Lyr ADD: (She had a habit) Giving Everything Away

Subject: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: Joybell
Date: 03 Sep 04 - 07:21 AM

Anybody have any more words for this song please? Title and origin unknown. Sounds like Texas/Oklahoma white blues. Nothing else known about it. Tune is similar to "Basin Street Blues". True-love heard it over 30 years ago in Indiana.

I knew a gal, she lived on a farm.
She had corn in the crib, she had hay in the barn.
This old gal she lived away down south.
She had plenty of ham, Lord, in her smokehouse.
She wouldn't sell it -- she just liked to give it away.

She got tired of the country -- wouldn't farm no more,
She moved to the city, got a job in a store,
But the manager fired her when
He caught her giving things away to the men.
She had a habit of giving everything away.

Thanks all. Joy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Somebody must know this song!
From: Joybell
Date: 03 Sep 04 - 09:34 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: RangerSteve
Date: 04 Sep 04 - 11:08 AM

It sounds awfully familiar, and as I read the words, I could hear them in the back of my mind sung by a woman with a pretty powerful voice, possibly Dian James, and the only album I have by her is Dian and the Greenbriar Boys on the Electra label, long out of print. If I find the time today, I'll look it up, but my LP's are not in any order and there's about 300 to look through. At any rate, I'll eventually get to it this week.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: Joybell
Date: 04 Sep 04 - 08:42 PM

Thanks RangerSteve. True-love learned it from live performances in the 60s but he doesn't recall who was singing it. He remembers someone telling him there were more verses. He forgot about it until recently when it resurfaced in his head. It's a good song. Be fun to find more of it. Joy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Sep 04 - 10:00 PM

Joy-

Sure sounds familar to me. Wouldn't be surprised if if goes back at least to the 1940's. I can even hear the static crackling on our old radio as we used to listen to it in the kitchen.

Charley Noble

Subject: ADD: Giving Everything Away
From: Little Robyn
Date: 04 Sep 04 - 10:18 PM

I found it - in Mitch's songbook from about 1965-66.
Don't know who wrote it but Dave Jordan used to sing it. We have a recording of him doing it at the 3rd National Folk Festival, Wellington, NZ, in 1967!

Giving Everything Away

I know a gal, she lived on a farm,
She had corn in the crib and hay in the barn,
Had an old cow she milked every day -
She wouldn't sell milk and butter, she just gave it away,
She had a habit of giving everything away.

She had chickens in the coop, pigs on the pen,
Corn in the crib and hay in the bin.
This old gal, she lived down south,
She had plenty of meat hanging up in her smokehouse -
She never sold it - she just liked to give it away.

She got tired of the country, wouldn't farm no more,
Went to town and got a job in a store,
She was doin' fine till one day when
They caught her giving goods away to the men;
She had a habit of giving everything away.

She lost her job, she didn't care.
She went to the honkey-tonk and drank some beer,
She drank some corn liquor and some home-brew too;
Lordy, goodness knows what it made her do.
She had a habit of giving everything away.

Robyn and Mitch Park

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: Joybell
Date: 05 Sep 04 - 08:48 PM

Well so there you go.
Thank you so much Little Robyn and Mitch.
We were sure someone must have heard it but we didn't expect it to turn up in New Zealand. Not knowing the title was one of the problems. It's a good one isn't it.
Thank you so much. Joy and her True-love.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: GUEST,biba
Date: 19 Jun 12 - 10:06 AM

I was born in 1943 and remember this song being sung by a friend of my parents. I must have been around 5 when I heard it the firt time. I don't remember it being on the radio. In fact the only time I ever heard it was when W.T. sang it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 19 Jun 12 - 06:34 PM

thread.cfm?threadid=136166

The writing credit is attributed to Clayton McMichen on that thread. However, in light of the previous post, perhaps the writing credit was for a song adaptation of the poem ??

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: GUEST,Fuzzworth
Date: 20 Jun 12 - 02:31 AM

Tracy Nelson used to sing a killer version of this when she was doing solo work in Wisconsin in pre-Mother Earth Days.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: GUEST,Fuzzworth again
Date: 20 Jun 12 - 03:03 AM

I just remembered -- The song was featured on the excellent but obscure "Dian and the Greenbriar Boys" album. Great album, if you can find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Jun 12 - 09:12 AM

Here's an early recording history from The Online 78 rpm Discographical Project:

Shelton Brothers, GIVING EVERYTHING AWAY, recorded 2/17/37, released as Decca 5367.

Saddle Tramps, GIVIN' EVERYTHING AWAY, recorded 6/24/1937, released as Columbia 20286, Columbia 37709, Conqueror 8942, Melotone 7-08-68, and Vocalion 03609.

Riley Puckett, NEW GIVIN' EVERYTHING AWAY, recorded 08/??/39, released as Bluebird 8277a and Montgomery Ward 8478.

Subject: Lyr Add: NEW GIVIN' EVERYTHING AWAY (from Puckett)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Jun 12 - 09:45 AM

Here's my transcription from an album I found on Spotify. I have taken some pains to represent Puckett's dialect.

The song has the feel of a jug-band song; all that's missing is a jug. There is some nice accordion work. I also hear a guitar and mandolin.


NEW GIVIN' EVERYTHING AWAY
As sung by Riley Puckett on "Country Music Pioneer" (2011), a 4-CD set.

Now it's I've got a gal; she lives on a farm.
She's got corn in the crib an' hay in the barn.
She got an old cow she milks ev'ry day.
She wouldn't sell milk an' butter; she just give it away.
She had a habit of givin' ev'rything away.

She had chickens in the coop, pigs in the pen,
Sugar in the bowl, an' flour in the bin.
This ol' gal, she lived away down south.
She's got plenty of meat, Lawd, in her smokehouse.
She wouldn't sell it; she just liked to give it away.

She got tired of the country, wouldn't farm no more.
She moved to town an' got a job in a store.
She was doin' fine till one day when,
Lawd, they caught her givin' goods away to the men,
An' they fired her [for] givin' ev'rything away.

Now she lost her job; she didn't care.
She went to a honky-tonk an' drunk some beer.
She drunk some liquor an' some home-brew too.
Lordy, goodness knows what it made her do.
She had a habit of givin' ev'rything away.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. More verses?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Apr 13 - 02:44 PM

Jon Bright

I heard the song when I was a kid in rural Oklahoma about 1938. I remember only partial lines of one stanza--the first and last part:

"I gotta girl--lives downtown, holes in her stockings, feet on the ground."

(and)

"She don't sell her milk and butter, she just gives it all away."

"She's got a habit, of giving everything away."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 07 Apr 13 - 12:07 PM

Dian James and the Greenbriar Boys did a great version!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: GUEST,debbie teague
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 01:24 PM

My grandma used to sing this to us in the 60's. What a hoot of a song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: GUEST,Mike Fitzgerald
Date: 06 Feb 17 - 07:37 PM

Jim Dixon's version is almost word for word a song my father used to sing minus a final verse which follows..

"She got so drunk, couldn't drink no more.
Went to her house and put a light on her door.
The men all came and they paid their way.
An now she's selling what she used to give away.
She broke her habit of given everything away."

Subject: Lyr Add: SHE'S SELLIN' WHAT SHE USED TO GIVE AWAY
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Feb 17 - 11:40 PM

You can hear this on YouTube:

SHE'S SELLIN' WHAT SHE USED TO GIVE AWAY
As recorded by Buddy Jones, 1938.

Well, a red-headed gal lived down on the farm.
She messed around but didn't mean no harm.
She worked in the fields but didn't make no dough.
She still held on to her hi-de-ho,
And now she's sellin' what she used to give away.

She went to the city with a dollar or two,
Soon found out that jobs were few.
Her money gave out and her spirit went low,
But she still held on to her hi-de-ho,
And now she's sellin' what she used to give away.

Well, things got better; then she wanted some more.
She opened up a honky-tonk right next door.
Whiskey went up and beer went low,
But she still held on to her hi-de-ho,
And now she's sellin' what she used to give away.

She started makin' money sellin' gin an' ale.
The place was raided and she went to jail.
She got out and was ready to go,
Hangin' right on to her hi-de-ho,
And now she's sellin' what she used to give away.
I mean, she's sellin' what she used to give away.

[Bill Tutt recorded nearly the same lyrics in 1952, with the following additional verse:

Now she's back on the farm for many a year.
No more honky-tonks, no more beer.
Got two kids and she's down in the back.
Looks like a boy left her holdin' the sack.
Now she's sellin' what she used to give away.

You can hear this on YouTube.]

Subject: Lyr Add: SHE'S SELLING WHAT SHE USED TO GIVE AWAY
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Feb 17 - 11:42 PM

This is also on YouTube:


SHE'S SELLING WHAT SHE USED TO GIVE AWAY
As recorded by Bill Nettles and his Dixie Blue Boys, 1938.

I met a little girl in the country one day,
Brought her to town and she decided to stay.
Got her a job, give her a start,
Now she changed her way of living, little gal that's smart.
Bought out my store, put on a sale,
Started advertisin' as she took in the gale(?),
Credit tomorrow but it's cash today,
Now she's sellin' that stuff she used to give away.
Now she's sellin' what she used to give away.

Now the customers came from miles aroun'
See what she had in her evenin' gown.
Took them in poor(?) as all the stock was low,
Then she started sellin' all her calico.
Opened the store, hung out her sign,
She started sellin' and they started buyin'.
Silk went up high and cotton got low,
So she raised the price on her calico,
And now she's sellin' what she used to give away.

Now she made made her fortune; she wanted some more,
Bought out a honky-tonky over next door.
Sloe gin and wine and muscat got low,
But her usual price for her calico.
Judge of the town came to see her one day,
Got her a line in his big-time ways,
Offered her a check for all she had,
But she handed him a packet in a paper bag.
She said she's sellin' what she used to give away.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: Mo the caller
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 06:05 AM

Someone upthread said it sounded like a jug band song.
Somewhere I have a jug and washboard record (bought in the 70s or late 60s)with a track "Mama don't give all the lard away"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: Mo the caller
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 06:13 AM

"Mama don't give all the lard away" Which ,of course, has it's own thread

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: GUEST,MVS
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 12:53 PM

Bob Skyles and His Skyrockets, "She's Stopped Giving Everything Away"
Bluebird B7129, 14 Sept 1937 (San Antonio, TX), novelty accompaniment). Skyles' RN is Bob Kendrick and he plays fiddle, mandolin, clarinet, and ocarina, as well as lead vocal.

Oh that bad gal of mine from yesterday
Who had a bad habit of givin' away
She's back home where she belongs
She done found out that she done wrong
She quit the habit
Of givin' everything away.

Now she's back home on the farm
A-restin' up and she's doin' no harm
Got two kids and she's down in the back
It looks like they left her a-holdin' the sack
She learned a lesson
A-givin' everything away.

No more honkytonks, no more beer
She's been home now, nearly a year
This gal of mine, as sleek as a mouse
Still got meat in her smokehouse
She's gonna keep it,
Never try to give it away.

Well, there ain't no end to this little song
Just a little story 'bout right and wrong
To all you gals livin' down on the farm
Stick to your chickens and your hay in the barn
Don't get the habit
Of givin' everything away.


See also Bill Tutt, "Selling What She Used to Give Away" (Gilt-Edge, 5079, 1952), a combo version. The contemporary Billboard review finds it OK, which it is, but unsuitable for airplay. Analysts believe the session dates from 1948 and that the sidemen include Curley Cochran (steel; name check is "Curley") and Jesse Ashlock (fiddle, no name check), plus non-ID guitar (name check is "Gail") and piano (name check is "Wanda" or "Wanna"). Hot postwar LA cowboy jazz.

http://wired-for-sound.blogspot.com/2010/09/bill-tutt-on-gilt-edge-5079.html

A redheaded gal lived down on the farm
She played around, didn't mean no harm
Worked in the field, didn't save no dough,
Still hung onto her hi-de-ho
Now she's sellin'
What she used to give away.

Why she come to town with a dollar or two
Soon found out that jobs were few
Money run out and her spirits run low
She still hung onto her hi-de-ho
Now she's sellin'
What she used to give away.

Well, she started makin' money sellin' gin and ale
Place got raided and she went to jail
She got out, rarin' to go,
Holdin' right on to her hi-de-ho,
Now she's sellin'
What she used to give away.

Why she's back on the farm, for many a year
No more honkytonks, no more beer
Got two kids and she's down in the back
Looks like the boys left her holdin' the sack
Now she's sellin'
What she used to give away.
I mean, she's sellin'
What she used to give away.

Original song has been attributed to Clayton McMichen but more likely belongs to the Shelton Brothers or their writers. The "Selling" version probably belongs to one of the Jones brothers (Buddy, the singer, or Buster). (Jimmie Davis sharply asked Tony Russell "Who gave you that name?" when Russell asked him a songwriting question about Buster Jones. Even at nearly 100 Davis was defensive about his copyrights). Bill Tutt's recording ("Not recommended for radio broadcast") gives CC to "Stevenson," but his song is 3 verses of Buddy Jones plus one from Bob Skyles.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: GUEST,marc davenport
Date: 26 Mar 21 - 09:22 PM

Riley Puckett has a nice version of this tune. The title might have been "She Had a Habit"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Mar 21 - 09:40 PM

Is this a song about a nun?   ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She had a habit. Giving Everything Away
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 04:05 PM

I know a gal, she lived on a farm,
She got corn in the crib and hay in the barn.
She had an old cow, she milked every day,
She wouldn't sell the milk and butter,
She just gave it away.
She wouldnt' see it, she just liked to give it away.

The chickens in the coop, pigs in the pen,
Sugar in the bowl and flower in the bin.
This old gal, she lived away down south,
She's got plenty of meat, Lord, in her smoke house.
She wouldn't sell it, she just liked to give it away.

(instrumental break)

She got tired of the country, wouldn't farm no more,
She moved to town, got a job in a store.
She was doing fine til one day when:
Lord, the caught her givin' goods away to the men.
She wouldn't sell it, she just liked to give it away.

Well, she lost her job, she didn't care,
She went to a honky-tonk and drank some beer,
She drank some corn likker and some home-brew too.
Lordy goodness knows what it made her do.
She wouldn't sell it, she just like to give it away.