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Lyr Req: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss DigiTrad: BLUE-EYED GIRL PRETTY LITTLE MISS Related threads: Lyr Req: Pretty Little Pink (77) Lyr Add: Fly Around My Blue-Eyed Gal (3) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss From: Airymouse Date: 08 Jul 14 - 08:25 AM I'm the guest above. My theory is that this song is cobbled together from three different songs, and the change in the tune in the last two verses supports this idea. On part is "Seventeen next Sunday;" one part is the play-party song,"Coffee grows on white oak trees" and the last verse of both my song an Bertha Hubbard Beard's song comes from a Mexican War song, which I have not been able to find. Anyway to see that this song stands alone you need to listen to "New Orleans" too. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss From: Brian Peters Date: 06 Jul 14 - 05:09 PM The lyric posted by the Guest above contains a lot of overlap with the British Isles song 'Seventeen Come Sunday' (Roud 277). |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss From: GUEST Date: 06 Jul 14 - 10:21 AM Compare this version to Bertha Hubbard Beard's "New Orleans", which you can find on YouTube. Where do you go my pretty little miss Where do you go my honey? Answered me with the brightest smile, "I go to church on Sunday (2) Where do you live my pretty little miss Oh, where do you live my honey? Answered me with the brightest smile, "I live on the hill with mummy." (2) How old are you my pretty little miss How old are you my honey? Answered me with the brightest smile "I'll be 16 next Sunday."(2) Will you marry me my pretty little miss Will you marry me my honey? Answered me with the brightest smile "I would, if it weren't for mummy."(2) Saddle up the old gray mare And ride from night till morning Ride so slow we'll never get there To see my true love darling.(2) (Tune changes) Coffee grows on white oak trees The River flows with brandy Rocks are lined with silver and gold And the girls are sweet as candy. (2) Put my knapsack on my back My rifle on my shoulder Go and fight in the Mexican war And there I'll be a soldier. (2) |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss From: Joe Offer Date: 25 May 04 - 09:01 PM Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song: Fly Around, My Pretty Little MissDESCRIPTION: Dance tune: "Fly around my pretty little miss/Fly around my daisy/Fly around my pretty little miss/You almost drive me crazy." Floating verses: "The higher up the cherry tree/The riper grow the cherries..." "Going to get some weevily wheat..."AUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1917 (collected by Cecil Sharp, but some of the floating verses also show up in SharpAp 88, "Betty Anne," which he collected in 1916) KEYWORDS: love dancing nonballad floatingverses dancetune FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE) REFERENCES (7 citations): Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 66, "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" (1 text, 1 tune) BrownIII 286, "Fly Around, My Blue-Eyed Girl" (4 texts, but the "D" text is mostly "Shady Grove"); also 78, "Coffee Grows on White Oak Trees" (7 texts plus 1 excerpt and mention of 1 more, but almost all mixed -- all except "H" have the "Coffee grows" stanza, but "A" also has verses from "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss"; "and "C" through "H" are mostly "Little Pink"; "B" is mixed with "Raccoon" or some such) Hudson 145, p. 293, [no title] (1 fragment, the single stanza "The higher up the cherry tree") SharpAp 268, "The Higher Up the Cherry Tree" (1 text, 1 tune); also 88, "Betty Anne" (1 text, 1 tune, with lyrics from "Shady Grove," "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" and "Going Across the Sea") Darling-NAS, p. 254, "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" (1 text) Silber-FSWB, p. 39, "Fly Around My Blue-Eyed Gal" (1 text) DT, BLUEYEGL* Roud #5720 RECORDINGS: Frank Blevins & his Tar Heel Rattlers, "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" (Columbia 15210-D, 1927; on TimesAint01, LostProv1) Frank Bode, "Susanna Gal" (on FBode1) Samantha Bumgarner, "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" (Columbia 146-D, 1924) The Hillbillies, "Blue Eyed Girl" (Vocalion 5017, c. 1926) Clint Howard et al, "Pretty Little Pink" (on Ashley02, WatsonAshley01) Buell Kazee, "Dance Around My Pretty Little Miss" [fragment] (on Kazee01) Bradley Kincaid, "Pretty Little Pink" (Brunswick 464, 1930) (Supertone 9666, 1930) (one of these is on CrowTold01, but we don't know which) New Lost City Ramblers, "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" (on NLCR03, NLCR11, NLCRCD1) Lee Sexton, "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" (on MMOKCD) Hobart Smith, "Fly Around, My Blue-Eyed Girl" (on LomaxCD1702) Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers, "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" (Columbia 15709-D, c. 1931; rec. 1928) CROSS-REFERENCES: cf. "Weevily Wheat" (floating lyrics) cf. "Coffee Grows (Four in the Middle)" (floating lyrics) cf. "Up and Down the Railroad Track" (floating lyrics) cf. "Missus in the Big House" (meter) cf. "Seventeen Come Sunday" [Laws O17] (floating lyrics, some tunes) ALTERNATE TITLES: Blue-Eyed Girl NOTES: My guess is that this is a modified version of "Weevily Wheat." But Paul Stamler thinks it's separate, and certainly it's picked up a lot of floating material. So we classify the two separately. This should not be confused with Laws P18, "Pretty Little Miss." - RBW File: CSW066 Go to the Ballad Search form Go to the Ballad Index Instructions The Ballad Index Copyright 2014 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle. |
Subject: RE: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Jeep man Date: 25 Aug 01 - 11:06 AM Thanks, Folks.This gives me plenty to work on. Jeep Man |
Subject: RE: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Finn McCool Date: 25 Aug 01 - 09:43 AM My favorite line from the Patty Loveless version of Pretty Little Miss is:
Mama says he's not my type --Finn |
Subject: RE: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Coyote Breath Date: 25 Aug 01 - 12:17 AM Ken Haferman, a banjoist from Milwaukee added this verse to "Fly Around...etc." "The higher up the plum tree, The sweeter grow the plums. The more the carpenter plies his trade, The broader grow his thumbs." |
Subject: RE: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: toadfrog Date: 24 Aug 01 - 11:28 PM There is a "Fly Around My Blue Eyed Gal" which has the same tune. And a "BETTY ANNE" to the tune of "Shady Grove," with a couple of verses apparently lifted from Fly Around etc. Threads on the song are HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE The song scans the same as "Shady Grove," so that is an easy matter to lift verses to the one and move them to the other. I think it's going a bit far to conclude that because verses from one song crop up in another the songs are the same. Especially where it's possible the person you just heard sing the song could have been the very first one to throw in those particular verses. Let's see: Who's going to shoe your pretty little foot, Who's going to glove your hand Who's going to kiss your pretty little foot, Who's going to prove that this pretty little song, and all the 1327 others which have this verse in it, are all the same as Shady Grove? Not me! |
Subject: RE: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Sorcha Date: 24 Aug 01 - 09:25 PM Jim, I think you may have it backward---I think Shady Grove pre dates Pretty Little Miss. Put both Shady Grove and Pretty Little Miss in the white search box called Digitrad and Forum Search (different searches of course) and check out all the stuff that comes up. |
Subject: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Jeep man Date: 24 Aug 01 - 09:18 PM Sure would like to have the old words to this. I believe this song is what later became SHADY GROVE. Help is needed. Jeep |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss From: Amos Date: 15 Mar 00 - 08:18 PM I think it is the same tune, Malcolm, but I don't have a MIDI set up right now. Hold on a sec...nope it's not the same -- Weevily Wheat is a modal sort of tune, minor, and this one is a sparky 1-7-1-5 banjo sorta tune. I'll try and get a midi of it made this weekend and post it up for you, but it will be from memory. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss From: Malcolm Douglas Date: 15 Mar 00 - 07:31 PM Is that the same tune as "Weevily Wheat"? If not, would you post a midi? Malcolm |
Subject: Lyr Add: FLY AROUND, MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Amos Date: 15 Mar 00 - 03:21 PM This might well do in the DT. There have been several threads on it over the years. I have added a verse related to "Be Sixteen on Sunday" which was in the version I first heard. FLY AROUND, MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS CHORUS: Fly around, my pretty little miss. Fly around, my daisy. Fly around, my pretty little miss. You almost drive me crazy. How old are you, my pretty little miss? How old are you, my honey? She answered me with a pretty little smile, "I'll be sixteen next Sunday." CHORUS The higher up the cherry tree, The riper grows the cherries. The more you hug and kiss the girls, The sooner they will marry. CHORUS Coffee grows on white oak trees. The river flows with brandy. If I had my pretty little miss, I'd feed her sugar candy. CHORUS Going to get some weevily wheat. I'm going to get some barley. Going to get some weevily wheat, And bake a cake for Charlie. CHORUS Historical note from Music from the Lost Provinces (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/mustrad/articles/lostprov.htm) In 1927 the trio auditioned for a talent scout from the Columbia Phonograph Company and in November of that year traveled to Atlanta to make records under the supervision of Frank B Walker. A name was created on the spot for the band: Frank Blevins and His Tar Heel Rattlers. Only 16 years old at the time, Frank led the band with spirited fiddling and singing that belied his age. Inspired by a few shots of Georgia corn liquor, they first recorded the traditional mountain dance tune Sally Ann, a rendition with such verve and passion that it rivals any other. Next they performed I've Got No Honey Babe Now, a song that shares some lyrics with the old banjo piece Honey Babe, but with a different melody. Old Aunt Betsy was a Frank Blevins original, combining a simple theme with exuberant delivery. The session ended with a second traditional dance tune, Fly Around my Pretty Little Miss. Cf: "Weevily Wheat" in the DT database. |
Subject: Lyr Add: FLY AROUND, MY BLUE-EYED GIRL From: raredance Date: 18 Dec 99 - 11:06 AM The Frank C Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore groups several versions of this under the "Fly Around My Blue-Eyed Girl" heading. As Stewie correctly pointed out the verses hop around especially in the play-party sets. The Brown Collection puts the "Coffe Grows On White Oak Trees" group in the play party section and the "Blue-eyed Girl" group in the folk lyric section, but notes that the "Blue-eyed Girl" group may have been used for play parties. It also notes the connection with "Shady Grove", the tunes and the lyrics are pretty interchangeable. FLY AROUND, MY BLUE-EYED GIRL A. This lyric was contributed by Bascom Lamar Lunsford of Turkey Creek, NC. He said he learned it from a banjo picker, Fletch Rymer in 1898.
How old are you, my pretty little miss?
CHORUS:
Will you marry me, my pretty little miss?
It's every day and Sunday too
It's every day and Sunday too
If I had no horse at all B. This one was from James York of Olin, NC. It's a real composite since the third verse has apparently crept in from a prison song and the last verse from another song called "Bonnie Blue Eyes"
Fly around, my blue eyed girl,
Hard to love when you can't be loved,
They bound my hands with iron bands,
Don't cry, my bonnie blue eyes, C. This one was contributed of Otis Kuykendall of Asheville, NC
The stormy clouds are rising,
CHORUS:
Went up to the mountain top,
You may ride the grey horse D. The last one in this group was from the singing of Mrs. N J Herring of Tomahawk, NC. This is also very composite with a chorus from "Shady Grove", a verse from the play party song "Wish I Had A Needle and Thread" and a floating verse about the yellow girl.
Fly around, my blue-eyed miss,
CHORUS:
Massy had a yellow girl,
I wish I had a needle and thread
Wish I had a banjo string
Wish I was a mocking-bird
rich r |
Subject: Lyr Add: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Stewie Date: 18 Dec 99 - 02:49 AM Here's the Skillet Licker version from the late 1920s, as best as I can transcribe it from Riley Puckett's less than clear vocals. Though the title is 'Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss', that line does not actually appear in the song. There is no specific chorus in this version, simply repetition of several verses. FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS
Put that meat all under the bed
Eighteen pounds of meat a week
Fare you well my pretty little miss
Jaybird died with the whooping cough
Eighteen pounds of meat a week
Put that meat all under the bed
Fare you well my pretty little miss
Eighteen pounds of meat a week Source: The Skillet Lickers 'Old-Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia' County CD-3509 |
Subject: Lyr Add: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Chet W. Date: 17 Dec 99 - 07:15 PM I don't know how I came to know these words or this tune or if they were together when I got them: CHORUS: Fly around, my pretty little miss. Fly around, my Sadie. You slighted me and broke my heart. You almost drive me crazy. Yonder stands my own true love. Reckon how I know? I can tell her by her underclothes, hangin' down so low. Yonder stands my own true love. She's all dressed in red. Next to her, the other girls look like chicken heads. Yonder sits my own true love a-sittin' in the shade. It takes a quart of buttermilk to get her biscuits made. Yonder stands my own true love. She's all dressed in black. Smokes them Camel cigarettes, fifteen cents a pack. Yonder goes my own true love, going into town. The cowboys come to see her dance from fifteen miles around. Yonder comes my own true love, come to get my money. She never ever pays me back. She really thinks that's funny. Yonder lays my own true love. Many times I've told her. They found her with a grizzly bear a-gnawin' on her shoulder. Yonder lays my own true love, coffin made of pine. I was dying for her love. I guess she died for mine. Yonder lays my own true love, pushin' up the daisies. I reckon she'll just lay awhile. It ain't because she's lazy. Chorus after each verse, followed by instrumental break. Chet |
Subject: Lyr Add: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS From: Stewie Date: 17 Dec 99 - 07:00 PM Here's one set of lyrics, but they're not bawdy: FLY AROUND MY PRETTY LITTLE MISS CHORUS: Fly around, my pretty little miss. Fly around, my daisy. Fly around, my pretty little miss. You almost drive me crazy. The higher up the cherry tree, The riper grows the cherries. The more you hug and kiss the girls, The sooner they will marry. CHORUS Coffee grows on white oak tree. The river flows with brandy. If I had my pretty little miss, I'd feed her sugar candy. CHORUS Going to get some weevily wheat. I'm going to get some barley. Going to get some weevily wheat And take a cake to Charlie. CHORUS Source: New Lost City Ramblers 'Volume 3' Folkways LP FA2398. Like most fiddle tunes, the verses of the song consist mainly of floaters. There are several reissues that are readily available on CD at the moment, but none of them is bawdy: The Skillet Lickers 'Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia' County CD-3509. Riley Puckett on lead vocals sings verses like: Eighteen pound of meat a week Whiskey in the still How can a young man stay at home When the girls all look so well I will try to transcribe it later. There is also a version by Frank Blevins and His Tar Heel Rattlers on a wonderful CD: Various Artists 'Music From the Lost Provinces' Old Hat CD 1001. The debut CD for the label. There is a spirited version by the Hillbillies with Elvis Alderman on fiddle. They call it 'Blue Eyed Girl' and it is available on: The Hillbillies/Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters 'Complete Recorded Works Volume 1 1925-1926 Document DOCD-8039. Regards, Stewie. |
Subject: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss From: Fred Date: 17 Dec 99 - 05:44 PM This one has been tried before unsuccessfully, but I gotta believe there's someone out there who knows this old mountain song. I heard Laura Boosinger add plenty of bright, perky lyrics, and the previous thread-spinner (Betty Anne) postulated that a few porno verses also exist. How's that for a tease? |
Subject: Lyr. to Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss From: BFP Date: 14 Aug 99 - 05:41 PM Just returned from the Augusta Festival and a woman banjo player performed Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss. She sang several verses to the song which I promptly forgot. They were funny and two rather rabald. I play this song and would like to learn more verses. The only one I know is: Never trust an old man, I'll tell you the reason why. He always spits tobacco juice and never zips his fly. I appreciate you help. |
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