Barbecue songs

Subject: Lyr Add: BARBECUE ANY OLD TIME (Brownie McGhee)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Oct 16 - 11:24 PM

BARBECUE ANY OLD TIME
As recorded by Brownie McGhee

Barbecued chicken, barbecued ham,
Barbecued beef, barbecued lamb*—
When you fix a table for me,
Make it plain barbecue sweet as can be.
Tell me, little woman: who'd you give my barbecue to?

I bought you pepper; I bought you salt.
I went to work [in] my overalls.
I come back home, sign on my door:
"Bye-bye, daddy; I don't need you no more."
Tell me, little woman: who'd you give my barbecue to?

I'm a poor boy and a long, long way from home.
I'm a poor boy and a long, long way from home.
Please don't mistreat me; please don't do me wrong.

When I was young in my prime,
I got my barbecue any old time.
Now I'm old; bones is cold.
Can't get no barbecue to save my soul.
Tell me, little woman: who'd you give my barbecue to?

I'm a poor boy and a long, long way from home.
I'm a poor boy and a long, long way from home.
Well, please don't mistreat me; please don't do me wrong.

I'm a poor boy and a long, long way from home.
I'm a poor boy and a long, long way from home.
If you don't treat me right, baby, please don't do me wrong.


* I actually think he repeats "ham" here, but "lamb" would be better.

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: cnd
Date: 30 Oct 16 - 11:41 PM

Barbecue In Heave [mudcat]

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: Leadfingers
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 04:49 AM

A while back I had the idea of a four piece vocal group , particularly for Outdoor events , and call ourselves a Barbercue Quartet

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 06:39 AM

THE THOUSAND ISLANDS SONG

From the Broadway Revue "Angel In The Wings" (1947) (Bob Hilliard / Carl Sigman)


Recorded by Arthur Godfrey (with The Too Fat Trio) - 1948

Subject: Lyr Add: WHO DID YOU GIVE MY BARBECUE TO? (Edwards
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 09:26 AM

An antecedent of Brownie McGhee's version (see above).


WHO DID YOU GIVE MY BARBECUE TO?
As recorded by Big Boy Teddy Edwards, 1934.

PART 1 (Matrix 80605)

Down ... my tears come down like rain.
Honey, down in … my tears come down like rain.
Deep down, my baby, there lies an achin' pain.

I cooked your dinner, brought to your bed,
I taken a comb, combed your head.
Nighttime come, baby, rock you to sleep,
Wake up in the mornin' wash your feet.
Now tell me, good baby: who'd you give my barbecue to?

I'm a poor, poor boy, long, long way from home.
I'm a poor boy, long, long ways from home.
Now don't dog me, baby; Lord, don't do me wrong.

I love your mama, your papa too.
I love your sister; your brother won't do.
You got Aunt(?) ... livin' on the road.
Used to love that woman; don't love her no mo'.
Now tell me, good baby: who'd you give my barbecue to?

[2 scat lines]
And I love you mama, Lord, but I don't love your ways.

When I'm dead, baby, in my grave,
Tell me, mama: who'll take my place?
Talkin' 'bout your sweet man, live down the street.
Claim he's so nice, so doggone neat.
Now tell me, good mama: just who'd you give my barbecue to?

PART 2 (Matrix 80606)

Well, I did all I could, mama, to get along with you.
I did all I could, baby, to get along with you.
And you treat me low-down an' dirty; baby, that's the way you do.

I bought your pepper; I bought your salt.
I went and slaved(?), baby, [in] my overalls.
Come back home, sign on the door
Say: "That barbecue, don't give it away no more."
Now tell me, good baby: who's you givin' my barbecue to?

[2 scat lines]
And I love you mama, ah, but I don't love your ways.

Barbecue chicken, barbecue ham,
Barbecue beef, barbecue lamb—
When you fix a table for me,
Give me them plain ... let 'em be free.
Now tell me, good baby: who'd you give my barbecue to?

I told you mama; ain't gon' tell you no mo'.
Told you, mama; ain't gon' tell you no mo'
Till I have my barbecue, baby, ev'rywhere you go.

When I's a boy, in my prime,
Get my barbecue any time.
Now I'm old; my bones is cold.
[Can't] get my barbecue, go an' lose my soul.
Now tell me, good baby: who'd you give my barbecue to?


Washboard Sam also recorded a version of this song, which he called "Barbecue."

Subject: Lyr Add: DARKTOWN BARBECUE (WM Cook, 1904)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 10:59 AM

These lyrics are taken from the sheet music at Mississippi State University. There is also a recording by William Brown on "Swing Along: The Songs of Will Marion Cook" (2006). You can hear it on Spotify.


DARKTOWN BARBECUE (DARKTOWN WAS OUT AT DAT BARBECUE)*
Words and music by Will Marion Cook, ©1904.

1. Down at de barbecue las' Chuesday night,
Darktown was out. Oh, Lord, 'twas a sight!
Ev'ryone rode up in somethin' on wheels.
Quite a few coons had automobiles.
Mandy was dere in huh new gingham dress
Wid Dan by huh side jes' prancin' a mess;
Ole Deacon Johnson an' Aunt Sallie too
Forgot about church at dat barbecue.
Dat pig was sho' a treat!
My, how dem coons did eat
Dem pig tails an' pig's feet, so sweet!

CHORUS: You know dat Darktown was out at dat barbecue.
Dey eat as ef 'twas deir las' time to.
Dey sang 'kase dey had no work to do.
Darktown was out at dat barbecue.

2. Soon as de eatin' an' drinkin' was through,
De dance began at dat barbecue.
Such scand'lous wingin' ain't nobody seen.
Sho' 'twas a sight to watch Tildy Green.
She pranced an' she danced till huh face was red,
An' when she two-stepped los' dat wig off huh head.
'Cause razor Mose tried to start up a fuss,
But Bill cut him down; dat ended de muss.
Dem coons wore out dat flo'.
Danced all night, den wanted mo'.
'Twas ragtime an' coonjine fo' sho'.


* Spelled "barbacue" on the sheet music cover, but "barbecue" in the lyrics.

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 11:59 AM

And spelled "barbeque" on almost every announcement I've seen.

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 03:57 PM

Eric Bogle's Aussie Barbecue, which you'll get the lyrics of on his own website.

Subject: Lyr Add: DOWN AT THE BARBECUE (Lewis/Erdman, 1914)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 10:33 PM

Following lyrics are from the sheet music at Mississippi State University. Several other libraries also have copies, which leads me to think this must have been a fairly popular song. However, I couldn't find an old recording available online, but I found this recent one at YouTube.


DOWN AT THE BARBECUE
Words by Roger Lewis, music by Ernie Erdman, ©1914.

1. Toot, toot, toot! Hear that whistle screeching.
Toot, toot, toot! Hear the preacher preaching,
Talking to the congregation, telling them today
There's goin' to be a barbecue a few miles down the bay.
Hon', hon', hon', dress up; make a showing.
Run, run, run; boat will soon be going.
Bring along my old banjo,
And honey dear, we're goin' to go
And oh, oh, oh!

CHORUS: Down at the barbecue, down at the barbecue,
Ev'rybody's goin', honey; so are you.
Oh, you crowd in Dixie, we'll be with you alright.
Have enough to eat; we've got a big appetite.
Oh! Oh! You possum stew, what we won't do to you!
There won't be any left at all when we get through.
All the old songs we'll be singing.
Hear us harmonizing while the moon is rising,
Down at the barbecue.

2. Hon', hon', hon', see the crowd that's going.
Hon', hon', hon', see the class they're showing.
Ev'rybody's happy; why, there's not a one who's sad,
And dressed in lots of colors that the rainbow never had.
Come, come, come; hear that band a-playin'.
Look, look, look; ev'rybody's swayin'.
This town is no place for you,
So we'll go to the barbecue,
And oo, oo, oo!

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MISSISSIPPI BARBECUE (D Reed, 1914)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 16 - 11:41 PM

The following lyrics come from the sheet music at Indiana University. You can also hear a 1914 recording by Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan on YouTube.


THE MISSISSIPPI BARBECUE
Words and music by Dave Reed, ©1914.

1. Honey, honey, hurry; put your best clothes on.
Come out and meet me at the old red barn.
I've got the mule team hitched up waitin' you there.
I'm goin' to take you to a swell affair.
Ev'rybody's waitin' there for me and you,
Down at the Mississippi barbecue.
We'll have the grandest spree
That you ever dared to see
Before that party is through.

CHORUS: Oh, honey, hear the people cheer.
Come here; I'm goin'.
We'll be singin' and wingin' till the hour of dawn,
Ev'ry kind of devil dance that ever was born.
Oh, hear that grand
Kentucky band.
Good land!
Some blowin'.
Gee, I'm just goin' dippy
About that Mississippi
Barbecue.

2. Soon you'll hear the steamboat comin' down the stream,
Puffin' and tootin' with a mighty scream.
She'll bring the Darktown dandies from Tennessee
Down to Kentucky to the jubilee.
Smell the grand aroma of that cookin' sweet.
Lordy, I wish that it was time to eat.
I'll have an awful fight
Controllin' my appetite.
It runs clean down to my feet.

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Nov 16 - 03:42 AM

We decided to have a barbie
Scorching meat whilst the children play
But we forgot we were here in Blighty
And it pissed it down all day

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: Susan of DT
Date: 01 Nov 16 - 05:41 AM

One version of Shule Aroon in the DT:

Shule, shule, shule-a mac-a-me
Shule-a mac-a-rac-stack Sally Bobby-cue
Shule-a mac-a-rac-stack Sally Bobby Lee
Come bibble-un-a-boose said Lora

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 01 Nov 16 - 01:28 PM

Should that last line have been
Come barbecue a moose said Lora

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: michaelr
Date: 01 Nov 16 - 08:23 PM

The word is definitely "barbecue" (from barbacoa, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue).

The Q came in with that silly short form "BBQ". It has no place in the actual word.

Subject: Lyr Add: EAST CAROLINA BARBECUE BLUES (W Nelms)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Nov 16 - 09:15 PM

I heard this on Spotify:


EAST CAROLINA BARBECUE BLUES
As recorded by Willie Nelms on "East Carolina Barbecue Blues" (2012)

In North Carolina at the end of the trail,
You see a sign on the door: "Barbecue for Sale."
I'm talkin' 'bout barbecue,
Talkin' 'bout barbecue.
Oh, that barbecue, the only thing I sell!

Well, you're sure gonna like it, 'cause it's good stuff.
You want some more 'cause you can't get enough
Of that barbecue,
Our eastern-style barbecue.
Oh, that barbecue, the only thing I sell!

The young folks like it; so do the old.
They eat it hot and they eat it cold.
I'm talkin' 'bout barbecue,
Talkin' 'bout barbecue.
Oh, that barbecue, the only thing I sell!

In North Carolina we sure like to eat.
We like corn bread and we like tea sweet,
But we love our barbecue,
Our eastern-style barbecue.
Oh, that barbecue, the only thing I sell!

Oh, that barbecue, the only thing I sell!

Subject: Lyr Add: BARBECUE BLUES (Lucille Bogan)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Nov 16 - 09:48 PM

BARBECUE BLUES
As recorded by Lucille Bogan, 1934 or 1935.

When you come to my house, come down behind the jail.
I got a sign on my do': "Barbecue for Sale."
I'm talkin' 'bout my barbecue, only thing I crave.
And that good-doin' meat goin' carry me to my grave.

I'm sellin' it cheap 'cause I got good stuff,
And if you try one time, you can't get enough.
I'm talkin' 'bout barbecue, only thing I sell,
And if you want my meat, you can come to my house at twelve.

Now some like it hot; some like it cold.
Some take it any way it's sold.
I'm talkin' 'bout barbecue, only thing I crave,
And that good-doin' meat goin' to take me to my grave.

Some people wants it; some people don't.
If you buy my barbecue they just won't(?) don't, don't, don't.
Talkin' 'bout barbecue, only thing I sell,
An' if you want my meat, you got to come to my house at twelve.

Some people wants to know the reg'lar price.
Fifty-five cents, you can get some twice.
And I'm talkin' 'bout my barbecue, only thing I sell,
And you can get my meat any night at twelve.


Not the same song as "Barbecue Blues" recorded by Barbecue Bob (which, by the way, doesn't mention barbecue).

Subject: Lyr Add: AUSSIE BARBECUE (Eric Bogle)
From: GUEST,gecko
Date: 02 Nov 16 - 08:52 PM

The gifted Eric Bogle wrote this and it's been the cause of laughter ever since.


Aussie Barbeque
-Eric Bogle

When the summer sun is shining on Australia's happy land
Round countless fires, in strange attire in many solemn bands
Of glum Australians watching as the lunch goes up in flames
By the smoke and the smell you can plainly tell, that it's barby time again

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque!

The Scots eat lots of haggis, the French eat snails and frogs
The Greeks throw kakis on their mousakis, and the Chinese love hot dogs
The Welshmen love to have a leek, the Irish like their stew
But you just can't beat that half-cooked meat at an Aussie barbeque

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque

There's flies stuck to the margarine, the bread has gone rock hard
The kids are fighting and the mossies are biting, who forgot the Aeroguard again?
There's bull ants in the eskie, and the beer is running out
And what you saw in Mom's cole slaw, you just don't think about

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque

And when the barby's over and your homeward way you wend
With a queezy tummy on the family dummy, many lonely hours you'll spend
You might find yourself reflecting, like many often do
Come rain or shine that's the bloody last time that you'll have a barbeque!

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Nov 16 - 09:22 PM

Youtube turned up the song by Lucille Bogan as Barbecue Bess, but I think your transcription is right

Subject: RE: Barbecue songs
From: cnd
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 09:53 PM

Alright, it's been about 5 years since this thread started. Does anyone know any songs, of any genre, mentioning barbeque? I've been doing a good bit of searching so I'm looking for some more obscure ones here.

Subject: Lyr Add: ALABAMA BARBECUE (B Davis, J F Coots)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Feb 21 - 10:03 AM

Lyrics from recordings (see below):


ALABAMA BARBECUE
(Words by Benny Davis, music by J. Fred Coots, from “Cotton Club Parade,” ©1936.)

There’ll be no low moanin’ or kickin’
But there’ll be cornbread and fried chicken.
There’ll be no pickin’ cotton.
Cotton will be forgotten
At the Alabama barbecue.

There’ll be no high preachin’ or prayin’,
But there’ll be some swingin’ an’ swayin’.
There’ll be no baptizin’,
But there’ll be harmonizin’
At the Alabama barbecue.

Keep the banjo strummin’; keep things hummin’.
There’s great days comin’ to you.

There’ll be no time for complainin’,
But there’ll be sunshine an’ no rainin’.
There’ll be nor room for Satan,
But there’ll be celebratin’
At the Alabama barbecue.

- - -
You can hear two recordings at the Internet Archive:
1. By Jerry Freeman and His Orchestra with vocalist Midge Williams, on Melotone 6-12-05. 1936.
2. By the Ink Spots, on Decca 1154 B, 1937.