Coyote Breath: I'd guess that "your" Diamond Joe might be one of the three entirely different tune by that name in the DT. Have you looked there?

"My" Diamond Joe, which shares the same melody with State of Arkansas, is #2 of the three. I first heard it on a Tom Rush record, whose liner notes attribute it to Cisco Houston, a contemporary and sidekick of Woody Guthrie, who purportedly collected it from cowboys in Texas.

I would have guessed that any Diamond Joe of Jack Elliott's would be the one disseminated by Cisco Houston, with whom he must have been acquainted, but what the hell do I know? Until a week or so ago, I didn't know anything about State of Arkansas, John Joe Hannah, or the existence of three different dueling Diamond Joes.

This is all very interesting. I only hope there's more!