I have the Carters' rendition, but as I say, that's likely a reworked/simplified version of the original, and I'm not sure of the copyright implications if I used their tune. I doubt if the Carters credited Davis--they tended to be lax about infringing other people's copyrights. The practice of the time (and advocated by Peer, their manager) was to slap on a copyright first and dicker later, knowing that few people would try to sue.

I also saw the scan in the Appalachian collection. The manuscript they have, initialed and signed by Edith Walker, made me wonder if Walker wrote the poem and Davis only set it to music. If so, she is likely credited on the sheet music. Elsewhere I've only seen Davis's name in connection with this song, and for most songs, he's credited as having written both words and music.

Sheet music was also offered on eBay. But I'm a cheap bastard--there are SO many songs I have queued to be learned, that if I have to pay a premium price to obtain one, it's not gonna happen.

Many thanks, Melissa, for the pointer to the score parts at the Lib. of Congress. I'd run across these some months ago, but in my brief examination, didn't see a vocal part, nor the did most likely instruments (flute/violin) seem melodic, so I deferred a closer look--then forgot all about these parts. Looking again, I see an indication "Voice" in the clarinet part. And indeed, it starts similarly to the Carters' tune, except they perform it as a 6/8 waltz (the original is in common time). So I may be able to reconstruct the melody from that, dropping the filler notes and checking other parts for alternate bits.

Wonder how Davis felt, as a black man, having to write "darkie" songs like "I'm the father of a little black coon", "When I do the hoochy-coochy in the sky" and "Get on your sneakshoes, children" etc.