The Traditional Ballad Index has a few songbook and recording citations in its entry:Sail Away Ladies
DESCRIPTION: Dance tune with floating verses: "Ever I get my new house done/Sail away, ladies, sail away/Give the old one to my son/Sail away...." "Don't you worry, don't you cry... You'll be angels by and by" Etc. "Chorus: "Don't'ye rock 'em, di-de-o (x3 or x4)".
AUTHOR: Words assembled by Uncle Dave Macon
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (recording, Uncle Bunt Stephens)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Dance tune with floating verses, and some that should be: "Ever I get my new house done/Sail away, ladies, sail away/Give the old one to my son/Sail away, ladies, sail away"; "Children, Don't You Grieve and Cry/You're gonna be angels by and by"; "Come along, girls and go with me/We'll go back to Tennessee". Chorus: "Don't'ye rock 'em, di-de-o (3-4x)". "Sail away, ladies, sail away" is the verse refrain.
KEYWORDS: dancing drink humorous nonballad floatingverses
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 203, "Sail Away Ladies" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 250-251, "Old Doc Jones"; "Sail Away Ladies" (2 text, the former a two-verse fragment which is closer to this than anything else)
MWheeler, p. 15-16, "Oh, When I Git My New House Done" (1 text, 1 tune -- a fragment with no chorus but verses similar to this)
Silber-FSWB, p. 42, "Sail Away Ladies" (1 text)
DT, SAILLADI*
RECORDINGS:
Henry L. Bandy, "Sail Away Ladies" (Gennett test pressing GEx14361, 1928; unissued)
Logan English, "Old Doc Jones" (on LEnglish01)
Uncle Dave Macon & his Fruit Jar Drinkers, "Sail Away Ladies" (Vocalion 5155, 1927; on TimesAint02)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Sail Away, Ladies" (on NLCR05)
Parker & Dodd "Sail Away Lady" (Romeo 5250, 1933)
Uncle Bunt Stephens, "Sail Away Ladies" [instrumental version] (Columbia 15071-D, 1926; on AAFM2)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Down the River I Go" (words)
Notes: This started out as a fiddle tune, to which Uncle Dave [Macon] added his own unique brand of nonsense--some original, some floating verses. -PJS
Not to be confused with the song sung by W.C. Handy: "Sail away, ladies, sail away; Sail away, ladies, sail away. Never mind what de sisters say, Just shake your Dolly Varden and sail away." - RBW
File: CSW203Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index InstructionsThe Ballad Index Copyright 2005 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
The songbooks cited are:
Sieffe, I think the song you learned is the same one I heard as a kid - and I believe it's the W.C. Handy song. I'll do more research tomorrow, but She Who Prepares Lists of Duties has a list for me...
- Cohen/Seeger/Wood Old-Time String Band Songbook (formerly the New Lost City Ramblers Songbook)
- Darling - New American Songster
- Wheeler - Steamboatin' (I believe it is, anyhow)
- Silber - Folksonger's Wordbook
-Joe offer-