Origins: Bye and bye / Old Cane Press

Subject: Bye and bye ^^
From: Wolfgang
Date: 19 May 00 - 10:27 AM

A transcription from Art Thieme's 'The older I get the better I was' CD. Don't praise me for the work, a native speaker did it for me. Thank you, Scott.

Wolfgang

BYE AND BYE

x1: Oh the time of the year that I like the best,
The time when the mule walks round the press,
Gals put on their gingham dress,
Bye and bye.

x2: The leaves are red and the ground is cold,
Sap's gonna rise so I've been told,
We don't care if the frost is coming,
Bye and bye.

Down the road came an old tar heel,
on his back a sack of meal,
by his side an old hound dog,
Bye and bye.

Well he traded the meal and the hound dog too
for a kiss from the gal that's dressed in blue,
prettiest gal he's ever seen,
Bye and bye.

x1 x2

Well folks come from here and there,
Folks come from everywhere,
the old mule keeps going around,
Bye and bye.

Well they come for to dance, come for to sing,
Come for to make the rafters ring,
Come for the cane and they come for the sorghum,
bye and bye.

x1 x2

Well folks come from all around
Wagon tracks tearing up the ground
Come for the cane and they come for the spark
Bye and bye.

So we built a fire 'neath the old iron pot
Cook up the cane 'til it's boiling hot
In the dark we'll steal a kiss
Bye and bye.

x1 x2
^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bye and bye
From: MudGuard
Date: 20 May 00 - 07:47 AM

What does the x1 stand for?
x2 seems to be the second verse, but x1 is undefined
MudGuard (Andreas)

Subject: ADD: Sorghum Syrup ^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 May 00 - 03:11 PM

In the notes for his album, Art says "Bye & Bye" is a version of the same song as "Sorghum Syrup."
-Joe Offer-

---

SORGHUM SYRUP
(traditional)

I been to the North and I been to the South
In times of flood and times of drought,
I've travelled all over Europe,
Never saw the like of the sorghum syrup.

CHORUS:
By and by before I die
I'll marry me a girl with a right blue eye.

A soldier was a-settin' by the road one day
And be was lookin' very gay,
By his side he had some meal,
He's just stolen from an old tar-heel.

He made his fire to bake his bread,
And when it was done be laughed and said,
'In all the world, there's none surpasses
Good cornbread and sorghum molasses.'

In a canteen by his side
That he was tryin' hard to hide,
From the eyes of those who were passin'
Was a quart of sorghum molasses.

As I went up Atlanta street,
A tar-heel girl I chanced for to meet.
Says she to me, are you a traveller?'
'Yes, by ginger, I'm a goober grabbler.'

There's Alabama, thus you see.
Tennessee or what you please,
South Carolina, tar and rawsum,
Good old Georgia, goobers and sorghum.

tar-heel: a native of North Carolina
goober grabbler: a peanut farmer
rawsum: resin


Whatever the political and economic issues at stake, Johnny Reb went to war to defend the proposition that the South was in all respects superior to the North; that southern cooking was tastier, southern whisky smoother, southern horses faster, and southern women sweeter. This is the spirit of this rebel song from North Carolina (the state of the peanut or goober grabbier), learned from an ex-cowboy in Texas, with additional verses from Brown, Vol. III, page 460. (Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America, 1960)

JRO ^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bye and bye
From: Art Thieme
Date: 20 May 00 - 10:16 PM

Wolfgang,

Thanks for doing that. I do think it's a fine song and I was glad I had a decent tape (pretty much) to use in the record. Good job Mr. H.

And Joe,

The song you've posted seems longer than the version I remember in FOLKSONGS OF NORTH AMERICA. I'm really glad to have it. Thanks so much. If, indeed, it is longer than the one in Lomax, where did you find it?

All the best,

Art

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bye and bye
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 May 00 - 03:50 AM

Nope, Art, I found it right where you said it was, Folksongs of North America. I like your version better, but I'm prejudiced.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bye and bye
From: Wolfgang
Date: 22 May 00 - 04:23 AM

Andreas,
x1 is the first verse, but some elf has that made clear by now.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Origins: Bye'm Bye / By'm Bye
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Oct 20 - 03:36 PM

Severn Savage sings "The Time of the Year I like the Best." He thinks it's in one of the Lomax books, but I can't find it.
Art Thieme posted one verse above.

Severn sez: Let me know whether you can find The Old Cane Press from Load or Art Theme and if not, It's will get it to you. They seemed to like it and I only need to stump you once to say I did.

Subject: RE: Origins: Bye'm Bye / By'm Bye
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 13 Oct 20 - 11:07 AM

This is a favourite song of mine too. I have the words if needed. Also have the words to an excellent parody of the song that a good friend wrote for me.

Subject: ADD Version: The Cane Press
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Oct 20 - 02:20 PM

There's an interesting version at the Max Hunter Collection:

https://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=1593

THE CANE PRESS

VERSE 1
Well the time of the year that I like the best
Is the time when the mule walks 'round the press
The girls put on their gingham dress
Bye an' bye, bye an' bye

VERSE 2
Well the leaves were red, the ground is cold
Th --- --- ---
We don't care to cross the road
Bye an' bye

VERSE 3
Well down the road comes and old tar heel
Across his back a sack of meal
At his heels an old hound dog
Bye an' bye, bye an' bye

VERSE 4
I'll trade you the leaves an' the hound dog too
For a kiss from the pretty girl dressed in blue
Prettiest thing I've ever seen
Bye an' bye

VERSE 5
--- --- --- miles around
The wagon tracks tearin' up the ground
They came with the cane and they came with ---
Bye an' bye, bye an' bye

VERSE 6
Well they build 'em a tire 'neath a big iron pot
Stir up the cane til it's boiling hot
Off to th darkness steal the kids
Bye an' bye

VERSE 7
Well they come from here an' they come from there
Folks come in from most everywhere
The old mule ----- ---- -----
Bye an' bye, bye an' bye

VERSE 8
Well they come to dance, they come to sing
They come to make the rafters ring
They come to th cane and they come to th ---
Bye an' bye

VERSE 9
Well the time of the year that I like the best
Is the time when the mule walks 'round the press
The girls put on their gingham dress
Bye an' bye, bye an' bye

VERSE 10
Well the leaves were red, the ground is cold
Th --- --- ---
We don't care to cross the road
Bye an' bye

Cat. #1593 (MFH #1045) - As sung by Ralph Spencer Family, Coal Hill, Arkansas on November 20, 1976

Subject: RE: Origins: Bye and bye / Old Cane Press
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 07:43 AM

I promised you the parody that my friend wrote for me. Robbie Callas was a good local singer and has now sadly gone to that great folk club in the sky. The local club run a competition every year in his memory. I hope we might hear Severn singing it one day!

Oh! The time of the year I like the best,
Is the time when the Moose sits on its nest,
And clasps its young to its hairy chest,
                                Bye and Bye
Oh the winds in the East and it’s blowing cold,
It’ll get much worse so I’ve been told,
Wouldn’t go outside for a sack of gold
                                Bye and Bye.

So I’ll stoke up the fire in the old stove-pot,
Get it going ‘till it glows red hot,
And put on the coffee – quite a lot!
                                Bye and Bye
The wolves ain’t howling now, it’s true,
They’re up on the roof snug around my flue,
I guess they know a thing or two!
                                Bye and Bye.

Two chipmunks snuck in through my front door
They’re snug in my woodbox, warm in every paw,
Reckon it’s part of their forest lore!
                                Bye and Bye
So I’ll pile up the blankets good and deep,
And underneath them I will creep,
To take a long, long winter sleep
                                Bye and Bye.