Songs of Appalachia

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Beccy
Date: 06 Feb 03 - 04:05 PM

Thanks so much, Jean and everyone else who's pointed me in the right direction. I'm expecting my fourth baby and I'm trying to put together, with my hubby, a recording of many of my favorite childhood songs.    It'll be our first attempt at folk recording- with the exception of Christ Child's Lullabye- both of us having rock backgrounds.

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 06 Feb 03 - 03:10 PM

Beccy, # 3 on your list is from an early recording by Dick & Ann Albin who excell in humorous songs. The last line of that chorus,which begins, "Walk on the path..." is, "and don't cook nothin in the pot that's under the bed." Dick(Richard)Albin has a website- I'm sure you can order CDs from him. Dick and Ann are divorced now and married to other people, but still friends and occasionally still perform together at festivals.

The latest recording of, "Black Waters," is by Laurie Lewis- very well sung. It's also available on my "None But One/High Hills & Mts" CD, along with Fair Nottamun Town (abandoning the "s), The Flowers of Joy, None But One, Now is the Cool of the Day, See That Rainbow Shine, The Orphan's Lament, The Riddle Song, Too Many Shadows, and Wondrous Love.   Some old, some new!    Love, Jean

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Beccy
Date: 06 Feb 03 - 10:09 AM

Thanks, everyone! Keep it coming if you have more.

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 11:33 PM

Mark, fairly good luck with the filter. I put in watermelon and set for All. Put in a word and if it doesn't work, try another. In fact I have found things I couldn't get with L and K Search.

Where I came from, Simmons was a mattress. (Per)-simmons show up occasionally at the Canadian supermarkets, but my wife (from way down theah) says they ain't much good by the time they get here.

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: ddw
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 11:10 PM

Subtle, TNDARLN. I like it.

cheers,

david

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: TNDARLN
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 09:45 PM

Possum
Coon
Taters
Simmons
Yankee

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: NicoleC
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 08:49 PM

Hmmm. Maybe it's my local dialect -- very local! In my family, a "Simmons" is someone on my grandpa's side of the family, and a "Purr-simmons" is a fruit that just gets tastier the uglier it looks.

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: catspaw49
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 08:37 PM

Mark, the forum search is down right now.

As to 'simmons....No folk processing involved if you ask me. I'd bet the song was written as 'simmons. Hell, I never heard the whole word til I was in my teens!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Mark Clark
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 08:18 PM

Thanks, GUEST,Q. I thought there should be some prior discussion so I submitted "watermelon on the vine" and "watermelon" to the Mudcat Lyrics & Knowledge Search but found nothing.

Is there a better search facility than the one at the top of the threads page?

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 07:05 PM

Lots more watermelons in this field, er thread, 27546: Watermelon

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: NicoleC
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 06:52 PM

Flattery will get you everywhere, Amos, but I was just indulging in a idle bit of musing about the "processing" of the song. Words do change -- usually when someone mumbles the words and someone else makes up something that kinda fits the sound!

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Amos
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 06:46 PM

Nicole -- Your stunning talent for excellent detail work is admirable, a true bright light. But this time I think it is hauling you further than you want to go. Either construction works perfectly well, and the omission of an addition "your" in front of 'simmons (which is the most popular colloquial form for them) is just poetic variance. If it was once "Your per...simmons", hell, a song just got folk-processed a little. It don't hurt none!

A

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: NicoleC
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 06:18 PM

I was refering to the conjunction of the words "pears" and "simmons" -- to me, it makes more sense as:

You may talk about your peaches, your apples and your
Persimmons growing on the tree

Not that all songs make sense! But otherwise "'Simmons" is just hanging out there and doesn't make sense as a sentence. In my family (SW VA) it's generally "Puhr-simmon."

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 06:11 PM

Well, I suppose I've most often seen it 'simmons growing on a tree - but rarely persimmons. Persimmons are very hard for the meter to digest...
They grow like crazy here in the Sierra foothills - but I don't like them. My wife does, though.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: GUEST,Walking Eagle
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 06:08 PM

That would be Persimmons. 'Correct grammer' would be 'simmons. But who really cares about that?

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: NicoleC
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 05:44 PM

You may talk about your peaches, your apples and your pears
Simmons growing on the tree

Do you think that might supposed to be (or was originally) "and your persimmons growing on the tree"?

Persimmons are very popular in that neck of the woods; they grow all over the place. I can't recall seeing a pear tree although I'm sure they are there.

Subject: Lyr Add: WATERMELON ON THE VINE
From: Mark Clark
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 05:22 PM

WATERMELON ON THE VINE

^^

See that watermelon a-hanging on the fence
How I wish that melon was mine
Some folks are foolish, they just don't have no sense
Or they wouldn't leave that melon on the vine

Hambone it is sweet, chicken it is good
Rabbit is so very, very fine
But give me, oh give me, oh how I wish you would
That watermelon hanging on the vine

You may talk about your peaches, your apples and your pears
Simmons growing on the tree
Folks have their favorites just most every where
But that watermelon is the best for me

* Refrain

I went to get that melon, I thought I'd have some fun
The stars they had just begun to shine
But when I heard some moving, I left there on the run
But I didn't leave that melon on the vine

* Refrain

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Burke
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 05:08 PM

Black Waters is in the DT. Click here

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Frankham
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 05:02 PM

Beccy,

1.) "Now there's scenes of destruction on every hand. And only black waters run down through my land..."

One of my favorite songwriters ever! Jean Ritchie wrote Black Waters.
Kytrad is on the Mudcat list.

Jean,

wish you would come out with an anthology of your songs (unless of course I've missed it).

L.and N, Cool of the Day, Black Waters, The Winter Song, all winners! In the tradition of the great folk song writers ....Woody....A.P....

Frank

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 04:51 PM

Kytrad? Are you there?

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Songs of Appalachia
From: CraigS
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 04:49 PM

Try asking at your library for a copy of Songs of the Appalachian Mountains by Maud Karpeles

Subject: Songs of Appalachia
From: Beccy
Date: 05 Feb 03 - 04:42 PM

I'm looking for some songs from Appalachia- Kentucky, specifically. When I lived there in the late 70s (as a kid) there were a couple songs that some of our neighbors sang. Can you help me if I give you some lyrics and/or chords?

1.) "Now there's scenes of destruction on every hand. And only black waters run down through my land..."

2.) "Hambone is good. Chicken is sweet. Possum meat is very, very fine. Ain't it so?"

3.) "Walk on the path. Watch your step. The woods ain't real well kept. The old front porch is just a little bit rickety. You sure better watch your step."

4.) "Go to sleep little sparkplug. Go to sleep today."

And if you have other ones, I'd love to hear 'em.

Thanks!