American Songs for American Children
B. A. Botkin
Music Educators Journal, Vol. 30, No. 5 (Apr., 1944), p. 27
American Songs for American Children
UNITED STATES FOLK-SONG SERIES-NO. 5
THE first two songs are especially suitable for younger children. The lilting nonsense of Risselty, Rosselty makes light of a serious subject-the slatternly wife. If you want to give it the full dignity of a long, high-sounding title, you nmay announce, with R. R. Denoon, of Springfield, Missouri, "This song is entitled 'Te risselty, rosselty, hey don dossity, nickelty, nackelty, rustical quality, willady, wallady, now, now, now.'" The refrain, of course, shows many variations-in a Texas version: "Hey, gee-wallity, nickety-nollity, rest of your quality," and, in a singing-school version reported from Oklahoma:
With a wree wrah wraddle
And a Jack straw straddle
And a little brown bridle come under thle broom.
The present version-Mr. Denoon's-was transcribed from a record in the Archive of American Folk Song by Charles Seeger.
All Around the Maypole, sung by a group of Negro school children in Brandon, Mississippi, and transcribed from an Archive record by Charles Seeger, may be played as follows:
The players join hands in a ring and walk around, stopping and clapping hands while the player skipping in the center bows and chooses a partner to "jump" or dance with.
Old Blue, sung by Carl Roberts, Fort Spunky, Texas, and transcribed from an Archive record by Charles Seeger, tells the old story of devotion between a man and his dog with peculiarly American pathos and humor. To give it the right effect, you should vary the chorus as follows: after Stanza 6, "Saying, 'Come on, Blue, you kin have semne too,' " and after each of the remaining stanzas: "Saying, 'Go on, Blue, I'm comin', too.' " And you may build up the. story with the following stanzas, before
and after Blue's death:
"Blue, what makes your eyes so red?"
"I've run them possums till I'm almost dead ...."
There is only one thing that bothers my mind;
Blue went to heaven and left me behind.
When I get there, the first thing I'll do,
Grab me a horn and blow for Old Blue.
Metronome indications for the tunes are only approximate.
-B. A. BOTKIN
Risselty, Rosselty Oh, II mmaarr--rriieeddmmee aa wwiiffee iinn tthhee mmoonntthh ooff Junnee,, RKiiss--sseell ttyy,, rrooss--sseell- ty-t, y,
now, now, now. And I tk her hme by the light of the moon,
now, now, now. And I took her home by the light of the moon,
His -sel - ty, ros- sel - ty, hey don dos- si - ty, nick - l -ty, nack- l - ty,
rus - ti - cal qua - li - ty, wil la - dy, wal- la - dy, now, now, now
All Around the Maypole
Moderato (- 72)
ArAlllal -aro-ruonudn d tthh e mmaayy--ppooll,e , maayy--ppoolle , aayy- pollee, , A ll a-round the may- pol, And
how,Nliss Sal- ly,won't you shout for joy ? Shout for joy, shout tor joy, shout for joy? And
now, Miss Sal - ly,won't you shout for joy? And now,Miss Sal- ly, won't you bow?s
Old Blue
Moderato (J:96)
I raised a dog and his name was Blue, And I bet you five
CHORUS
do-t a rsh e'sa god too Sai e o, B .
EXTRA STANZAS
Risselty, Rosselty
(2) Oh, she swept the floor but once a year,
She swore her brooms were all too dear.
(3) Oh, she combed her hair but once a year,
And every rake she gave a tear.
(4) Oh, she churned the butter in dads old boot,
And for a dash sle used her foot.
(5) Oh, the butter came through a grisly gray,
The cheese took legs and run away.
(6) Oh, the saddle and bridle is all you'll get,
If you want any more you may sing it yourself.
Old Blue
(2) Shouldered my ax and I tooted my horn,
Gonna get a possum in the new ground corn.
(3) Got that possum up a 'simmon tree,
Looked at the possum, possum growled at me.
(4) Possum come down on a swingin' limb,
Blue barked at the possum, possum growled at him.
(5) Got that possum and I put him in a sack,
Next thing I knew I had him on my back.
(6) Baked that possum good and brown,
And I laid them sweet potatoes round and round.
(7) When Old Blue died he died so hard
That he shook the ground in my back yard.
(8) I dug his grave with a silver spade,
I let him down with a golden chain.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The United States Folk-Song series is presented by the MENC Committee on Folk Music as a continuation
of the program initiated by the 1940-42 Committee, to acquaint music educators and their pupils with authentic examples of the
great wealth of our country's folk songs. The first four installments
of the series were published in the JOURNAL issues of January,
February-March, April, and September-October, 1944. The
Committee and the Editorial Board are grateful to B. A. Botlin.
Assistant in Charge of the Archive of American Folk Song of the
Library of Congress, and Charles Seeger, Chief of the Music Division
of the Pan American Union, who serve the Committee as
teclnical experts in the selection and editing of the songs and in
the preparation of the comments which are so important as "background"
information for teachers and students.]