Richie, just as "jim along, josie" sounds like dance language, I've suspected that "go limber, jim, you can't go; go weave and spin, you can't go, Buckeye Jim" is also dance language. It may have originated somewhere else, but it feels like dance instructions or encouragement or accompaniment to me.

Another slang use of "jim" is "to jimmy something" meaning to pry it open. I was looking through ancient volumes of the Journal of American Folklore - 1880's - the other day, and each volume had a one page collection of slang words current at the time. Pretty interesting. I was looking for "go limber" and "come to tow". I'll add "jim along". No luck yet, but I didn't reach the 20th century either. Back in those days there was a lot of focus on Native American stuff and a big interest in the "messiah cults", primarily the Ghost Dance religion that was spreading across the Great Plains. It was interesting that there was a review of Child's latest volume of ballads, but nothing on ballads in this country. There was one very derogatory article on music in the mountains of North Carolina, with the lyrics to "Barbara Allen" but no recognition that this was one of "Child's ballads"! This is all "by the way", not intended to open up drifts. T.O.M.