Subject: DTStudy: Aunt Sal's Song (Bashful Courtship)
From:
kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 06 Nov 05 - 05:21 PM
Correct title to The Bashful Courtship is Aunt Sal's Song. When the Pine Mountain Settlement School was founded, in 1911, 'Uncle'William Creek and Aunt Sal, his wife, furnished the land for the school and invited Katherine Petit (who started the Hindman Settlement School, in Knott County) to begin the Pine Mountain school. The Creeches were beloved there, and treated as the grandparents of the new school.The local traditional songs of the people were collected and honored by the teachers of both schools,and actual songbooks were made for school use as the students brought in their family songs.
Aunt Sal, however, was very religious. After joining the church she sang only hymns and gave up what she called "ditties," (non-religious music). She made one exception; when asked, she would always sing the same song, her funny one about the man who didn't know how to court. Over the years it got its name, Aunt Sal's Song.
Aunt Sal's Song is not copyrighted, at least not by myself nor the Ritchie Family. Whether the Pine Mountain School has done so I do not know, but their website is easy to find- I believe that it can be listed as trad., but write the school if you'd like to be sure.
Thanks, Jean. Here are the Digital Tradition lyrics and the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index.
-Joe Offer- Aunt Sal's Song BASHFUL COURTSHIP
or Not Know How to Court
A gentleman came to our house
He would not give his name
I knew he came a courting
Although he was ashamed
Oh, although he was ashamed
He moved his chair up by me side
His fancy pleased me well
I thought the spirit moved him
Some handsome tale to tell
Oh, some handsome tale to tell
But there he sat the life long night
And never a word did say
With many a sigh and bitter groan
He ofttimes wished for day
Oh, he ofttimes wished for day
The chickens they began to crow
And daylight did appear
"How do you do, good morning, sir
I'm glad to see you here,
Oh, I'm glad to see you here"
He was weary all the lifelong night
He was weary of his life
Said, "If this is what you call courting, boys,
I'll never take a wife,
Oh, I'll never take a wife"
And when he goes in company
The girls all laugh for sport
Saying, "Yonder goes that ding dang fool
That don't know how to court,
Oh, that don't know how to court"
@courting
recorded by Edna Ritchie and Jean Ritchie
filename[ HOWCOURT
SOF
Aunt Sal's Song (The Man Who Didn't Know How to Court) DESCRIPTION: "A gentleman came to our house, He would not tell his name." He comes to court, but acts ashamed. He sits silent next to the girl. Finally he gives up, saying courting isn't worth it. The girls laugh at the "ding-dang fool [that] don't know how to court."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Wells-TheBalladTree)
KEYWORDS: courting humorous
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 15, "Courting Song" (1 text)
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 101, "Aunt Sal's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ritchie-SingingFamilyOfTheCumberlands, pp. 233-234, "[Aunt Sal's Song]" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chase-AmericanFolkTalesAndSongs, pp. 140-141, "The Bashful Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wells-TheBalladTree, p. 123, "Aunt Sal's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
SongsOfAllTime, p. 54, "Aunt Sal's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, HOWCOURT
Roud #776
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Johnson Boys" (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Not Know How to Court
Bashful Courtship
File: LoF101
Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography The Ballad Index Copyright 2022 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
Lyrics from Jean Ritchie's Singing Family of the Cumberlands:
Aunt Sal's Song
A gentleman came to our house,
He did not tell his name;
I knew he came a-courting
Although he were ashame,
O, although he were ashame.
He hitched his chair up to my side,
His fancy pleased me well;
I thought the spirit moved him
Some handsome tale to tell,
O, some handsome tale to tell.
But there he sat the livelong night
And never a word did say,
With many a sigh and bitter groan
He ofttimes wished for day,
O, he ofttimes wished for day.
The chickens they began to crow
And daylight did appear,
"How do you do, good morning, sir
I'm glad to see you here,
O, I'm glad to see you here."
He was weary all the livelong night,
He was weary of his life,
"If this is what you call courting, boys,
I'll never take a wife,
No, I'll never take a wife."
Now when he goes in company
The girls all laugh for sport,
Saying, "Yonder goes that ding-dang fool
That don't know how to court,
O, that don't know how to court."
I'm not totally happy with how the MIDI sounds (I've never heard the song sung), but it's an exact transcription from Jean's book. -JRO-
The version from Alan Lomax, The Folk Songs of North America is from The Settlement School in Pine Mountain, Kentucky. The lyrics are almost the same as the two versions above. Lomas says this version is known as "Aunt Sal's Song" because Aunt Sal often sang it at Pine Mountain. Here are the tunes from Lomax:
There are some minor but interesting differences in the version from the Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, Volume 3, #15:
Courting Song
A gentleman came to see me,
He wouldn't tell his name.
I knew he came a-courting
Although he was ashamed,
Oh, although he was ashamed.
He drew his chair up by my side.
His manner pleased me well.
I hoped the spirit moved him
A loving tale to tell.
Oh, a loving tale to tell.
And there he sat the livelong night
And never a word did say.
With many a sigh and bitter groan
I often wished for day.
Oh, I often wished for day.
The chickens they began to crow,
The daylight did appear.
"Howdy do, good morning, sir,
I'm glad to see you here,
Oh, I'm glad to see you here."
He was weary of the livelong night,
He was weary of his life.
"If this is what you call courting, boys,
I'll never take a wife,
Oh, I'll never take a wife."
Whenever he goes in company
The girls all laugh and sport;
They say, "There goes a blamed old fool
Who don't know how to court.
Oh, who don't know how to court."
Collected by Mrs. Sutton on the Watauga River near the Tennessee line, from the singing of a schoolteacher with whom she spend the night.
Roud says the song is on the Folk-Legacy recording Edna Ritchie, Viper, Kentucky - that one isn't out on CD yet, so I don't have it [hint to Sandy Paton].
Chase is a skinny book that seems to keep moving from one shelf to another here - and i can't find it today. Can somebody look up the song in Chase and see if there are significant differences?
-Joe Offer-
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sj
