Somebody sang this at our singaround last night. I forgot was a good song it was. My wife wanted to know what it means to "root that mountain down." I think I explained that adequately, but then I was stumped when she wanted to know why a mole would want to do such a thing to a mountain. Hell, I dunno. Maybe he wanted to make it into a molehill, to pay back those people who do it the other way around. Or maybe he had a deep-rooted mole-mountain animosity, and needs to see a moleshrink or something. Guess I'll have to ponder that for a while...
In the meantime, here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song. Note that the earliest version indexed by the Ballad Index was 1921, sung by Fred Moody and found in Volume III of the Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, posted by Q above (click)
I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground
DESCRIPTION: "I wish I (was/were) a mole in the ground (x2), If I was a mole in the ground, I'd root that mountain down...." The singer complains of Kempy's expensive tastes and his troubles with drink and/or the law. He may wish to be other things.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1921 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: animal money hardtimes floatingverses dancetune
FOUND IN: US(MW,SE,So)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 173, "Mole In the Ground" (1 text)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 173, "Mole in the Ground" (2 tunes plus text excerpts)
Lunsford/Stringfield-30And1FolkSongsFromSouthernMountains, pp. 10-11, "I wish I wuz a Mole in the Ground" (1 text, 1 tune)
Jones-MinstrelOfTheAppalachians-Bascom-Lamar-Lunsford, p. 240, "Mole in the Ground" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-TreasuryOfAmericanFolklore, pp. 900-901, "I Wish I Wuz a Mole in the Ground" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rosenbaum-FolkVisionsAndVoices, p. 167, "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (1 text, 1 tune)
Courlander-NegroFolkMusic, p. 144, "(I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground)" (1 text)
Lomax/Lomax-AmericanBalladsAndFolkSongs, pp. 152-153, "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (1 text, 1 tune)
McNeil-SouthernMountainFolksong, pp. 87-89, "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 394, "Mole In The Ground" (1 text)
DT, WISHMOLE*
Roud #4957
RECORDINGS:
Green Bailey, "I Wish I Were A Mole In The Ground" (Gennett 6732/Conqueror 7255 [as Amos Baker], 1929; rec. 1928; on KMM)
Frank Bode, "Tempy" (on FBode1)
Chancey Bros., "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (on FolkVisions2)
Eugene Jemison, "Girls, Quit Your Rowdy Ways" (on Jem01)
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (OKeh 40155, 1924); (Brunswick 219B, 1928; on AAFM3, BLLunsford01); (BLLunsford02, FMUSA)
Pete Seeger, "Mole in the Ground" (on PeteSeeger09, PeteSeegerCD02)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "I Don't Like No Railroad Man" (floating lyrics)
cf. "My Last Gold Dollar" (floating lyrics)
cf. "New River Train" (tune, floating lyrics)
cf. "Oh, Honey, Where You Been So Long?" (lyrics)
File: BAF900Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song ListGo to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or DiscographyThe Ballad Index Copyright 2021 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.