Leaving Home -Charlie Poole

Subject: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 12 May 21 - 12:56 PM

C'mon, Charlie. We all miss you. At least I surely do. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BawN15CYOc

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 12 May 21 - 01:01 PM

Ahh, sweet melody of life. Thanks for your patient help, Jeri.

I may be slow, but as Uncle Dave Macon said,

I'd rather go to heaven in a Mitchel Wagon than to Hell in an automobile.

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jeri
Date: 12 May 21 - 01:09 PM

Jerry, you spelled my name right. Are you feeling ok? Need us to call someone? (I am 100% kidding, and will stop.)

Searching mudcat (I do a Google search for "mudcat.org" and whatever song/artist/whatever I'm looking for.

Here's a thread on Songs by Charlie Poole Also see all the links at the top of the page. Have fun!

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 12 May 21 - 02:24 PM

You are a fount, Jeri.

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 May 21 - 02:50 PM

great

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jeri
Date: 12 May 21 - 03:12 PM

Jerry, I've been called that, but it had some different letters. ;)

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 May 21 - 03:33 PM

Here are the lyrics we have in the Digital Tradition - they're from the New Lost City Ramblers version of the Charlie Poole song. They are exactly the same as what's in the Oak Publications New Lost City Ramblers Old-Time Stringband Songbook, so I see no need for any corrections. The Charlie Poole version is just a bit different, and I've posted it below.

LEAVING HOME (DT Lyrics)
(Charlie Poole)

Frankie and Johnny were sweethearts; they had a quarrel one day,
Johnny vowed he'd leave her; he said he was going away,
Never coming home, going away to roam.

Frankie she begged and pleaded, my love Johnny, please stay,
Now, oh, my honey, I've done you wrong, but please don't go away;
Then Johnny sighed while Frankie cried,

cho: Oh, I'm going away, I'm a-going to stay, and never coming home
Gonna miss me, honey, in the days to come,
When the winter wind s begin to blow, the ground is covered up,
And when you think of the way
You're gonna wish me back, your loving man,
You're gonna miss me honey in the day they say's to come.

Frankie done said to her Johnny, "Now your hour done come"
'Cause underneath her silk kimona she drew her 44 gun
These love affairs are hard to bear

Johnny he fled down the stairway, my love Frankie, don't shoot,
Frankie done aimed the 44 while the gun went rooty-toot-toot,
As Johnny fell, then Frankie yelled,

cho:

Send for your rubber-tired hearses, send for your rubber-tired hacks,
Carry old Johnny to the graveyard, I 've shot him in the back
With a great big gun, as the preacher begun.

Send for some policemen to take me right away,
Lock me down in the dungeon cell and throw the key away,
My Johnny's dead, because he said...

cho:

From the New Lost City Ramblers
Note: A Charlie Poole rewrite of a popular song.
DT #316
Laws I3
@murder @death
filename[ FRANJON3
TUNE FILE: FRANJON3
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Popup Midi Player

New Lost City Ramblers recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzAwihLkDJw

Subject: ADD Version: Leaving Home (Charlie Poole)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 May 21 - 03:52 PM

LEAVING HOME
(Charlie Poole)

Frankie and Johnnie were sweethearts
They had a quarrel one day
Johnnie vowed he would leave her
Said he was going away
Never coming home
Going away to roam

Frankie she begged and she pleaded
‘My own Johnnie please stay
Now oh, my honey, I’ve done you wrong
But please don’t go away’
Then Johnnie sighed
And Frankie cried

CHORUS
Oh I’m going away, I’m going to stay, never coming home
Gonna miss me honey in the days to come
When the winter winds begin to blow, the ground is covered up with snow
And when you think of me, gonna wish me back your loving man
Gonna miss me honey in the day, day, days to come

Frankie done said to her Johnnie
‘Say man, your hour has come’
Underneath her silk kimono
She drew a forty-four gun
These love affairs
Are hard to bear

Johnnie fled down the stairway
‘My love, Frankie, don’t shoot’
Frankie aimed the forty-four
Five times with a rootie-toot-toot
And Johnnie fell
And Frankie yelled
CHORUS

Send for your rubber-tired hearses
Send for your rubber-tired hacks
Carry little Johnnie to the graveyard
I shot him in the back
With a great big gun
As he went to run

Send for a thousand policemen
Take me right-away
Lock me down in the dungeon cell
And throw the key away
For Johnnie’s dead
Because he said:
CHORUS


Kinney Rorrer's Notes: Still another version of the popular Frankie and Johnny song. This one was written by the Leighton Brothers and Ren Shields and copyrighted in 1923. Though there are some differences in the chorus, Poole follows the Leighton-Shields version closely. The popular band-leader Ted Lewis recorded the same song for Columbiain 1927 with the title Frankie and Johnny (You’ll Miss Me in the Days to Come)(Columbia 1017-D). Lewis included only the chorus and not the verses.

Source: Rambling Blues: The Life and Songs of Charlie Poole, © C. Kinney Rorrer, 1982 - page 72

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 12 May 21 - 05:51 PM

Thanks for the background. I was wondering where the rest of "the ground was covered up....with snow" was. I try singing along on the chorus, but my tongue gets tangled up. :-)

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 May 21 - 06:34 PM

So, Jerry, have you recorded this? I think you'd do a good job. I am certainly going to sing it to open the Mudcat Singaround Monday - and I can, because I get the first song ;-) .

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 12 May 21 - 08:21 PM

I haven't recorded this but I have The Other Side of Jordan., Charlie was my primary interest in my playing banjo. I need to download some of my music and post a couple pieces on here.

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: clueless don
Date: 13 May 21 - 06:38 AM

Whenever I would hear someone do this song (which would have been back in the 1970s, my Cornell Folk Song Club days), they would do the version of the chorus that went "the winter winds begin to blow, the ground is covered up with snow", as opposed to the New Lost City Ramblers' version, which omits "with snow". In order to make the chorus scan, the next line would be shortened, something like

... the winter winds begin to blow, the ground is covered up with snow.
You think on the way ...

I believe that folks tended to do the New Lost City version, but with inclusion of with snow.

Or maybe my memory is bad!

Don

Subject: RE: Leaving Home -Charlie Poole
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 13 May 21 - 09:04 AM

Hey, Don. You bring back memories. I was living in New York City from 1960-64. I was living on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich diet, so I couldn't take advantage of all the music around me. I did got to see the New Lost Ramblers, and loved their music. They played a major roll in my discovering old time music. I still have their songbook.