I should have found this first, but, here it is now: a site with info about all these songs: http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/braying-mule--uncle-dave-macon.aspx Dave Macon's "Go Along Mule" is an adaptation of Henry Creamer & Turner Layton's song "Whao Mule," but that song was actually taken from black traditional singing (source: http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/LoF231.html) That site gives Braying Mule as an adaptation of Thomas Westendorf's "Johnson's/Thompson's Old Grey Mule," and his version of Greenback or Whoa Mule as an adaptation of W.S. Hays' version Macon's "Braying Mule" is more like most other people's version of "Johnson's Mule." Hopefully now that all the confusing names are sorted out, I can get into the last one. BRAYING MULE (Thomas Westendorf) Johnson had an old gray mule, he drove him to his car He loved that mule and the mule loved him with all his mule-ish heart Johnson knowed when the rooster crowed, day was gonna break He rubbed him down with a big corn cob and curred him with his rake CHORUS That ole mule went [*insert mule noises*] While Johnson curred him with his rake His skin was good as purchase, hooves were hard as lead He'll raise you like a feather, too, and raise you on your head He would kick as quick as lightning, he had an iron jaw He's just the thing to have around to tame your mother-in-law CHORUS He backed himself into a mule pond and kicked the ears from a frog Killed seventeen Chiner-men and swallered a yeller dog He kicked the feathers from a goose and broke an elephant's back He stopped a Texas railroad train and kicked it off the track CHORUS They hitched him to a cart, all limp and lame was he We hitched him up to that cart to see how he would be He kicked three days and couldn't faze, he got so short of breath He swallered one'a his left-hind legs and choked himself to death CHORUS Transcribed by ear. Occasional reference to here: http://www.topix.com/forum/who/pete-seeger/TAIDM7129QRQO2AGC
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