I found sheet music for this song at Baylor University. No songwriter is named in the sheet music, which tells me the publishers took it to be a traditional song in the public domain. However the sheet music includes chords for guitar and ukulele, and complete tablature for a Hawaiian guitar solo (as well as the usual piano arrangement), with the notation “arr. by Nick Manoloff” so I assume the publishers are claiming copyright on that basis. The cover shows a picture of Art Kassel with the caption: “Art Kassel and his Kassels in the Air.” The cataloguers have added the notation: “Sometimes attributed to James Bland” and “Bland, James A. (James Allen), 1854-1911.”


HAND ME DOWN MY WALKING CANE
Published by Calumet Music Co., ©1935.

1. Hand me down my walking cane
Hand me down my walking cane
Oh, hand me down my walking cane,
I’m a-goin’ to leave on that midnight train,
‘Cause all of my sins are taken away.

2. Hand me down my bottle of corn,
Hand me down my bottle of corn,
Oh, hand me down my bottle of corn,
I’m a-goin’ to get drunk as sure as you’re born,
‘Cause all of my sins are taken away.

3. I got drunk and I got in jail,
I got drunk and I got in jail,
Oh, I got drunk and I got in jail,
And I had no wife to go my bail,
And all of my sins are taken away.

4. Beans was tough and the meat was fat,
Beans was tough and the meant was fat
Oh, beans was tough an the meat was fat,
And oh, my Lord, I couldn’t eat that,
So all of my sins are taken away.

5. If I had listened to what mama said,
If I had listened to what mama said,
Oh, if I had listened to what mama said,
I’d ‘ave been sleeping on a feather bed,
‘Cause all of my sins are taken away.

6. Come on mama and a-go my bail,
Come on mama and a-go my bail,
Oh, come on mama and go my bail,
And get me out of this buggy jail,
‘Cause all of my sins are taken away.