Lyr Req: Saddle Up the Grey

Subject: Saddle Up the Grey
From: GUEST,Alvin Hudson, Mississippi Old Time Music Soc
Date: 14 Oct 01 - 04:41 PM

Does anyone have the lyrics for "Saddle Up the Grey" recorded in 1928 by The Carter Bros and Son? I have a copy of the recording, but am unable to decipher most of the lyrics.

TIA Alvin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Saddle Up the Grey
From: masato sakurai
Date: 15 Oct 01 - 03:14 AM

I'd like to know, too. The song is in V.A., Mississippi String Bands, vol. 1 (County 3513) and V.A., Mississippi String Bands, vol. 1 (Document-8009). No lyrics to these CDs. Two recordings in the Folk Music Index:

Saddle Up The Grey
1. New Lost City Ramblers. String Band Instrumentals, Folkways FA 2492, LP (1964), cut#A.01
2. Putnam String County Band. Putnam String County Band, Rounder 3003, LP (1973), cut# 10

~Masato

Subject: Lyr Add: SADDLE UP THE GREY (from Putnam String...
From: Stewie
Date: 18 Sep 02 - 10:45 PM

This is basically an instrumental. I agree that the Carter Bros lyrics are almost indecipherable. The Putnam String County Band, who learned it from the Carter Bros & Son recording use the first stanza only (repeated twice) with diddles, yells and whoops. The Carters do it pretty straight with a few 'diddle lines' by no yells or whoops. They have stanza near the end that defies me. Here is all I can get of this last bit, and that may be wrong!

Roll around the ? and put out the light
Ain't gonna be no supper here tonight
?? you'd better get away
Ain't a-gonna be no dinner here today
?? better ride no jeep
?? gonna get back in the middle of the week

The Putnam String County Band do it like this:

SADDLE UP THE GREY

Saddle up the grey
Better get away
Ain't a-gonna get no supper here today
Pass around the jug and put out the light
Ain't a-gonna get no dinner here tonight

Diddle, la, la la etc
Assorted whoops and yells

Repeat above stanza

Repeat diddles, whoops and yells

Repeat stanza

Repeat diddles, whoops and yells

Pass around the jug and put out the light
Ain't a-gonna get no dinner here tonight

Whoops and yells

Source: transcription from Putnam String County Band 'Homegrown' Rounder LP 3003.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Saddle Up the Grey
From: Stewie
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 09:49 PM

Looking through my notebooks of trivia garnered from the net, I found that someone on a newsgroup had suggested the following for the last two lines of the Carters vocalising towards the end:

Riding of the goat, leading of the sheep
Won't be back 'fore the middle of the week

Listening again, 'sheep' seems right and certainly is more appropriate in this rural context, but I hear it the other way round: 'Leading of the goat and riding of the sheep'. And I reckon it is: 'Ain't gonna be back ['fore] the middle of the week'. Anyone else willing to lend their ears to this? It doesn't really matter - you can sing any nonsense - but it is a challenge.

--Stewie.

Subject: Lyr Add: SADDLE UP THE GRAY (from Carter Bros &Son
From: Stewie
Date: 19 Sep 02 - 10:34 PM

I had a search in the archives of the old-time newsgroup and found this transcription of the Carter Bros & Son recording of 'Saddle Up the Gray' by Lyle Lofgren, a knowledgeable contributor to that group. I reckon it is about as good as anyone will get - and it confirms my hearing that 'riding' goes with the 'sheep' (no sexual pun intended).

SADDLE UP THE GRAY

Saddle up the grey,
And you better get away,
You ain't a-gonna get no dinner here today
Roll around the jug and put out the light,
There ain't a-gonna be no dinner here tonight.

(One verse of yaddle-daddle. I don't think it matters if you get every daddle correct here).

(Some more yaddle-daddles, with the only coherent portion being "..ain't a-gonna be no...")
Roll around the jug and put out the light,
There ain't a-gonna be no supper here tonight
Saddle up the grey, and you better get away
There ain't a-gonna be no dinner here today
Leadin' of a goat and a-ridin' of a sheep
I ain't a-gonna get back till the middle of the week
Roll around the jug and put out the light,
Ain't gonna get no supper here tonight.

Source: transcription by Lyle Lofgren. Posted to rec.music.country.old-time newsgroup.

--Stewie.