cowboy content but same treatment of themes."
The following article was published in The Jot 'Em Down Journal Volume 5, Number 1, October 1988:
Phinus Peabody: He's a good boy!
Because for a long time the emphasis was on the fact that Chet Lauck and Tuffy Goff provided the voices for most of the regular characters on the L&A radio programs, many people never realized that there were a number of talented radio performers who appeared on the show in supporting roles over the years.
One of these actors was Elmore Vincent, who played the part of “Phinus Stonewall Peabody,” Abner’s papa, veteran of the Confederate army. Elmore came from an authentic rural background, born on a cotton farm in Texas on June 10, 1908. His family soon migrated to Tacoma, Washington, where our hero eventually began working in a sawmill. He recalls that his aspiration was to be a radio singer, so nine times he took off from his job to journey to Seattle and audition at the two radio stations that used live talent. On the ninth try, he was accepted by station KJR; the year was 1929, and his salary was the whopping sum of $32.50 per week. Around this time, the Great Depression hit hard, and Mr. Vincent Sr. lost his job in the sawmill, so Elmore found himself in the odd position of having to support his own parents with the proceeds from his budding radio career.KJR’s big production was a daily, 90-minute variety show called Mardi Gras, and just to give himself something to do besides singing popular songs on the program (in a light, Irish-tenor-like singing voice), Elmore dragged out some crazy speeches he had developed while in school, and program director Ivan Ditmars christened the new character “Senator Fishface.” In 1934, when NBC bought the Seattle station, they made Elmore an offer to move to San Francisco, where the Blue Network was starting a variety program of its own, Carefree Carnival, and they invited Elmore to continue his routines as Fishface on the network – for $40 a week.
On October 22, 1941 Elmore Vincent was named KXL Program Director (Portland).
R. Matteson 2014]
Strawberry Lane- Elmore Vincent, Lumberjack Songs p.19.
One day I was walking in Strawberry Lane,
Ev'ry rose grows merry and fine
And there quite by chance a fair maiden I met,
Who said she would be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee de O leeoo layee de
Ay leeoo layee de layee de layee.
You'll have for to make me a spiderweb shirt,
Ev'ry rose grows, merry and fine
And every stitch must be finicle work,
Before you can be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee de O leeoo layee de
Ay lecoo layee de layeede layee.
You'll have for to wash it down deep in a well,
Every rose grows merry and fine
Where never was water and rain never fell,
Before you can be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee etc.
Then up spoke the maid, "Since you're so hard with me,
Every rose grows merry and fine
Perhaps I can be even harder with thee,
Before you can be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee etc.
You'll have for to buy me ten acres of ground,
Every rose grows merry and fine
W:With never a bush nor a rock to be found,
Before you can be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee etc.
You'll have for to plow it all with a deer's horn,
Every rose grows merry and fine
And plant it all over with one grain of corn,
Before you can be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee etc.
You'll have for to thrash it all in an egg shell,
Every rose grows merry and fine
And bring it to market where man never dwell,
Before you can be a true love of mine.
De yodel layee etc.
--------------------
X:35
T:Strawberry Lane
T:The Elfin Knight
B:Bronson
C:Trad
O:Vincent, [1932] p. 19.
N:The yodelling "burden" attached to the tune has been omitted
N:as irrelevant to our concern with tradition.
N:Child 2
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:C
B | BBB GGG | AGE D3 |
w:One day I was walk-ing in Straw-ber-ry Lane,
B2 B d2 d | BAG A2 A | BBB GGG |
w:Ev'-ry rose grows mer-ry and fine And there quite by chance a fair
AGE D2 D | EGc BAG | A2 G G2 |]
w:maid-en I met, Who said she would be a true love of mine.
W:
W:One day I was walking in Strawberry Lane, Ev'ry rose grows merry and fine
W:And there quite by chance a fair maiden I met, Who said she would be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee de O leeoo layee de Ay leeoo layee de layee de layee.
W:
W:You'll have for to make me a spiderweb shirt, Ev'ry rose grows, merry and fine
W:And every stitch must be finicle work, Before you can be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee de O leeoo layee de Ay lecoo layee de layeede layee.
W:
W:You'll have for to wash it down deep in a well, Every rose grows merry and fine
W:Where never was water and rain never fell, Before you can be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee etc.
W:
W:Then up spoke the maid, "Since you're so hard with me, Every rose grows merry and fine
W:Perhaps I can be even harder with thee, Before you can be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee etc.
W:
W:You'll have for to buy me ten acres of ground, Every rose grows merry and fine
W:With never a bush nor a rock to be found, Before you can be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee etc.
W:
W:You'll have for to plow it all with a deer's horn, Every rose grows merry and fine
W:And plant it all over with one grain of corn, Before you can be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee etc.
W:
W:You'll have for to thrash it all in an egg shell, Every rose grows merry and fine
W:And bring it to market where man never dwell. Before you can be a true love of mine.
W:De yodel layee etc.