Plantation Songs

Subject: Plantation Songs
From:
Date: 28 May 98 - 06:50 PM

This is really 2 requests: 1. Does anyone know the lyrics and/or tune for a song mentioned in a Civil War period source as "Gwine Down the Newburg Road?" 2. Does anyone have a good source for plantation songs?

Thanks very much, Marty

Subject: RE: Plantation Songs
From: Barry Finn
Date: 29 May 98 - 02:13 AM

Try the Earliest Times vol #13 of the Southern Journeys collection of Alan Lomax's work, you'll find the Georgia Sea Island Singers, anything by them is a good bet. If you're near Altamont, New York June 26-28 (I think), Frankie Quimby (Bessie Jone's great neice) & husband Doug are hitting the Old Songs Festival this year, aside from a few other places. They are the present day Georgia Sea Island Singers & alot of their songs date to the pre civil war days, when their Islands were owned by white mainland landowners, who'd rarely visit never mind live in the hot, humid place. After the civil war the Islands were still worked (& to some extent owned) by the former slaves, who kept a (natural) distance with the outside, mainland, white world & in doing so kept their music as it had been been since early slavery. Lomax first recorded them in the 30's, when singer Joe Armstrong was in his 90's. The CD notes are loaded with the names of books & recordings that deal with Plantation life. Barry

Subject: RE: Plantation Songs
From: KickyC
Date: 29 May 98 - 07:15 PM

Marty, What about all the Stephen Foster songs? There are so many good ones. I ahve a book called "Stephen Foster, Immortal Melodies". The publisher looks like CBS Robbins Catalog in Miami, FL. I have an address, but it is covered with the price tag and I can't get it off.

There were a couple of guys in southern Iowa who would do a Mark Twain and Stephen Foster night at a local hotel. They were so good. I really learned to appreciate the Foster tunes more there. It was so much fun!.

Kicky

Subject: Lyr Add: HARD TIMES IN OL' VIRGINIA^^
From: Barry Finn
Date: 04 Jun 98 - 11:26 PM

"Hard Times In Old Virginia" (from Georgia Sea Island Singers)

Grand Ch: Oh, in ol Virginia
Hard times in ol Virginia
Oh, in ol Virginia
Hard times in ol Virginia

My ol misses is a rich ol lady
Ch: Hard times in ol Virginia
Seven servents around her table
Ch: Hard times in ol Virginia

Grand Ch:

My ol misses is a rich ol lady
Ch: Hard times in ol Virginia
Seven servents to care for the baby
Ch: Hard times in ol Virginia

Grand Ch:

Got a bucket gonna go tomorrow
Ch:
To the well gonna draw some water
Ch:

Grand Ch:

Get some corn lay it down by the fire
Ch:
Get some corn lay it down by the fire

G. Ch:

My ol misses is a rich ol lady
Ch:
seven servents to roll the baby round, sir
Ch;

One of the older of their songs, going back to plantation/slavery days. Barry

Subject: RE: Plantation Songs
From: Largo
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 03:40 AM

If I got everything clear there's a song "Cotton needs pickin'" on Crossroads original movie soundtrack.

Cheers, Largo

Subject: RE: Plantation Songs
From: Ole Bull
Date: 08 Jun 98 - 05:16 PM

Don't forget Steven Foster's principle delineators The Cristy Minstrels and their published series of "Plantation Melodies"

Subject: RE: Plantation Songs
From:
Date: 08 Jun 98 - 08:52 PM

There is a book called "Slave Songs of the United States" by W.F. Allen, C.P. Ware and L.M. Garrison. It was published in 1867, but Dover re-issued it in 1995.

Murray

Subject: Lyr Add: WOODY KNOWS NOTHING^^
From: JB3
Date: 09 Jun 98 - 04:03 AM

Saturday Night and Sunday, Too

Saturday night and Sunday, too
True-love on my mind
But Monday mornin' bright and soon
The white man's got me gwine

Bluejay pulled a four horse plow
Sparrow, why can't you?
Because m' legs are little and long
And they might get broke in two

Redbird sittin' on a sycamore limb
Singin' of his soul
A big black snake crawled up that tree
And swallowed that poor boy whole

Wild geese flyin' thru the air
Thru the sky so blue
They're now a-floatin' where the south-wind blows
So why not me and you?

My family learned this off an old '78 record by Burl Ives. Also on the album was "Wake Nicodemus" (another good song about a slave) which I found in the database, but not this one.

Subject: RE: Plantation Songs
From: Kim C.
Date: 09 Jun 98 - 08:34 AM

Odetta's album Odetta at Carnegie Hall has some nice songs that seem to me must be plantation songs. One has a rousing, wailing refrain; "Keep your hand on the plow and hold on, hold on..."