Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'

Subject: Origins: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: GUEST,Bert C
Date: 24 Jan 06 - 10:37 PM

Does anyone have any information on origins, authorship, etc of this work song?

Get along down buddy (Huh!)
Get along down big boy (Huh!)
Get along down buddy (Huh!)
Get along down big boy (Huh!)
All day long buddy (Huh!)
All day long buddy (Huh!)
Drive em down buddy (Huh!)
Drive em down big boy (Huh!)

I have a partial wave file from a Kimber's Men recording, but it's over 4Mb. I can email it directly if you can handle an attachment that size.

Subject: RE: Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: Peace
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 12:01 AM

What is the title? (Is it "Get Along Down, Buddy"?)

Subject: RE: Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 12:22 AM

The song was collected in Norfolk, Virginia, where it was being used in shipbuilding. It was recorded recently by the Boarding Party (Fair Winds and a Following Sea, available from Folk Legacy) and more recently by my brother Ken in his album with Alison Kelley, (The NexTradition, also available through Folk Legacy). Ken and Alison give the history very succinctly:

"In 1918 at Colanna's Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, 17-year old John Mantley used this chant to set rhythm while caulking seams with 'oakum,' a mixture of tar and bits of frayed rope. It was a two-person job demanding great precision - one man held the 'horsing iron' into the filled seam, and the other struck the iron witha heavy mallet."

We sing it "Come Along Down Buddy," but it is clearly the same song.

For MUCH more detail you can check out the notes from the Boarding Party's version, reprinted in our own Digital tradition here .

Dan Schatz

Subject: RE: Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: GUEST,Bert C
Date: 27 Jan 06 - 10:51 PM

Thanks Dan. I believe that's the one.

Bert C.

Subject: RE: Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: GUEST,Jaco
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 04:56 PM

The song has evidence of being black in origin. I think that should also be mentioned.

Subject: RE: Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: GUEST,Jaco
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 05:04 PM

The evidence of being BLACK in origin is the appears throughout the lyrics as well as the way it is preformed.

usually any mention of "Sally" refers to a black girl or half black girl. She appears in many songs as a reoccurring character and is probably derived from Shallow Brown which is indeed a black shanty.

Not only that in most other songs, Sally Brown is outright called mulatto in the lyrics.

other evidence includes: "Sally got dredlong bangs" possibly referring to her genetically African hair. Overall the song screams black. It is very likely many of the old sailors were black among irish, english and other ethnic groups, and said song caught on and became popular amongst racial groups. There's even a Russian version of this song.

Subject: RE: Origins: Help: 'Get Along Down Buddy'
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 07:42 PM

Are there any white work (railroad, chain gang) songs? I've always thought it was African-American tradition.

Shanties go both ways, but there were quite a few that jumped traditions. A good work song works anywhere, and racism wasn't tolerated on board a ship.

Never heard "dreadlong".