Lyr/Chords Req: Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough
From: GUEST,tomias
Date: 19 May 09 - 10:23 AM

this song was sung to be as a child and I really did have the Whooping cough
the version I know is
Away down younder, not a very far off
There died a Blue Jay with the Whooping cough
He Whooped so hard
That he Whooped his head and tail right off

Same song second verse
(Than it is repeated with the Whooping getting Worse this goes on
and on with each time the Whooping getting worse)
Than to end the song we speak
And remember "It wasn't the cough that carried him off but rather the
coffing they carried him off in.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Jaybird Died of the Whooping C
From: Artful Codger
Date: 15 Apr 08 - 02:22 PM

Azizi, since Charles Trevathan co-opted the "Frog Song" from a folk or minstrel song that he heard performed, the derivation is most likely the other way round, or they have a common ancestry. See JJ's post in this thread for details, from the liner notes to "Vaudeville".

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough
From: GLoux
Date: 15 Apr 08 - 09:00 AM

I don't know if these lyrics go with the fiddle tune (I hope so) but the tune we play comes from the playing of John Ashby. It is available from the Field Recorders' Collective

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough
From: Azizi
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 10:29 PM

Speaking of thread drift, thread.cfm?threadid=94034 "Origins: Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky" has lots of contemporary versions of a children's rhyme, the first part of which probably came from "May Irwin's 'Frog Song".

Here's what appears to be the most common version of the first part of that rhyme:

Down by the banks of the hanky panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
with a hip-hop soda pop
frog hit the lilly pad and went ker-plop

-snip-

Other rhymes are often combined with that verse, but discussing those rhymes would be going too far from the subject of this thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 08:04 PM

Not really thread creep- just deepening the pond. In this one, the girl I left behind me shows up-

Oh the jaybird died of the whooping-cough;
And ther sparrow died of the colic;
Along came a frog with his fiddle on his back,
Inquiring the way to the frolic.

If ever I get through this war,
And the Southern boys don't find me,
I'll return straightway back home again
To the girl I left behind me.

From Mississippi, country whites, MS of Dr. Harrington, 1909.
In E. C. Perrow, 1911, I, JAFL 25, "Songs and Rhymes of the South," II, 35, Songs in Which Animals Figure.

Another "Away down Yonder" verse-

Way daown yander in Arkansaw,
The bullfrog said "Ker-chow ker-chaw."
Way daown yander in China-rank,
The Bullfrog jumped from bank to bank.
The bullfrog jumped from the bottom of the well,
En' swore by God! he was just from Hell.
East Tennessee, mountain whites, 1905. II 41A, ibid.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Artful Codger
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 07:25 PM

That last brings to mind "May Irwin's 'Frog Song'" (1896, in the DT) where the third and sixth lines of every verse are variations of "Cause he hadn't nothin' else to do". It was recorded by Joan Morris and William Bolcom on the "Vaudeville" LP, and is included in the CD reissue "After the Ball". No jaybird, so I plead guilty to thread creep.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 14 Apr 08 - 04:48 PM

Thomas Talley provided the music in his "Negro Folk Rhymes," No. 50 p. 32, Revised Ed., pub. 1949, Univ. Tennessee Press. The lyrics are the same as posted by Azizi.

Newman I. White, American Negro Folk Songs, reports it from the minstrel song, Jim Along Josie, c. 1846, that date also mentioned by Talley.

40A
Over de hills an a great way off
De jaybird died with the hookin' cough,
An a way down in a big muddy pon'
Oh dis jaybird died wid his breeches on.
Reported in C. B. Crow MS, as heard in "Levee Camp on Mississippi River in Louisiana." 1915-1916.

"In the "New Jim Along Josey," in "Negro Singers' Own Book," c. 1846, it is the bullfrog who dies of the whooping cough; and in "Go away, go away, Don't Come Nigh," (Ibid.) it is the bulltoad."

In the same song book:

De toads dey jumped an' de tadpoles danced,
De hogs dey squealed an' de possum pranced.

Away down yonder in the forks of de branch,
The jaybird whistled and de buzzard danced- collected in LA 1915-1916.
'Way down yonder in de fork ob de branch
De jaybird say he ain't got much chance. - Heard in ALabama, 1915, sung by grandfather. ((White).

Similar verse from ALabama, Blake MS-
Way up yonder on the ole green lake
The bullfrog died with the belly ache,
Just cause he had nothin' else to do,
Just cause he had nothin' else to do.

Some verses also reported in Perrow.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Artful Codger
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 10:40 PM

The Red Clay Ramblers sang "Blue Jay" on Twisted Laurel. It has the "jaybird pulled a four-horse plow" verse.

Subject: LYR ADD: Jaybird Died With The Whooping Cough
From: Azizi
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 06:58 PM

Here's the words to "Jaybird Died With The Whooping Cough" that Thomas W. Talley included in his now classic 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes, Wise And Otherwise


De Jaybird died wid de Whooping Cough,
De Sparrer died wid de colic;
'Long come de Red-bird , skippin' 'round,
Sayin': "Boys, git ready fer de Frolic!"

De Jaybird died wid de Whooping Cough,
De Bluebird died wid de Measles;
'Long come a N**ger wid a fiddle oon his back,
'Vitin' Crows fer to dance wid de Weasels.

Dat Mockin-bird, he romp an' sing;
Dat ole Gray Goose come prancin'/
Dat Thrasher stuff his mouf wid plums,
Den he caper down to de dancin'.

Dey hopped it low, an' dey hopped it high;
Dey hopped it to, and' dey hopped it by'
Dey hopped it fer, an' dey hopped it nigh'
Dat fiddle an' bow jes make 'em fly.

[Kennikat Press Edition, 1968, page 36]

**

No tune or dance instructions is included with the lyrics to this song.

**
The N word that I wrote with asterisks is spelled out in that song.
Imo, the word "man" should be substituted for that N word if the song is being taught or performed nowadays.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 08:41 AM

It's not from "Buckeye Jim," pretty certainly, since it doesn't appear in the only version of that song ever found -- it was collected by Fletcher Collins in North Carolina and subsequently popularized by Burl Ives. (It's a version of the old "Limber Jim" riverboat song.)

The form of the verse, and the phrase "not far off," suggests "Gonna Have 'Lasses In the Morning," as done by the Golden Melody Boys back in the 1930s.

Way down yonder, and it's not far off,
Where the jaybird died of the whooping cough,
They eat snail puddin', pennywinkle pie,
The grey cat kick out the black cat's eye,

CHO Oh me, oh my,
         Gonna have lasses in the mornin'.

But since the second half of the verse isn't the same, I have to guess it might be a version of one of the "Kemo Kimo" songs, or else perhaps a version of "Down in the Arkansaw."

Problem is, that jaybird couplet is a fairly common floating verse and turns up in many songs like "Raccoon and Possum," "Pretty Little Turtle Dove," etc. There's also "Saturday Night and Sunday Too," with the verse:

Jaybird pulled a four horse plow, sparrow why can't you?
'Cause my legs is little and long, scared they'd break in two.

There are plenty of good traditional jaybird verses around if you want to put together a Jaybird Song.   

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: GUEST,JACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKO1
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 05:09 AM

i know a version and it goes like this:

Way down yonder and not far off
Way down yonder and not far off
A jay bird died of a whooping cough
A jay bird died of a whooping cough
Well he whooped and he whooped and he whooped all day
Well he whooped and he whooped and he whooped all day
He whooped his head and tail away
He whooped his head and tail away

Second verse,
Same as the first,
A whole lot louder,
A whole lot worse

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: GUEST,Reiver 2
Date: 10 Aug 01 - 01:32 PM

Used to sing these songs to my kids when they were little... and that was a long time ago! I've several versions of "Cotton-eye Joe" a lullaby from the mountains of Tennessee accordng to MORE BURL IVES SONGS, Ballantine Books, 1966, and A TREASURY OF FOLK SONGS, Bantam Books,1948. The verse about a jaybird dying from the whooping cough does not appear in either version, and the meter is such that it would be very difficult to make the line fit into this tune.

In my version of "Buckeye Jim", also a lullaby from the southern Appalachians, which I got from FOLK SONG: USA, by John and Alan Lomax, the 3rd verse is: "Way down yonder in a wooden trough, An old woman died of the whooping cough." The other verses (this version has 4 in all) have references to jay birds, bluebirds, blue jays, and red birds (along with a green bullfrog!) It's quite possible that some singers substituted "jaybird" for "old woman" (it actually scans better that way.)

Another one I used to sing to the kids was "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (found in FOLK SONGS OF NORTH AMERICA, by Alan Lomax) which has this verse: "Jaybird died with the whoopin' cough, Sparrow died with the colic. 'Long come a frog with a fiddle on his back, Inquirin' his way to the frolic."

I'll be happy to post words and chords to any or all of these songs if anyone wants them, but I'd guess they're in the DigiTrad data base (I didn't take time to look for them there.)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Louie Roy
Date: 10 Aug 01 - 01:08 AM

The chords are the same as the song (You've got to quit kicking my dog around) Louie

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Margo
Date: 09 Aug 01 - 05:49 PM

Anyone else think it might be "Cotton Eyed Joe"? And what is "cotton eyed"? Could it be what you look like when you've been drinking four cent cotton?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Margo
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 01:13 AM

Hey now wait a minute!!! I thought of Buckeye Jim at first, but the meter of the rhyme and the similarity to such a verse makes me wonder if it isn't "Cotton Eyed Joe". I have a recording of it on a Freighthoppers album "Where did you come from where did you go?". I wonder.....Margo

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: GUEST,Fred
Date: 07 Aug 01 - 11:06 PM

My Dad sang that one verse over and over with the lines interspersed: "Second verse, just like the first, could be better but it's gonna be worse."..."Third verse, just like the second, just like the first, could be better but it's gonna be worse." etc. ad nauseum but not ad infinitum because we got sick of it sooner than infinity! Also it is important to Who-oop both times that syllable comes up. I recently did it at a musical campout.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Stewie
Date: 07 Aug 01 - 07:41 PM

In the version of 'Buck-eyed Jim' that I am familiar with - from an old recording by Logan English - it is 'an old lady' who dies from the whooping cough and the jaybird 'dances with a green bullfrog'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Jeep man
Date: 07 Aug 01 - 02:24 PM

If I can get enough floating verses, I will make a song. Thanks Yank. Jeep

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 11:25 PM

I know that line from a song entitled, "Buckeye Jim". It's a REALLY OLD American Hillbilly song. The verse with the "whooping cough" in it goes like this......

A say out yonder in a wooden trough
A jaybird died of the whoopin' cough
Buckeye Jim, you can't go
Go weave and spin, you can't go
Buckeye Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: Jeep man
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 09:16 PM

Thanks, Spaw,I will report. Jeep

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 08:47 PM

Hey Jeepster.......That lyric is a piece of several other songs and although I can find no more specific verses to this one, you might want to look at some other info. Enter jaybird died in the search box for the DT AND FORUM SEARCH (left, at the top of the threads) and you'll find some additional discussion and info.

Spaw

Subject: JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING COUGH
From: Jeep man
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 08:34 PM

This is a good tune. I downloaded it on a MIDI, but would really like to have it done by real fiddlers, etc.

I have looked and not found. Also, does it have any lyrics other than the spoken ones? WAY DOWN SOUTH NOT TO FAR OFF A JAYBIRD DIED OF THE WHOOPING COUGH. HE WHOOPED SO HARD WITH THE WHOOPING COUGH, HE WHOOPED HIS HEAD AND TAIL RIGHT OFF. Help is appreciated. Jeep Man