The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #113526   Message #2414016
Posted By: Jayto
14-Aug-08 - 05:11 PM
Thread Name: Alt. names for folk songs.
Subject: RE: Alt. names for folk songs.
I think what I am curious about are the stories behind the names. In my case a man (actually my great great Uncle) was arrested for murder and robbery. He had a gang along the Tennessee border that had robbed and killed the man after a bad night of poker. They sentenced him to death. They hanged him from a tree in western Kentucky. On the first attempt the rope broke. The old legend about a person being released if the ropw breaks is not true in this case. They started preparing another rope to hang him with. As he waited they did offer him another last request. He requested his fiddle from home. They sent a man t retrieve his fiddle for him. When the man returned he walked over to his casket and sit down on it. Then he started playing the old tune Napolean's Retreat. From that day on in Southwestern Kentucky and northwest Tennessee the song is known as Pennington's Farewell. Pennington was his last name sorry I left that part out. That is more fo what I am seeking with the question I guess.