Thanks, Stewie. So now we have SIX quite different versions, counting the Pratcher version. It appears that none of the five recordings transcribed stay all that close to the original lyrics, nor to each other for that matter.

As to the 1928 date that I assigned to the Charlie Poole version ~~ chalk that up to carelessness and reliance on Charles Wolfe's comments. In the notes to the Yellow Hammer version, he says This version preceded Charlie Poole's more famous one by a year . . . and I simply tacked on a year when I was doing the transcription. I noticed the reference to 1927 in the Poole notes, but never thought to go back and change the date. Actually, it would seem to me that the Yellow Hammer version would be the last of the three, coming in August of 1927. Maybe it was a typo and should have been 1926??? That would make the chronology fit his statement.

As far as the Poole lyrics are concerned ~~ the reason I skipped line 6 was because he condensed the lyrics, and I was trying to make them fit Mark's original numbering system. I "sorta" hear the s on he that you refer to in the transcription by Kinney Rorrer, but I don't think it makes much sense that way. As to the other variations, I think you could put 100 people down to transcribe CP and get 100 different versions! For example, I saw the gonna in the notes to County 540, but somehow it seems to me that Charlie does not quite say it ~~ he probably MEANT to, though.

Well, Yo, there you have it, six versions to choose from for Coot From Tennessee/I'm Going To Live Anyhow Till I Die ~~ the original sheet music, three recordings from 1927 and two later ones. Which one is right? I guess I'd have to say all of them.