Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls

Subject: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls/Daw Henson
From: GUEST,Peter J. Gossett
Date: 13 May 03 - 04:01 PM

Anyone got the lyrics to Wallins Creek Girls by Daw Henson? Anyone have anything on Daw Henson?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: khandu
Date: 13 May 03 - 08:07 PM

I do not, but my dear friend, Ranger Dave lived in Wallins Kentucky. Perhaps he has some info. I will check.

k

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 May 03 - 11:53 PM

WALLINS CREEK GIRLS, performed by Daw Henson, is included in the 7-CD set, "Kentucky Mountain Music," Yazoo CD 2200, 2003. Here's what I transcribed from a sound sample at Barnes & Noble:

...highway. They flagged both of them down.
The first man stops and picks them up. They -?- from town to town.
September the eleventh on Friday, they both came down the road.
There's not two girls in this wide world can plague like them and goad. (?)
They asked us for a cigarette. We had them both -?- rolled.
We give them old Prince Albert but they'd rather had Old Gold.
Although these girls...

Subject: ADD: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 May 03 - 03:25 AM

I think Jim has a better ear than I have. I had an awful time trying to understand this one. Here's what I hear.
-Joe Offer-

---

WALLINS CREEK GIRLS

Our names is Hicks and Henson, two rounder boys you know
We come to the state of Wallins Creek not many days ago
One she was ... ... and blue eyes
The only thing they wanted to do, smoke cigarettes and ...

The other one she's black-headed, dark skin and black-eyed too
We never saw her smoke cigarettes, but she belonged to the cigarette crew
They get out on the highway, they flag old cousin down
The first man stops to pick them up, they goes from town to town

September 11 on Friday, they both come down the road
There's not two girls in this whole world can flag like them and go
They asked us for a cigarette, we had them roll their own
We give them old Prince Albert, but they'd druther had Old Gold

Although these girls is pretty as the flower blooms in May
But if they could get them one cigarette, they'd .... every day


from a recording by Daw Henson
"Kentucky Mountain Music" CD box.

---

Notes from the CD booklet:

Daw Henson came from the crossroads of Billy's Branch in Clay County in the middle of what is now the Daniel Boone National Forrest. Lomax apparently left no field notes about him, but seemed to appreciate his "mountain blues" style of singing with the guitar. His MOONSHINER, WALLINS CREEK GIRLS, and SWOFFORD BRANCH STILLS resemble the hard-living anti-sentimental songs of Cliff Carlisle or Billy Cox more than the older traditional pieces. His version of a genuine old ballad, LADY MARGARET AND SWEET WILLIAM, begins with an odd, modern guitar introduction that blends old with new.

Subject: Lyr Add: WALLINS CREEK GIRLS
From: Stewie
Date: 16 May 03 - 08:55 PM

Joe

Here is what I hear from the recording:


WALLINS CREEK GIRLS

Our names is Hicks and Henson, two rounder boys you know
We come to the state of Wallins Creek not many days ago
One she was blonde-headed, she's fair-skinned and blue-eyed
The only thing they wanted to do, smoke cigarettes and car ride

The other one she's black-headed, dark skin and black-eyed too
We never saw her smoke cigarettes, but she belonged to the cigarette crew
They get out on the highway, they flag both up and down
The first man stops and picks them up, they'd go from town to town

September the 11th on Friday, they both came down the road
There's not two girls in this whole world can flag like them and go
They ask us for a cigarette, we had them both to roll
We give them old Prince Albert, but they'd druther had Old Gold

Although these girls is pretty as a flower blooms in May
But if they could get them one cigarette, they'd car ride every day

Regards, Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 May 03 - 10:15 PM

Joe Offer e-mailed me a sound file of the whole song. I listened to it, and I find there is only one small change to Stewie's version that I feel certain about: "wide world" instead of "whole world."

There are some strange things about this song. First, there is a disconnect in the narrative between lines 2 and 3, leading me to think that at least 4 lines were omitted at that point. Also, the two-line verse at the end seems strange; I think a couple of lines were omitted there, too.

"State of Wallins Creek" is a strange phrase, and the singer seems to hesitate and stumble a bit at the beginning of this line. I think he got some words wrong here, but I don't know what they should have been.

I rather like "plague like them and goad" although I must admit it sounds more like "flag like them and go." "Plague" is an old southern verb that means to tease flirtatiously or maybe just to tease. It's usually the boys who plague the girls, but these are unusual girls. Since "goad" is similar in meaning--and besides, it rhymes with "road"--it sort of made sense.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Stewie
Date: 16 May 03 - 10:48 PM

Hi Jim,

It is 'wide world'. I used Joe's transcription as a template for mine and omitted to change that.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 May 03 - 12:10 PM

Thanks a lot, Stewie and Jim. It does seem like there's a verse or two missing from the recording. I think we did a pretty good job of it.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: graywolf1980
Date: 28 May 03 - 05:35 PM

Yes, thanks to all of you who replied! I ordered that 7 CD set, and words cannot describe it. Really don't know why, but I really liked this song. Instead of it being "State of Wallins Creek," I think Daw Henson says "We come to STAY at Wallins Creek." What do you think?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: graywolf1980
Date: 28 May 03 - 05:45 PM

By the way, does anyone know how to maybe get in touch with Charles K. Wolfe or those who worked on this collection? I would like to know more about this song: if any lines were omitted from the original or what. The reason I bought this collection was the one song from J.W. Day "Way up on Clinch Mountain," also known as Hiccup Oh Lordy. I'm trying to find the version that has the lines: "Sometime I drink whiskey, sometime I drink wine/Thousand quart bottles I've emptied in time," as my great grandfather had this 78 record in 1930's and I'm trying to find that version. I've been unsuccessful so far.

Peter J. Gossett

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: graywolf1980
Date: 30 May 03 - 02:58 PM

Just to let you all know that I contacted the Shanchie Records via their website about "Wallins Creek Girls" being edited and the message replied was this: "NO - NOT EDITED."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Stewie
Date: 30 May 03 - 07:01 PM

Graywolf

I agree that it could well be 'stay at'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Jun 03 - 10:32 AM

When I said I thought some lines had been omitted, I didn't mean to imply that anyone at the Shanachie record company had edited out the lines from the recording. I meant that I suspected that Daw Henson knew a longer version of the song and that he omitted some lines when he made the original recording. I think that was a common occurrence in those days: Many songs had to be shortened to fit on one side of a 78-rpm record.

That could also explain why Henson seems to stumble a bit over some words: He was trying to sing a version that was different from the one he was more familiar with.

It's also possible that some lines or verses were changed or omitted because they weren't "clean" enough for the standards of the day, or for the audience that the record company was trying to sell to.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wallins Creek Girls
From: biglappy
Date: 15 May 05 - 09:51 PM

My day for digging up old threads and trying to bring them back to life.

Note that the Daw Henson tunes in this collection are not commercial recordings but Lomax recordings for the Library of Congress.

Cleaning up the lyrics sounds right anyhow.