Tune Req: Young Mr. Lincoln

Subject: Tune Req: YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
From: PianoMan88
Date: 19 Oct 04 - 02:15 PM

Hello from New York:

I hope you can help me!

I've looked everywhere on the internet and I cannot find the answer to my question and quest.

I was referred to you by someone from "OldSongs.org".

In the 1939 film "Young Mr. Lincoln", Henry Fonda in the title role dances with Mary Todd
to what sounds like a reel or waltz with an absolutely captivating and catchy melody.

The leader of the orchestra sings words to the tune but they are horribly muffled by the
age of the film and the soundtrack.

(Rythym sounds like a basic beat of 1-/ 2-/ 3 / and / 1-/ 2-/ 3 / and...)


However, the words or phrases I do pick up are:

"DA/ DA/ DA/, the cuc /koo /walks/ (or waltz) ?????;

DA/ DA/ DA/, the cuc/ koo /walks

DA/ DA/ DA, / the cuc/ koo/ walks

"Love-ly /Su -san / Brown ...

"Fare /thee well /my charm-ing girl,

fare/ thee well /I go,

Fare /thee well /my charm-ing girl,

I know not/ how to/ ????????

----------------------------------------
Can you help me on this? This is driving me batty!

Thanks,
PianoMan88

Subject: Lyr Add: CUCKOO WALTZ
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Oct 04 - 06:55 PM

This may be the one (a variant) (from here):

Three times round the cuckoo waltz,
Three times round the cuckoo waltz
Three times round the cuckoo waltz,
Lovely Susie Brown.

Fare thee well, my charming girl,
Fare thee well I'm gone,
Fare thee well, my charming girl,
With golden slippers on.

Choose your pard as we go round,
Choose your pard as we go round,
Choose your pard as we go round,
We'll all take Susie Brown.

Fare thee well, my charming girl,
Fare thee well I'm gone,
Fare thee well, my charming girl,
With golden slippers on.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Oct 04 - 07:20 PM

Masato's lyrics scan to Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss.....??

Subject: RE: Tune Req: YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
From: PianoMan88
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 11:56 AM

Thanks to Masato and Sorcha for your unbelievable and appreciated prompt response.

YES, I think those are the lyrics!!!!!. ONE FURTHER QUESTION:

What is the name of this tune. Is it "Susie Brown"???

I would like to find the sheet music or recording of it,
even though I can play it by ear on the piano,

and TRYING to play it by ear,
on the violin.

Thanks again, all.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 01:39 PM

IF it's this tune, here are the dots....Shady Grove aka, Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss/I'll Be 16 Come Sunday.

Subject: Lyr Add: SUSIE BROWN
From: masato sakurai
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 08:48 PM

Found in B.A. Botkin, The American Play-Party Song (Frederick Ungar, 1937, 1963, pp. 319-20; without tune):

             105
         SUSIE BROWN
(Florette McNeese, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, from her pupils.)

Cf. "Susie Brown," Pound (Nebraska, Syllabus), p. 74; "Cuckoo Waltz," (Wolford (Indiana), pp. 36-37 (two texts).

"Susie (Susan) Brown" occurs in "Hogs in the Cornfield," Ames (Missouri), JAFL, 24: 318; COFFEE GROWS ON A WHITE OAK TREE, OLD JOE CLARK, VIRGINIA.
   For Stanza 3, see GOLDEN SLIPPERS.
   Played like COFFEE GROWS ON A WHITE OAK TREE.

1 Choose your love as we go round, (Three times.)
    My lovely Susie Brown.

2 Three times round the poker whirl, etc.

3 Fare you well, my pretty little miss, (Three times.)
    With the golden slippers on. (Three times.)
    Fare you well, my pretty little miss,
    With the golden slippers on.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
From: masato sakurai
Date: 21 Oct 04 - 04:05 AM

I'm not sure if this may be related, but there's another "Susie Brown" play-party song at Wolf Folklore Collection: "Hoist Those Windows." Clcik here, and listen.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Young Mr. Lincoln
From: GUEST,plebeian
Date: 07 Dec 04 - 02:59 PM

I'm jumping on this thread a little late, but there's a wonderful version of this tune on Dan Zanes's album "Parades and Panoramas"--he got if from Carl Sandburgs book "The American Songbag", and it's probaly not coincidence that you heard it in that Lincoln film considering Sandburg wrote the definitive Lincoln biography....

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Young Mr. Lincoln
From: masato sakurai
Date: 08 Dec 04 - 10:39 AM

Thanks, plebeian. Here's the Sandburg version. Whole lyrics are those posted above (taken from Dan Zanes's album).

X:1
T:CUCKOO WALTZ
M:2/4
L:1/8
B:Sandburg, The American Songbag, p. 160
K:D
F F D3/2 D/ | F E E2 |E3/2 E/ C C |E D D2 |
w:Three times round the cuck-oo waltz, Three times round the cuck-oo waltz,
F F D3/2 D/|F E E2 |A G E F |D4|
w:Three times round the cuck-oo waltz, Love-ly Sus-ie Brown.
A3/2 A/ B3/2 B/|A F D2|A3/2 A/ B B|A4 |
w:Fare thee well, my charm-ing girl, Fare thee well I'm gone,
A3/2 A/ B3/2 B/|A F D F|F F E E|D4|]
w: Fare thee well, my charm-ing girl, With gold-en slip-pers on.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Young Mr. Lincoln
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Dec 04 - 08:28 PM

As suggested by the titles in Botkin, "The American Play-Party Song," there seem to be several titles and several variant tunes but all with the same meter. Randolph, Ozark Folk Songs, vol. 3, pp. 309-13, uses the title "Four in the Middle." Susie Brown appears in two versions. Music given for one version. "The Cuckoo Waltz" appears to have to have been a separate song which was joined. A few verses:

Four in the middle, you cain't git around, (3X)
Hello Susan Brown,

Big white house and nobody livin' in it, (3X)
Hello Susie Brown.

Get out of the ring if you can't jump Josie, (3x)
Hello Susie Brown.

Four in the middle an' two wants out, (3X)
Swing your lady round an' about.

We're goin' down the river,
We're goin' mighty slow,
We're goin' down the river
To old Shiloh.

Coffee grows on white oak stumps, etc. - a thread on this one.