Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane

Subject: Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane
From: PHJim
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 12:04 AM

I have heard both Po'Boy Jeffreys & Calamity Jane and Blind Blake Higgs perform this song, but Am having trouble transcribing the lyrics. Does anyone have a source for them?

Consumptive Sarah Jane

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 12:07 AM

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry for this song:

Sara Jane

DESCRIPTION: Singer describes his girlfriend/wife in unflattering ways; she hits him, she's the "terror of New York"; in short, "My poor, silly Jane...She's my darling, she's my daisy, She's humpbacked and she's crazy... She's my freckled-faced consumptive Sara Jane"
AUTHOR: Lyrics: unknown; tune: Will S. Hays
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (recording, Cramer Bros.; Harbin-Parodology)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer describes his girlfriend/wife in increasingly uncomplimentary ways; she hits him, she's the "terror of New York"; she eats cake, eats a fly, and vomits; she's crosseyed and lame, her breath smells like onions, etc. In short, "My poor, silly Jane...She's my darling, she's my daisy, She's humpbacked and she's crazy... She's my freckled-faced consumptive Sara Jane"
KEYWORDS: madness shrewishness abuse humorous parody
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Harbin-Parodology, #88, p. 26, "Mary Ann" (1 text)
Pankake/Pankake-PrairieHomeCompanionFolkSongBook, pp. 178-179 , "My Freckle-Faced Consumptive Mary Ann" (1 text, 1 tune -- the final verse and chorus of this song, which could circulate independently)
RECORDINGS:
Cramer Brothers, "Sara Jane" (Broadway 7578 c. 1927; Broadway 8059, c. 1932; rec. 1927)
J. D. Foster, "My Sarah Jane" (Gennett 6791/Supertone 9372 [as Sam Bunch], 1929)
Lester McFarland & Robert Gardner, "Sara Jane" (Vocalion 5122, 1927; rec. 1926)
Blind Blake Higgs, "Consumptive Sara Jane" (on WIHIGGS01)
Smoky Mountain Twins, "Sarah Jane" (Conqueror 7065, 1928) [note: this record number was also used for "I Was Born 4000 Years Ago), but that may have been the same recording, as the songs can share a floating verse]
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hungry Hash House" (floating verse, tune)
cf. "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago (Bragging Song)" (Charlie Poole version - floating verse)
cf. "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" (tune)
NOTES [139 words]: Not to be confused with Uncle Dave Macon's "Rock About My Saro Jane." Since it shares the "freckle-faced consumptive etc." verse with Charlie Poole's 1925 recording "I'm the Man Who Rode the Mule Around the World" and several recordings of "Hungry Hash House," one suspects it was composed as an extension of those appearances. Or does the whole song appear elsewhere, earlier?- PJS
I've no good answer to that question; we are, for the moment, filing loose verses about the freckle-faced girl here, but it's by no means clear where they actually originated. See, however, "Dennis McGonagle's Daughter Mary Ann" and "Sweet Mary Ann (Such an Education Has My Mary Ann)."
Not to be confused with "Sarah Jane," also a humorous song between lovers, but based on "Pop Goes the Weasel" and ending with him dead and her courting another. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.2
File: RcSarJan

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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane
From: cnd
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 03:16 PM

Hi Jim, here's how I hear the Blind Blake Higgs version. (listen). See also - My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane

CONSUMPTIVE MARY SARA JANE

She promised to meet me while the clock strikes seventeen
Down by my stockyard, so many miles away
Where string beans and onions sell at seventeen cents a pound
She's my freckle-faced consumptive Sara Jane

She is my lady, my baby, she's cross-eye and she's crazy
She had a banjo belly, a parrot toe
Her grandma made her sleep outdoor
Some say her breath was sweet but I'd rather smell her feet
She's my freckle-faced consumptive Sara Jane

She is my honey, she got money, she's a good gal but she's funny
She got iron hands, crooked feet
She don't like fish, but she crazy about me
Some say her teeths was false from drinking Epson salt
She's my freckle-faced consumptive Sara Jane

Some say her teeths was false from drinking Epson salt
She's my freckle-faced consumptive Sara Jane

Some say her breath was sweet but I'd rather smell her feet
She's my freckle-faced consumptive Sara Jane

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane
From: cnd
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 03:18 PM

By the way, I saw your attempt to ask Po'Boy Jeffrys for the lyrics. His response is frustratingly typical of a lot of folk singers. If you can't understand his singing of it, transcribing the Blind Blake version is sure to be a bigger challenge, right? Always frustrates me how some folk singers like to gatekeep [intentionally sometimes, accidentally, others] obscure songs by refusing to share -- or sometimes, intentionally obfuscating -- their lyrics. Not to say that Jeffrys was doing this with malice, but... why not share?

Anyways, rant aside. My transcription is more accurate than Jeffrys's anyhow... :) Just to point out the differences in the event you want the lyrics to his version:

Down by my stockyard, so many miles away >>> Down by the sunset, so many miles away
Where string beans and onions sell at seventeen cents a pound >>> Where string beans and onions, well, I sell ever since you're born
She had a banjo belly, a parrot toe >> She got a big ole belly, a parrot toe
Her grandma made her sleep outdoor >>> I bet my mate wouldn't sleep outdoors

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane
From: PHJim
Date: 01 Feb 23 - 12:08 AM

Thanks so much cnd. That's exacty what I needed.
Thanks a lot for the background info Joe.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Consumptive Sarah Jane
From: PHJim
Date: 01 Feb 23 - 12:12 AM

Here's how I play it. I like the changes a lot, but ws having trouble with the words. Thanks to cnd, I can now add this to my repertoire:

Consumptive Sarah Jane - Blind Blake Higgs

She [F] promised to [F7] meet me while the [Bb] clock strikes seven[Bbm]teen
[F] Down by the [D7] stockyard, so [G7] many miles a[C]way
Where [F] string beans and [F7] onions sell at [Bb] seventeen cents a [Bbm] pound
She's my [F] freckle[D7]faced con[G7]sumptive [C7] Sara [F] Jane [F#7] [G7] [C7]

She is my [Bb] lady, my [Bbm] baby, she's [F] cross-eyed and she's [F7] crazy[F#7]
She had a [G7] banjo belly, a [F#7] parrot [G7] toe
[C stop] Her grandma made her sleep outdoors
Some [F] say her breath was [F7] sweet but I'd [Bb] rather smell her [Bbm] feet
She's my [F] freckle[D7]faced con[G7]sumptive [C7] Sara [F] Jane [F#7] [G7] [C7]

She is my [Bb] honey, she got [Bbm] money, she's a [F] good gal but she's [F7] funny [F#7]
She got [G7] iron hands, [F#7] crooked [G7] feet
She [C stop] don't like fish, but she's crazy about me
Some [F] say her teeth was [F7] false from [Bb] drinking Epson [Bbm] salts
She's my [F] freckle[D7]faced con[G7]sumptive [C7] Sara [F] Jane [F#7] [G7] [C7]

Some [F] say her teeth was [F7] false from [Bb] drinking Epson [Bbm] salts
She's my [F] freckle[D7]faced con[G7]sumptive [C7] Sara [F] Jane [F#7] [G7] [C7]

Some [F] say her breath was [F7] sweet but I'd [Bb] rather smell her [Bbm] feet
She's my [F] freckle[D7]faced con[G7]sumptive [C7] Sara [F] Jane [F#7] [G7] [C7] [F]