Subject: RE: Origins: Maid of Argenta
From:
Nancy King
Date: 12 Nov 05 - 06:51 PM
I transcribed this song from the album "The Wilderness Road and Jimmie Driftwood" over 40 years ago. I hadn't listened to the record in almost that long, but I just dug it out and listened to that one song. I thought maybe I'd misremembered bits of it, but I was pleased to find that my version is pretty darn close. I had typed up the words way back then and still have the same tattered page in my song notebook. Listening to the record cracked me up all over again. I do love this song. I hadn't sung it for many years and revived it just a few years ago. What a hoot!
"Jimmie Driftwood and the Wilderness Road" was recorded in 1958. On the back of the album cover there are some notes written by Mae Kennedy McCord ("Mrs. McCord is a noted folk singer and has been broadcasting over Radio Station WKTO, Springfield, Missouri for the past thirteen years.") She refers to all of the songs on the album, collectively, as "these old ballads" and "these fine old musical antiques," but on the vinyl itself, "The Maid of Argenta" is credited to Jimmie Driftwood. The little annotation for this song says only, "North Little Rock was first called Chamillion, then Huntersville, then Argenta, as silver was thought to be close by. This sweet old ballad is a tale of unrequited love from the Argenta days."
As for the tune, well, maybe it is an old Scottish or Irish one, though it never sounded like anything other than itself to me. But then I am woefully ignorant of traditional Scottish/Irish tunes. There's nothing at all about the tune on the album cover, unless that's what the credit to Jimmie Driftwood means. Anyhow, it seems to fit the song really well -– kind of silly and singsong-y. I'm no good at high-tech things like posting tunes, but if anyone's really interested, PM me and I'll see that you get it one way or another.
So here are the lyrics (and my simple chords):
(A)
As I was out ridin' on the streets of Argenta,
(E7)
I spied a fair maiden all dressed in magenta.
(A)
The riders who knew her all called her Pimenta -–
(E7) (A)
Oh, she was a beautiful dame.
I sprang from my saddle and walked up beside her,
Sayin' "Where can we get some corn whiskey and cider?"
We walked down the street to a place called the Spider,
Where she turned my heart into flame.
I tried to be calm but my heart was so frisky,
I knew I was playin' a game that was risky;
I looked in her eyes and could not drink my whiskey -–
For she was an angel to me.
I cried, "Oh my beautiful maid of Argenta,
All dressed in the splendor of royal magenta,
If you will but promise to be my Pimenta,
My heart yours forever shall be."
I gave her my gold and she gave me her paddle,
We both made a vow as we sat in my saddle,
And then I rode off the wild outlaws to battle,
And left her in old Arkansas.
When I got back home to my rock on the river,
I found she was gone and it made my heart quiver.
I cannot forget and I cannot forgive her,
And I can't get her out of my craw.
Now I've settled down in that place called the Spider,
Where I first fell in love as I sat there beside her,
And all the day long I drink whiskey and cider,
And talk to all manner of men.
I tell 'em if ever I see the Pimenta,
All dressed in the splendor of royal magenta,
I'll hug her right there on the streets of Argenta,
And we'll start all over again.
I confess to hoking this up a bit when I sing it. It seems to cry out for such treatment, and just listening to Jimmie Driftwood confirms that.
Of course I'm not sure how to spell the Maid's name, but Pimenta (as in Pye-MENT-a) seems reasonable. My only qualm about these words concerns the first line of the fifth verse. I could swear the record says "paddle," but what the hell does that refer to? I've sung it that way all these years, because I never could come up with anything that made more sense and still rhymed -- and of course the rhyme is all. When I just listened to it I still couldn't make anything but "paddle" out of it. If anyone else has a better idea, do let me know (though I doubt my poor old brain will brook any changes...).
Hope this helps -- enjoy!
Nancy
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