Because lines from this song turn up all over the place, and because we've discussed it in relation to Pretty Little Pink, and because it doesn't seem to have a thread of its own, here goes . . . .
WEEVILY WHEAT
Oh, Charley he's a nice young man
Charley he's a dandy
Every time he goes to town
He brings them girls some candy
Chorus:
Oh, I won't have none of your weevily wheat
I won't have none of your barley
I'll take some flour and half an hour
And bake a cake for Charley
Charley here and Charley there
And Charley over the ocean
Charley he'll come back some day
If he don't change his notion
Charley loves good wine and ale
And Charley loves good brandy
And Charley loves a pretty girl
As sweet as sugar candy.
Source:
John and Alan Lomax, American Ballads and Folksongs (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1934), p.290-291
From the Ballad Index . . .
Weevily Wheat
DESCRIPTION: "Charlie, he's a nice young man, Charlie he's a dandy." Stories about Charlie's attempts at courting and his visits to town. The mention of "Weevily wheat" and lines such as "Over the river to feed my sheep" are common
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1911
KEYWORDS: courting nonballad playparty floatingverses
FOUND IN: US(Ap,So,SE)
REFERENCES (18 citations):
Randolph 520, "Weevily Wheat" (7 texts, some fragmentary or excerpted, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 397-399, "Weevily Wheat" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 520A)
BrownIII 67, "Weevily Wheat" (1 text plus a possibly-rewritten fragment)
Fuson, p. 164, "Over the River to Charlie" (1 text)
Linscott, pp. 262-263, "Over the Water to Charlie" (1 short text, 1 tune, primarily a version of this although it incorporates a single verse of "Over the Water to Charlie")
Sandburg, p. 161, "Weevily Wheat" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 286, (no title) (3 fragments)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 290-293, "Weevily Wheat" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 163, "Twistification" (1 text, 1 tune, with a counting chorus and modified verses)
Fowke/MacMillan 44, "Who'll be King but Charlie?" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 125, "Charlie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ritchie-SingFam, pp. 60-61, "[Charlie]" (1 text, 1 tune)
Opie-Oxford2 96, "Over the water and over the lea" (3 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #144, p. 115, "(Over the Water and over the lea)"
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 161, "Charley, He's a Good Ol' Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 813-814, "Weevily Wheat" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 36, "Weevily Wheat" (1 text)
DT, WEEVWHT*
Roud #729
RECORDINGS:
Granville Bowlin, "Charlie's Neat" (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
Kelly Harrell, "Charley, He's a Good Old Man" (Victor 21069, 1927; on KHarrell02, CrowTold02)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Charley, He's a Good Old Man" (on NLCR10)
Jean Ritchie, "Over the River Charlie" (on RitchieWatsonCD1)
Ritchie Family, "Charlie" (on Ritchie03)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Roll the Tater (Rolly Rolly)" (floating lyrics, meter)
cf. "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" (floating lyrics)
Notes: Certain authorities have conjectured that the "Charlie" of this song is Bonnie Prince Charlie. (Alan Lomax goes so far as to derive it from the Scots "Charlie Over the Water.") It would be hard to prove either way.
Those seeking to find every version of this song should also check "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss," which I think might be another version of this song. But others disagree.... - RBW
Well, I'd say they're at least siblings; at least one version of "Weevily Wheat" has the same tune as "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss." - PJS
Creighton-Maritime matches the Weevily Wheat pattern but includes the lines "cross the water to Charlie" and -- in the chorus -- "There's none like royal Charlie." In this sense at least it's close to Fowke/MacMillan 44. - BS
File: R520Go to the Ballad Search form
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