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Wabash Blues
Old-Time and Jazz song; Words by Dave Ringle and music by Fred Meinken
ARTIST: Two Versions from Frank C. Brown Collection
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).
The Brown Collection has two separate listings "Oh, Dat Watermilyon" and "Watermellon Hanging on the Vine."
Watermellon Hangiong on the Vine- Frank C. Brown Collection of NC Folklore
454 Oh, Dat Watermilion
On a copy of 'Here Lies de Body uv Po' Little Ben.' Dr. White notes: "Has the refrain of 'Watermilion Song.' I can sing this refrain from memory." The song is evidently of minstrel origin. Cf. Steely 260 (1933).
A. From S. M. Davis, White Hall (on Neuse River) ; undated.
1 You can talk about your apples, your peaches and your pears,
And your 'simmons hanging on your 'simmon tree;
But bless your heart, my honey, your truck ain't nowhar;
The watermilion am de fruit for me.
2 Ham bone am sweet, bacon am good,
'Possum fat am very, very fine.
But gimme me, oh gimme me,
I shorely wish you would,
That watermilion hanging on the vine.
'Oh, Dat Watermilyon,' with music, from an informant identified only as Miss Foy (without address). Other information indicates that the song was contributed in 1920. Dr. White notes: "A fairly familiar coon song of the early 1900's."
Oh, dat watennilyon, spilin' on de vine.
Oh, how I wisht it wuz mine.
White folks am so foolish
Dey ain't got a bit o' sense
To leab dat milyon spilin' on de vine.
Hambone am good, sweet co'n am sweet.
Possum's fat an' bery, bery fine.
Cos'n I'se gwinter hab it, cep'n I be a dunce
To leab dat milyon spil' on de vine.
468 Watermelon Hanging on the Vine
Dr. Brown described this song as "a composite of many snatches by a white man who projects the Negro into the situations." Dr. White added: "I knew this in my boyhood. It is a modern minstrel song, not originally Negro, but not a composite except possibly 1st stanza." The chorus corresponds to 'Hambone Am Sweet,' in Southern Songs and Spirituals by Marjorie Lamkin and Wendell Hall (Chicago, 1926), p. 12. It is related to 'Here Lies de Body uv Po' Little Ben,' No. 440. and 'Oh, Dat Watermilion.' No. 454.
A. 'Happy Little Negro.' From Miss Lura Wagoner, Vox, Alleghany county, who in August 1936 lent Dr. Brown a MS book of songs, some dated 191 1, some 1913, from which this was copied.
1. I'se a happy little negro; all the way from Alabam',
Where they use to hoe the cotton and the cane.
The whites they will miss me when they look for little Sam,
For I never expect to go back there again.
Chorus: Ham bone is good, bacon am sweet,
Possum meat so very very fine.
But give me, oh ! give me, I really wish you would,
That watermelon hanging on the vine.
2. You may talk about your peaches, your bananas and your pears.
Your persimmons hanging high upon the tree, but bless your soul,
My honey I know, your fruits are good.
But the watermelon is good enough for me.
3 I left my older brother for to take care of my mother.
For to view that bright and happy clime.
I went to get that melon on a dark and rainy night.
When the moon had just begun to shine.
The white folks they did see me and they shot me through the fence.
But didn't leave the melon on the vine.
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