Lyr Req: Old Joe Clark

Subject: old joe clark?
From: GUEST,hippie
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 04:13 PM

I'm just trying to remember the lyrics about old joe clark being a slave and I was wondering if anyone had heard it. It's sort of on the subject of the banjo being a slave instrument. Thanks if u can remember! Chorus: Round and round Old Joe Clark Round and round I say Round and round Old Joe Clark Or they'll carry you away

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 04:15 PM

Do a search, you'll find a lot.

SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: GUEST,hippie
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 04:18 PM

Thanks for the suggestion but I already did a search and I couldn't find that specific version of the song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 05:24 PM

A lot of songs have the meter of "Old Joe Clark-Liza Jane." One of these is known as the "The Gal From The South," which usually includes the line

"Old massa had a yaller gal,
He brung her from the south," etc.,

It includes this verse:

Old massa had a banjo,
Its strings were made of twine;
The only tune that I could play
Was "I wish that gal was mine."

"My Liza Jane" has these lines:

Saturday night and Sunday too, pretty gals on my mind;
Monday mornin' just 'fore day, white folks got me gwine,
White folks got me gwine, white folks got me gwine.

When I go to my gal's house and she is at home,
I lays myself back in de big arm cheer and picks on de old banjo,
And picks on de old banjo, and picks on de old banjo.

As I went down the new cut road, she went down de lane.
Was de last time I saw my true love, so go 'long, Liza Jane.
Go long, Liza Jane, go long Liza Jane.

Not what you want, but offered for comparison. From Newman L. White, American Negro Folk Songs. The chorus you offer is common to several versions of Old Joe Clark (in Lomax, etc.) but not with verses suggesting slavery or playing the banjo.

In Randolph, Ozark Folksongs, is the verse:

I had a banjo made of gourd,
The strings was made of twine,
But the only tune that I could play
Was I wish that gal was mine.

No verses in Randolph suggest slavery; this one, also from Randolph, suggests prison:

Old Joe Clark is dead and gone, I hope he's a'doin' well,
He made me wear the ball and chain,
An' it made my ankles swell.

No other verses with this fragment collected in 1930.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 06:06 PM

A peculiar pair of verses by Hedy West, posted 06-Oct-97 are in the Forum, thread 2864: Joe Clark :
I went down to old Joe Clark's to get me a glass of wine.
He tied me up to his whupping post and gave me ninety-nine.

Old Joe Clark is dead and gone and I hope he's gone to Hell.
He made me wear the ball and chain and it made my ankles swell.
I have an idea that the first verse here is either an invention of Hedy West, or is an echo of a chain-gang version. Cf. the 2nd verse with the Randolph verse given above.

The "Old Joe Clark" in the DT is pretty anemic; it needs more spice. (Oops! switched horses there; transfusion would be better.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: GUEST,hippie
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 06:15 PM

Thanks for those two examples. The last one's pretty different from the version I knew. It's always interesting to find as many versions as you can.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: GUEST,Jo
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 07:20 PM

I once heard the slave version by Atwater- Donnelly. Sure wish I could remember it. sorry I can't help!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Jun 02 - 07:45 PM

Research by The Library of Congress shows no versions older than about 1900, although it would seem that this fiddle tune could be older. American Memory: see Fiddle tunes
Scroll down to Old Joe Clark, transcription, click and see Notes.
(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/hrhtml/afcreedTitles2.html) - (in case my clickie doesn't work).
Any original reference to slavery is doubtful.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: GUEST,hippie
Date: 17 Jun 02 - 12:55 AM

I'm still trying to find those lyrics for a paper I'm writing so if anyone remembers please let me know. Thanks!

Subject: Lyr Add: OLD JOE CLARK
From: ciarili
Date: 17 Jun 02 - 01:51 AM

Well, I heard these verses on an old recording and I always remembered them. I don't know who the artist was - sorry!

chorus:
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
Goodbye, Betsy Brown
Fare thee well, Old Joe Clark
I'm goin' to leave this town

I went down to Old Joe Clark's
Old Joe wasn't home
I ate all Joe's meat and bread
And I gave his dog a bone

I went down to see my gal
She met me at the door
Shoes an' stockin's in her hand
And her bare feet on the floor

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: old joe clark?
From: masato sakurai
Date: 17 Jun 02 - 02:01 AM

No luck with the lyrics of Old Joe as a slave. As a reference:

Previous thread: Old Joe Clark. THE folk song/tune?

The Fiddler's Companion: Old Joe Clark

The Traditional Ballad Index: Old Joe Clark

Biography of Old Joe Clark

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Joe Clark
From: GUEST,Laura
Date: 07 Jul 12 - 01:19 AM

I'm doing a search for my folk song collection, and came across your thread and this website that may have what you're looking for:

http://www.lyricsmania.com/banjo_clark_lyrics_darrell_scott.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Joe Clark
From: Leadfingers
Date: 07 Jul 12 - 02:35 AM

Laura's Link

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Joe Clark
From: Leadfingers
Date: 07 Jul 12 - 04:45 PM

And Wild Willy Barratt used to sing :-

I went round to Old Joe's house , He was not at home
I ate his meat and drunk his drink and threw his dog a cat