Lyr Req: Ham and Eggs

Subject: roll on down
From: balladeer
Date: 07 Apr 03 - 10:54 PM

Hi, all: I'm trying to find a song that has the following refrain:

I'm gonna roll
Roll in a hurry
Roll on down to the end of the line? road? row? (unsure of last word)

The verses are of the following type:

If I'd a-known my cap'n was blind
I'd a-stayed in bed till half-past nine.

Any help with the rest of the lyric would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Balladeer

Subject: RE: roll on down
From: Dead Horse
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 05:42 AM

The verse mentioned is one of the verses from shanty Pay Me The Money Down,
but not as given in the DT. (Lord knows where THAT came from)
Dont recognise the "I'm gonna roll, Roll in a hurry" etc.
Lyrics to version I am familiar with (but dont care for):-
Chorus
Pay Me, you owe me, Pay me my money down
You've got to pay me Mr. Stevadore, Pay me my money down
You owe me. You owe me, pay me my money down
You've got to pay me or you'll go to jail, Pay me my money down.

If I'd a known the boss was blind. Pay me my money down
I wouldn'ta gone to work 'til half past nine. Pay me my money down

I thought I heard the old man say;
Go to shore, spend all your pay.

I thought I heard the men below;
You don't pay me and the ship don't go.

I need my pay to go to shore;        
I'll drink my whiskey and I'll get a whore.

The version I actually sing, is the second version in the DT about a young lady "not being paid for services rendered"
Being a good verse, I suspect that it may have occured in other shanties, as the shantyman saw fit.

Subject: RE: roll on down
From: balladeer
Date: 08 Apr 03 - 08:45 PM

Thanks for the thought, Dead Horse, but what I'm looking for is more of a working-in-the-fields song than an ocean going one.

Subject: RE: roll on down
From: Barry Finn
Date: 09 Apr 03 - 09:40 PM

The floating verse "If I'd a-known my cap'n was blind I'd a-stayed in bed till half-past nine" is found in alot of the prison work songs (Can't think of any shanties that would refere to the captain in this way).

"I believe I'll roll on down the line

It takes a number 1 driver down the line"

Don't know if this on is close, you could try another version "Plumb the Line". Anyway hope this might help a bit. Barry

Subject: RE: roll on down
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Apr 03 - 09:45 PM

Rocks and Gravel done by Ian and Sylvia begins with:
"If I'd a know'd the captain was blind..."

Subject: RE: roll on down
From: Barry Finn
Date: 09 Apr 03 - 10:47 PM

Hi SINSUL, if that the same as 'Early In The Morning'

"It takes rock & gravel, honey, to make a solid road, baby

It takes a good looking woman, honey, to make a good looking whore"

It's another prison song with the same floating verse but I'm not at all familiar with what Ian & Slyvia might have been singing in this case. If it is the same song would you let me know? Alwas have an ear listening for othe people's versions of prison work songs. See ya Saturday. Barry

Subject: RE: roll on down
From: Anglo
Date: 10 Apr 03 - 02:11 AM

I will bet you a steak dinner to a farthing that the particular song you seek is "Ham and Eggs" as recorded by Lonnie Donegan yea these many moons ago. Certainly derived from a southern prison farm song.

Ham and eggs, pork and beans,
Would have had more, boys, but the cook was so mean.
Gonna ro-o-oll, roll in a hurry, hurry, hurry,
To make it on the side of the road.

If I had known my captain was blind,
Wouldn't have come to sork, boys, when the clock struck nine.

If I had known my captain was back,
Wouldn't have sold that special, that I once had back (?)

(Well, that's how I remember it, I'm not sure I ever did get the words right).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: roll on down
From: harpgirl
Date: 10 Apr 03 - 11:34 AM

sounds like a great banjo tune! harpy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: roll on down
From: Anglo
Date: 10 Apr 03 - 11:59 AM

Oops - wouldn't have come to "work," boys (lyric above).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: roll on down
From: balladeer
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 11:47 PM

Hi, everyone: I've been busy elsewhere (found the song there also) and I missed all this information till now. Thanks so much to all. The song is indeed Pork and Beans. It's in the big Lomax book. In addition to Lonnie Donegan, Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie recorded it. Balladeer

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: roll on down
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 22 Apr 03 - 06:43 PM

It is "Ham and Eggs" sung by Leadbelly. The same song that "Anglo" refers to. I don't know if Leadbelly wrote it, but I remember him singing it in the late 1940's.
My hat's off to Lonnie Donegan for revitalizing some of Leadbelly's material.
I don't believe that Mr. Ledbetter realized any monetary gain in any of his songs. I do believe he'd be pleased that someone profited from them. "The Weavers" sold quite a few records of his "Irene" which was just before Leadbelly died in the early 50's. Like Mozart, he'd just begun to be appreciated by the general public when he died.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: roll on down
From: balladeer
Date: 22 Apr 03 - 11:43 PM

OOps! Yes, quite right.

Ham and eggs
Pork and beans
Would have eaten more
But the cook was too mean

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: roll on down
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 25 Apr 03 - 10:34 PM

Essentially the same song as HAM AND EGGS is in the DT under the name I'VE GOT TO ROLL, attributed to Josh White.

Various versions have been recorded by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Big Bill Broonzy, and The Rooftop Singers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ham and Eggs
From: GUEST,mike gaffney
Date: 01 Mar 09 - 07:24 PM

Well to help continue the mystery ... I came in search of a song sung by Josh White in the mid-sixties. Never knew the name or heard it more than once but, here's what I do recall

If I had known my Captain was blind, Darlin', Darlin'
If I had known my Captain was blind, Darlin'
If I had known my Captain was blind,
Wouldn't gone to work but half the time
Darlin', oh Darlin'

Ham and eggs, pork and beans, Darlin', Darlin'
Ham and eggs, pork and beans, Darlin'
Ham and eggs, pork and beans
Woulda et more but the plate wasn't clean
Darlin', oh Darlin'

That's all I have. Like all the old ballads and work songs, lyrics were exchanged from song to song. I was a regular at the local library (burlington, NC) in the mid-sixties when you could actually check out 33 1/3 and 78 RPMs for research. An awful lot of the time you'd find ancient Lomax recordings of the "popular" folk songs playing but, like the Childe Ballads, there was always an alternate tune or subject matter depending on the singer. It was neat and confusing at the same time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ham and Eggs
From: GUEST,My Dad sang this song in the 1970's as "Darl
Date: 23 Oct 10 - 01:02 AM

It had basically the same first verse, and another verse too. Try this:

If I had know'd my Captain was blind, Darlin';
If I had know'd my Captain was blind, Darlin'
If I had know'd my Captain was blind -
I Wouldn't gone to work until a half past nine,
I just couldn't tell what was on his mind, Darlin'.

I said now "Look here Cap'n ain't you shamed, Darlin';
I said now "Look here Cap'n ain't you shamed, Darlin'!
'Said Look here Cap'n ain't you ashamed -
You working your poor men out in the cold and rain;
He just woudln't hear a single word I's saying, darlin.


My father was Joseph Decker Harrison, and he travelled around the Folk Festival circuit starting in the Civil Rights movement in the early '60's, and I travelled with him from 1971 to 1973. I might have a recording of him singing this somewhere, if you are interested. James "Sparky" Rucker knew us and sang with my father often.

He explained it was a song to tell the woman why her man had not come home for so long. He also sang other "prison songs" too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ham and Eggs
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 23 Oct 10 - 04:09 AM

One of my favourite songs from Lonnie. Have a listen

Ham 'n' Eggs - Lonnie Donegan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ham and Eggs
From: GUEST,Doc John
Date: 23 Oct 10 - 05:24 AM

Sometimes:

Ham and eggs, pork and beans,
I would eat more but the cook wasn't clean.

Then there's in the Leadbelly, Woody, Cisco version:

If I had known my captain was bad,
Would not sold that special that I once have had.

If I had known my captain was tall,
Wouldn't have gone to work, till I'd saved them all (?)

If I had known that man wasn't there
I wouldn't gone to work, boys, till he gone back.

I looked over that lone corral
Tryin' to find that mule with a shoulder well.

Don't forget the 'Wha!'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ham and Eggs
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Oct 10 - 12:42 PM

And if'n I had my weight in lime (if I'd been white)
I'd a-whupped that captain till he went stone blind

Subject: Lyr Add: HAM AND EGGS (Lead Belly)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Sep 16 - 01:07 PM

These 3 verses occur in all 4 recordings of Lead Belly that I heard on Spotify. See Doc John's transcription above for some additional verses, but those make less sense to me. This is a rock-breaking chain-gang work song, and "wah!" represents the blow of the hammer.


HAM AND EGGS
As recorded by Lead Belly.

Ham and eggs (wah!), pork and beans (wah!).
I wanted more (wah!), but the cook was so mean (wah!).
I gotta roll (wah!), roll in a hurry (wah!), to make it on the side o' the road (wah!).

If I had a knowed (wah!), my cap'n was bad (wah!),
I wouldn't 'a' sold that special (wah!) that I once have had (wah!).
I gotta roll (wah!), roll in a hurry (wah!), to make it on the side o' the road (wah!).

If I had a knowed (wah!) my cap'n was blind (wah!),
I wouldn't 'a' went to work, boys (wah!), till the clock struck nine (wah!).
I gotta roll (wah!), roll in a hurry (wah!), to make it on the side o' the road (wah!).