Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd

Subject: ADD: Sugar in the Gourd
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 01:47 PM

A current lyric request thread looking for a sea chantey with the words "wouldn't do me any harm" in it reminded me of these lyrics to the well-known traditional old-time fiddle tune, "Sugar in the Gourd". I got these verses from a Public Radio broadcast of Indiana fiddler Dan Gellert playing at a folk festival in the seventies.

SUGAR IN THE GOURD

Met her down the road, she danced on a board.
Danced to a tune called Sugar in the Gourd.
Sugar in the gourd, honey can't get it out.
Only way to get sugar gotta roll the gourd about.

Had an old hen, she had a wooden leg.
Was the best old hen that ever laid an egg.
Laid more eggs than any hen around the farm.
And another drinka liquor wouldn't do me any harm.


Traditional: from recording by Dan Gellert

Subject: Lyr Add: SUGAR IN THE GOURD
From: masato sakurai
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 02:59 AM

SUGAR IN THE GOURD (From: The Fiddler's Companion: Sugar in the Gourd)

Well I'm goin' down the road and I met her on a board,
And the wind from her shoes knocked Sugar in the Gourd;
Sugar in the Gourd and the gourd upon the ground,
Well you wanna get to sugar got to break it all around.
***
Refrain
Sugar in the Gourd and you can't get it out,
When you wanna get to sugar got to break it all about.
***
I had a little hen who had a wooden leg,
That's the best hen that ever laid an egg;
Laid more eggs than he had around the farm,
And another drink of liquor wouldn't do you any harm.
***
I went down in the old clay field,
Blacksnake grabbed me by the heel;
I turned around to do my best,
And drove my head in a hornet's nest.
***
Went to the church want to climb the steeple,
Looked right down upon them people;
Some looked black and some looked blacker,
And some looked the color of a plug of tobaccer. (Kuntz)
***
I met her on the road and I laid her on a board,
Tune up the fiddle give her Sugar in the Gourd.
***
Sugar in the Gourd and I can't get it out,
The way get sugar out, roll the gourd about. (Carson)

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: toadfrog
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:02 PM

Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers recorded a really exceptional "Sugar in the Gourd". I have that on a Rounder record; it has to be on a CD by now.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:59 PM

Thanks Masato. I had a feeling that there were probabbly a lot more words than the couple of verses I knew. Just had to get the right person to find them. *G*

Bruce

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: Mrrzy
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 09:52 AM

I have a rather different version by Bob Gibson, I think, on Offbeat Folk Songs. Will post when have more time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: Gypsy
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 03:39 PM

is this the same tune as Sugar in the coffee?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: GUEST,joe izen
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 12:03 PM

Another verse from the singing of the Fat City Stringband:

Some folks say that a preacher won't steel.
I caught two in my corn field.
One had a bushel, one had a peck.
One had a watermelon 'round his neck.

The recording is highly recommended. Fat City morphed into arguably the most influential old time band of all time, the Highwoods Stringband.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 12:38 PM

I wonder how many fiddle and dance songs used the old floater 'a preacher won't steal.'

Here it is in White, collected from "cornfield Negroes" in Alabama, 1915-1916.
39E
Some folks say dat er preacher won't steal,
But I caught one in my cornfield.
He had er bushel, his wife had er peck,
De baby had a roastin' ear hung er round his neck.

Newman I. White, 1928, American Negro Folk-Songs," Harvard Univ. Press; reprint 1965, Folklore Assoc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: GUEST,J. Guyton
Date: 23 Mar 09 - 12:58 AM

The Version I Grew Up With of "HAD A LITTLE HEN"

Had a little hen, had a wooden leg,
best dern hen ever laid an egg,
laid more eggs than any hen around the barn,
another little drink wouldnt do me no harm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Sugar in the Gourd
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jul 09 - 12:30 PM

Re the preacher lyrics mentioned above, an older version is from a song called Way Down Yonder in the Corn Field. I collect antique phonographs and recordings and on an Edison record from 1912, sung by a blackface minstrel group, and instead of preacher the word used is the 'N word' which if you don't know what it is, it is the bad slang for a person of African American descent. The lyrics on that recording are:

Some folks say that a (insert 'N word' here) won't steal
Chorus: Way down yonder in the corn field
But I caught a couple in my corn field.
Chorus: Way down, way down, way down yonder in the corn field
One had a bushel and the other had a hoe
Chorus: Way down yonder in the corn field
If that ain't stealin, I don't know.
Chorus: Way down, way down, way down yonder in the corn field