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Wabash Blues
Old-Time and Jazz song; Words by Dave Ringle and music by Fred Meinken
ARTIST: Monroe Brothers
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
EARLIEST DATE: 1882 Thomas P. Westendorf's song "Dat Water-Million."
RECORDING INFO: Watermelon Hanging on the/a Vine [Me II-Y 34] - Westendorf, Thomas P.
Best, Dick & Beth (eds.) / New Song Fest Deluxe, Hansen, Sof (1971/1948), p 36 (Hambone Am Good)
Parsons, Getrude B.(ed.) / High School Song Book, Silver Burdette, BK (1919), p121 (Dat Water-Million)
Herbert, Morris. Old Time Fiddling at Union Grove. The 38th Annual Old-Time Fi..., Prestige 14039, LP (1964), trk# A.04 (Watermellon on the Vine)
Hodges Brothers. Watermellon Hangin' on the Vine, Arhoolie 5001, LP (1971), trk# 8 [1960-61]
Jenkins, Snuffy; and Pappy Sherrill. Snuffy Jenkins. Pioneer of the Bluegrass Banjo, Arhoolie 9027, CD (1998/1962), trk# 1
Jones, Clark. Early American Folk Music & Songs, Folkways FTS 31091, LP (1982), trk# 9a
Macon, Uncle Dave. Classic Sides 1924-1938, JSP 7729A-D, CD( (2004), trk# A.07b [1925/04/14] (Watermelon Smiling on the Vine)
Mainer, Wade. From the Maple on the Hill, Old Homestead OHTRS 4000, LP (1976), trk# D.03 (Watermellon on the Vine)
Mainer, Wade & Julia. Brandywine '83. The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Brand..., Heritage (Galax) 054, LP (1984), trk# 3 (Watermellon on the Vine)
Monroe Brothers. Feast Here Tonight, Bluebird AXM2-5510, LP (1975), trk# 10 [1936/06/21]
Monroe, Charlie; & the Kentucky Pardners. Charlie Monroe on the Noonday Jamboree - 1944, County 538, LP (1974), trk# 12 [1944] (Watermellon on the Vine)
Poston, Mutt; and the Farm Hands. Hoe Down! Vol. 7. Fiddlin' Mutt Poston and the Farm Hands, Rural Rhythm RRFT 157, LP (197?), trk# B.06 (Watermellon on the Vine)
Sizemore, Charlie. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1984/05,p15
Skillet Lickers. Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Rounder 1005, LP (1973), trk# 12 [1925/04/17]
Skillet Lickers. Skillet Lickers, Vol. 2, County 526, LP (1973), trk# 5 [1926/04/17] (Watermellon on the Vine)
Tanner, Gordon; and Joe Miller. Skillet Licker Music, 1955-1991. The Tanner Legacy, Global Village C 310, Cas (1992), trk# B.03 [1980s] (Watermellon on the Vine)
West, Harry and Jeanie. Smokey Mountain Ballads, Counterpoint/Esoteric CPT-545, LP (197?), trk# 3 (Watermellon on the Vine)
West, Harry and Jeanie. Harry and Jeanie West, Archive of Folk Music FS-208, LP (196?), trk# 3
Watermelon Smiling on the Vine [Me II-Y 34] - Westendorf, Thomas P.
Us - Watermelon Hanging on the/a Vine
EARLY RECORDINGS; WATERMELON ON THE VINE
[Thomas P. Westendorf, w&m, 1882; Ref: (1) SFCF, p. ?; SOAC, pp. 22-3; (2) NCF, III, #468, 540-1; AT1004FS, p. 419; Harbison, p. 157; (5) Cantrell & Williams, ca. 1904, Edison Bell 5938; 'Laughing Song,' Seven Musical Magpies, 12/01/1924, Vi 19544.]
Watermelon Hanging On The Vine (S 72-982- ) - Henry Whitter (vcl w/gtr & hca) - 11/14/1924. NYC.
OK 40296 - 03/1925
Watermelon Smilin' On The Vine (683/84) - Uncle Dave Maoon (vcl w/bjo) - 04/14/1925. NYC.
Vo 15063 - 09/1925 Vo 5065 - 02/1927
Watermelon On The Vine (W 142038-1) - Gid & His Skillet Lickers (vcl w/2 vlns, gtr & bjo) - 04/17/1926. Atlanta, Ga.
Co 15091-D - 11/1926 Co 19004
Watermelon Hanging On The Vine (11059- ) - Emest V. Stoneman & The Blue Ridge Mountaineers (vcl w/gtr & hca) - 06/22/1926. NYC.
Ed 51864 - Ol/1927 Ed 5191 [16183] - 12/1926 (cyl)
Smiling Watermelon (W 80620-A) - Bill Chitwood & His Georgia Mountaineers (vcl w/vln, 2gtrs & bjo) - 03/23/1927. Atlanta, Ga
OK 4511O - 07/1927
Watermelon Hanging On De Vine (BVE 47098-2) - Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers (vcl w/vln, 2 gtrs & bjo) - 09/28/1928. Nashville, Tenn.
Vi uniss
Watermelon Hanging On De Vine (BVE 47098-3) - Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers (vcl w/vln, 2 gtrs & bjo) - 10/02/1928. Nashville, Tenn.
Vi uniss
Watermelon Smiling On The Vine (W 403129-B) - Bela Lam & His Green County Singers (vcl w/gtr & bjo) - 10/15/1929. Richmond, Ind.
OK uniss
Watermelon On The Vine (BS 102611-1) - J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers (vcl w/vln, bjo & gtr) - 06/15/1936. Charlotte. N.C.
Bb B6584 - 12/1936
Watermelon Hangin' On That Vine (BS 102739- ) - Monroe Brothers (vcl duet w/gtr & mdln) - 06/21/1936. Charlotte, N.C.
Bb B6829 - 05/1937 MW M7010
From Blues and Gospel Records 1890-1943, 4th ed. (Oxford UP, index):
Watermelon On The Vine Birmingham Jubilee Singers (1927)
Watermelon Smiling On The Vine Arthur Anderson (1937); Hall Negro Quartette (1936)
OTHER NAMES: Watermelon Smiling On The Vine
SOURCES: Folk Index; Kuntz
NOTES: The song ihas been adapted from Thomas P. Westendorf's 1882 song "Dat Water-Million." The Skillet Lickers had a big hit with the song in 1926. "Watermelon on the Vine" was Bill Monroe's theme song in the 1940s and 50s and he usually opened his shows with a blazing rendition. The Monroe Brothers first recorded the song for Bluebird in 1936 and Eli Oberstein, the producer for Victor's Bluebird series, credited it to W.E. Mainer (Mainer recorded the song for Oberstein a week earlier). On the 1936 recording Bill Monroe plays some great mandolin solos which became his trademark style.
Here are the original 1882 lyrics:
DAT WATER-MILLION (Thos. P. Westendorf) With music, from Carmina Princetonia, 1894, Eighth Edition, p. 104.
Oh, see dat water-million a smilin' fro' de fence,
How I wish dat water-million it was mine!
Oh, de white folks mus' be foolish-
Dey need a heap of sense,
Or dey'd nebber leave it dar upon de vine.
Chorus: Oh, de hambone am sweet,
An' de bacon am good,
An' de 'possum fat am berry, berry fine;
But gib me, yes, gib me,
Oh, how I wish you would!
Dat water-million growin' on de vine.
You may talk about de peaches, de apples and de pears,
An' de 'simmons hanging on de 'simmon tree;
But, bless my heart, my honey!
Dat truck it ain't nowheres,
Oh! de water-million am de fruit for me!
Chorus
When de dew-drops dey is fallin', dat million's gwine to cool,
An' I know den it will eat most awfull fine!
So I'm gwine to come and fetch it,
Or else I is a fool!
If I leaves it dar a smilin' on de vine.
Here are the notes from Andrew Kuntz: WATERMELON ON THE VINE. Old-Time. USA, Georgia. "Watermelon on the Vine" is a well-known minstrel song, popular with early country music performers. Georgia's Skillet Lickers group and Tennessee entertainer Uncle Dave Macon both recorded the song in the mid-1920's; the former's became a best-seller. African-American collector Thomas Talley, in his book Negro Folk Rhymes (1922), prints a stanza under the title "Watermelon Preferred":
***
Dat hambone an' chicken are sweet.
Dat 'possum meat are sholy fine.
But give me,--now don't you cheat!-
(Oh, I jes wish you would give me!)
Dat watermillon, smilin' on de vine.
***
Columbia 15091 (78 RPM), The Skillet Lickers (1926). County 526, "The Skillet Lickers, Vol. 2" (1973). Heritage 054, Wade Mainer - "Brandywine '83: Music of French America" (1984). Vocalation 5063 (78 RPM), Uncle Dave Macon (1925).
Watermelon on the Vine; Monroe Brothers. Bluebird 1936; Bill Monroe also played this as a mandolin solo.
Mandolin solo
1. See that watermelon, smiling through the fence
I really wish that watermelon's mine
But white folks are foolish and they don't have a lot of sense
Or they wouldn’t leave it hanging on the vine
Chorus: Apples am sweet, peaches am good
Rabbit is so very, very fine (good to me)
But give me, oh give me, oh how I wish you would
That watermelon hanging on that vine
Mandolin solo
2. You can talk about your apples, your peaches and your pears
‘Simmons a-growing on the tree
But bless your heart my honey for you’re the gal for me
Or they wouldn’t leave it hanging on the vine CHORUS
Mandolin solo
3. I went to get that melon, it was on one Sunday night
Stars they had just begun to shine
But when I left that old man’s field I left there on a run
But I never left it hanging on that vine CHORUS
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