Lyr Req: Old Joe Clark (Fiddlin' John Carson)

Subject: Lyr Add: OLD JOE CLARK (Fiddlin' John Carson)
From: Roberto
Date: 20 Jan 08 - 12:29 PM

Please, help me with this Fiddlin' John Carson's recording. I completely miss one stanza. It seems it is about a yeller gal/yellow girl. I'm not sure of the chorus: it doesn't seem he sings exactly "Bye, Betsy Brown", nor I'm sure of "Walk home, Old Joe Clark": it could be "walk on, walk along,,,"... Thanks. R

Fare You Well, Old Joe Clark
Fiddlin' John Carson

Now I've got no money
Got nowhere to stay
Got no place to lay my head
By the chickens crowin' for day

Fare you well, old Joe Clark
Bye, Betsy Brown
Walk home, old Joe Clark
Goin' to leave this town

Wished I had a nickel
I wished I had a dime
I wished I had a pretty little girl
To kiss her and call her mine

Fare you well, old Joe Clark
Bye, Betsy Brown
Walk home, old Joe Clark
Goin' to leave this town

…

Walk home, old Joe Clark
Bye, Betsy Brown

Would not marry an old maid
I'll tell you the reason why
Her neck's so long and stringy
I'm afraid she'll never die

Fare you well, old Joe Clark
Bye, Betsy Brown
Walk home, old Joe Clark
Goin' to leave this town

I went down to Dinah's
Standin' in the door
With shoes and stocking in her hand
Her feet all over the floor

Fare you well, old Joe Clark
Bye, Betsy Brown
Walk home, old Joe Clark
Goin' to leave this town

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddlin' John Carson's Old Joe Clark
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Jan 08 - 12:09 AM

Hi Roberto,

Carson recorded 'Old Joe Clark' again in 1927 with the more familiar chorus and lyrics. The chorus of this 1924 recording is anybody's guess. The best I can make of it is:
Fare you well old Joe Clark
Bye then Betsy Brown
(To home, to home) Old Joe Clark [Could be 'to horse, to horse]
Goin' to leave this town

I hear your missing stanza as follows (I'm not certain of 'close', but I reckon the rest is right):

Once I bought a yella girl
And I brought her from the South
The hair's around her head so tight
Couldn't (close) her mouth

Places where I hear something different from your transcription are:

S1, L1 'Now I got no money'
S1, L4 'By the chicken' a-crowin' for day'

S2 'Wish' rather than 'wished' in each instance
S2, L4 'Whistle and call her mine'

S4, L3 It sounds more to me like 'strandy' albeit 'stringy' would seem more apt.

S5, L3 I hear 'stockings'
S5, L4 'Feet' is grammatical, but I think he sings 'foot'

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddlin' John Carson's Old Joe Clark
From: Stewie
Date: 21 Jan 08 - 12:28 AM

My apologies, the '1924' date in my previous post should have read '1923'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Fiddlin' John Carson's Old Joe Clark
From: GUEST,Roberto
Date: 21 Jan 08 - 02:53 AM

Thank you again, Stewie. R